Freeze-Drying Specialist (R&D Food)

About Us

Pea Pod Pantry is a Bangalore-based food startup building gourmet, preservative-free Ready-to-Eat meals that are shelf-stable without tasting like it. Lyophilization is the core technology behind everything we make.

The Role

You'll own our pilot freeze-drying line from formulation through to final shelf-stability specs, working closely with our Head Chef to adapt complex recipes including high-moisture and fermented South Indian profiles without losing authenticity.

What You'll Do

• Design, run, and optimize primary and secondary drying cycles for multi-ingredient food matrices
• Troubleshoot batch failures (collapse, melt-back, case hardening) using data moisture content, water activity, freezing rate, solute concentration
• Define packaging and moisture-barrier requirements for long-term ambient stability, no artificial preservatives
• Correlate analytical measurements (porosity, Aw, residual moisture) with sensory outcomes in our R&D lab

What We're Looking For

• PhD or Master's in Food Science, Food Engineering, or Pharmaceutical Sciences with a focus on lyophilization, dehydration, or phase transitions
• Hands-on experience operating and optimizing freeze-drying equipment at commercial or lab scale pharma, nutraceuticals, and instant coffee backgrounds are welcome
• Solid understanding of glass transition temperature, eutectic behavior, and vacuum/pressure dynamics
• Based in Bangalore or willing to relocate fully on-site role

Pea Pod Pantry Bangalore On-site, Full-time 8,00,000 12,00,000 PA