The forerunner of the Department for processing fruit and vegetables is the Institutes Department for agrochemicals. ` A significant part of its activity the Department dedicated to testing chemical systems of agricultural products. From that time are dated the first analysis of olive oil, ethereal plants, honey, different fruit and processing. Those analysis were performed for the needs of internal and external trafficking. The Department was authorized for control and analysis of industrial products: bauxite, cement-clay, petrol and similar other., to the time the Health Centre was established in 1930, but the Department continued to analyse industrial products meant for agriculture reproduction systems concerning plant conservation, and to analyze artificial fertilizers.

Chemical research of aromatic plant oil is developed and tied to agroecological and agrotechnical research. Researched were aromatic plants, garden-sage, rosemary, lavender, and immortelle, for the regionalization of the area. Researched was an optimal nurturing style, especially that of lavender and pyrethrum. In the after the war period intense research was done on hoe to select different types of lavender with regards to its oil quality. A number of published scientific works form that field of activity represent an invaluable contribution to the knowledge about ethereal oils and pyrethrum.

In the last few years great efforts were made in equipping the Departments laboratory. Beside the acquisition of the contemporary equipment the Institutes task was to increase the number of scientists of this department, and to further develop the research activities and control of an increased number of food products and soft drinks.

Present functions of the Department are the following: