INTERNSHIP OFFER – STERIWAVE PROJECT
Job title: STERIWAVE Project
THE COMPANY - www.ctcpa.org
Agri-food technical center, specializing in food preservation technologies. 90 employees - Skills: Technology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Packaging, Training, Documentation| Job category | Intern |
| Sector | Agri-food |
| Period | Start of internship: February 2026 |
| Duration | 4 months |
| Conditions | 34.5 hours/week. Legal internship allowances (for 6.9 h/day of presence) and meal vouchers |
| Type | Internship |
| Location | Nantes |
| Publication | April 30, 2026 |
your profile
Science student (mechanics, physics) with a four-year or five-year degree in a master's program (I or II) or engineering school,
Good manual and technical skills, interest in experimentation; curious, ability to work in a team.
Your missions
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SUBJECT in 2026
The use of microwaves to treat food products is now an application that is of increasing interest to the food industry, particularly due to the use of an electrical process (with low carbon emissions).
With the aim of regulating food safety, a large number of industrial applications can benefit from this process, such as pasteurization and sterilization.
The STERIWAVE project is in line with the objectives of limiting the environmental impact of agri-food processes and improving the food supply. It aims to develop a microwave heat treatment technology to replace conventional heat treatment for pasteurization or sterilization in autoclaves.
The main obstacle to overcome is the development of a process that combines the constraints of sterilization in sealed final packaging (temperatures reached > 100°C), which generates internal pressure in the packaging (we are working with trays) and deformation or bursting of the packaging, and those of a continuous microwave process without a counter-pressure system.
A thesis (2022-2025) has enabled the development of a complex mathematical model aimed at modeling the thermal behavior of a tray filled with a simple ingredient (puree) under the effect of microwaves.
The aim of the internship is to characterize the behavior of sealed plastic packaging subjected to various physical stresses resulting from microwave treatment. The internship will be primarily experimental in nature; a digital simulation tool (available) will be used on an ad hoc basis
Specifically, the aim of the internship is to develop a containment system for a tray containing a food product, allowing it to be thermally sterilized by microwaves without compromising its seal.
MISSIONS
Reporting to an engineering project manager, you will be responsible for the following tasks:
1) Define the sealing conditions for the tray,
2) Design a mechanical containment tool adapted to the process,
3) Conduct tests under real conditions in order to attempt to achieve significant heating in the products.
Internship offer 2026 – STERIWAVE Project – CTCPA Nantes
Please send your resume and cover letter by email to: Nicolas BELAUBRE – nbelaubre@ctcpa.org