This course provides the understanding of the food product development process and the role of food scientists / technologists in the food industry. There is an emphasis on the technical problem solving phase of the food product development process and the project is set to simulate the time, cost, quality and production issues faced when working within a company to develop new products. Projects are solicited from food manufacturing companies or research organisations. Projects can range from the development of new products to reformulations or range extenders. All of the projects require the groups to produce a product in a market ready packaged form. Students will need to go through the stages of concept development, prototype development, shelf-life assessment, consumer testing, packaging design and labeling. The main learning outcome is the exposure to a ‘real-life' product development project in a simulated industrial setting. Students will gain a good understanding of food design and the product development process.
- Teacher: Asaeli Naika