The Laboratory was founded in 1956 as the Department for general operations of the food industry with the basics of design. Prof. Veljko Brlek, PhD (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb) held theoretical lessons from the academic year 1956/1957, and from 1957/1958, Ivan Lovreček (Chemical and Technology Department of the Faculty of Technology, Zagreb) did. From the academic year 1959/1960 to 1975/1976, the theoretical and practical teaching in the course Technological Operations was conducted by Svetozar Stanišić, a senior lecturer (and from 1960 to 1976 the head of the Laboratory for technological operations). From 1976, the lecturer was Prof. Egon Bauman, PhD. In 1982, besides Prof. E. Bauman, the lecturer was professor Branko Tripalo. Since 2001, Prof. Damir Ježek, PhD, has also lectured. The members of the Laboratory lecture in several different modules at academic levels VI and VII. For students, the textbook Tehnološke operacije (Technological Operations), by A. G. Kasatkin, was translated from Russian, and in 1973 a student reader (interna skripta) was published under the title Predavanja iz tehnoloških operacija (Lectures in technological operations), which was compiled by S. Stanisic. They significantly contributed to the advancement of teaching in this engineering module and became a very good manual for graduate engineers who completed the abovemetioned or related studies. A student reader for practical exercises in the Technological Operations module was also created. In that period, N. Planinšek, MEng Mechanical Engineering and E. Perlov Narandzic, MEng Mechanical Engineering worked as teaching assistants. In this way, expert work on the design of industrial plants in the pharmaceutical industry “Pliva”, Zagrebačka pivovara (brewery), Pivovara u Peći, Kosovo and a whole range of other industrial plants in the former state was made possible.
At the end of the seventies, senior lecturer S. Stanišić started working as a professor at the Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and was replaced by Prof. E. Bauman. With the arrival of Prof. E. Bauman, a number of scientific and professional projects were launched, some of which were international ones. The launch of scientific projects improved research, and the results of these research activities were published in renowned journals in the field of engineering. In the research conducted, there was always a tendency to connect with the current trends in the field of food technology and biotechnology. Prof. E. Bauman, PhD, was especially engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate studies as well as cooperation with the economy. In 1984, the student materials were compiled in the form of a student reader and published as a handbook for the practical part of teaching, which featured a description of twelve exercises from the modules Transition Phenomena and Unit Operations.
From 1977, Prof. Branko Tripalo, PhD, participated in the teaching of the “Technological operations” module and from 1978, the “Fundamentals of mechanical engineering” module. Upon becoming Assistant Professor, from 1982, he also lectured in the modules “Transfer phenomena”, “Operations and machinery in the flour manufacturing and processing industry”, “Basic processes and operations in the food industry” and “Simulation and guidance of industrial processes”. Afterwards, he was entrusted with the modules “Energetics”, “Operations and machinery in the tobacco industry”, “Basic processes and operations in the food industry” and “Machinery and devices in the tobacco industry “. He made curricula and programmes at the request of the Republic Department for Technical Cooperation for the Education of Libya Students at the time, for the studies in “Refrigeration Engineering in Fisheries” for academic levels VI and VII. He was the head of the programme from 1981 to 1986. He mentored over 150 diploma papers, 6 master theses and 5 doctoral theses.
With the reorganization of theoretical and practical teaching and the implementation of the Bologna study reform, in which Prof. Damir Ježek, PhD, today’s Head of the Laboratory, actively participated, the Laboratory staff teach modules under the new names “Engineering 1”, “Engineering 2” and “Engineering 3”. The Laboratory staff participate in the teaching at the postgraduate specialization study in module “Preparation of samples for chemical and biochemical analyses” and a doctoral study in several modules: “Energy in biotechnology”, “Energy in food production”, “New achievements in mechanical engineering (Food Tech.) and (Biotech.)”, “Application of ultrasound in biotechnology “, “Application of ultrasound in food technology”.
Most of the results presented in scientific and professional papers were applied in the industry, so cooperation was established with domestic (Kraš, Podravka, Pliva, Karlovačka pivovara, Vivera, Franck, Zagrebačka pivovara, Ledo, Dukat) and foreign companies (Buss) and institutions, such as the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences in Sarajevo and Faculty of Biotechnology in Bihać. The Laboratory has established good cooperation in the development of projects dealng with breweries, dietary products, animal feed, confectionery products, refrigeration facilities, mills, bakeries and dairies. Major objects constructed and reconstructed according to the Laboratory projects are Beogradska tvornica piva (BIP), Zagrebačka pivovara, Sarajevska pivovara, Nikšićka pivovara, Daruvarska pivovara, Tvornica stočne hrane u Gospiću, Tvornica dječje hrane u Zagrebu (Jugodijetetika-Pliva), Mljekara u Županji, Klaonica u Varaždinu, Tvornica slada i piva u Peći i skladišta u Rijeci. (Belgrade Beer Factory, Zagreb Brewery, Sarajevo Brewery, Niksic Brewery, Daruvar Brewery, Fodder Food Factory in Gospić, Zagreb Children’s Food Factory (Jugoditietika-Pliva), Dairy in Županja, Slaughterhouse in Varaždin, Malt House and Brewery in Peja and warehouses in Rijeka.)
