The product development chain

From creating ideas to benchmarking newly launched products, our knowledge, expertise and facilities support product development right along the chain. Our market insight team monitors the latest developments and trends, whilst the consumer and sensory science team can identify what consumers want from a product. Both provide vital information for that extra competitive edge.

“Converting ideas to product demands formulation expertise for a range of technologies that we offer,” explains Philip Richardson, Head of Food Manufacturing Technologies. “We have extensive experience of heat processing, UHT/aseptic, chilled and frozen foods, novel technologies, modified atmosphere packaging and microwaving. Our pilot facilities include a product development kitchen, controlled temperature preparation areas, clean filling and packaging areas and process halls. These allow companies to conduct development trials without disrupting their own manufacturing operations.”

These facilities are complemented by the expertise, pilot plant and services we offer the bakery sector, as Terry Sharp, Head of Baking and Cereals Processing explains: “As well as key inputs to bakery trend prediction, development of prototypes for market research, and growth areas such as part-baked, ready-to-bake and shelf-life extension, we have been involved in highly novel activities like bakery products as pharmaceutical delivery systems and other innovative projects. And with 'healthy eating' as a major driver, we have brought our expertise to bear on a range of product reformulation projects.”

Consumers' growing awareness of diet related health issues has also provided a driver for product development. Reformulation of products to create low-fat, low-sodium or high fibre variants, for example, can require the expertise of a multidisciplinary team – including food technologists, microbiologists, food chemists and food law advisers. Each can assess the consequences of product reformulation from a different perspective. Diet and health has also been a driver in Hungary, where our team has been exploring the development of reduced calorie modular foods tested in hospitals.

Rapid and reliable prediction of microbiological shelf life is also important, and with the Forecast system we have led the field in modelling the growth of spoilage organisms to help determine product shelf-life. Models cover the major groups such as Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus and yeasts, as well as spoilage consortia, with recent data added to cover spoilage of packaged fresh produce.

For products that require reheating, accurate on-pack instructions are essential for consumers to produce a product that is microbiologically safe and of the highest sensory and nutritional quality. With extensive experience of how chilled and frozen products heat in microwave and conventional ovens, under grills and on hobs, our independent instruction development service uses equipment calibrated to UKAS standards to cover these options.

And early consideration of other on-pack information can also help shape product development. John Hammond, Head of Information and Legislation elaborates: “We can advise on product formulation so that product names, claims and descriptions are supportable. Otherwise we can review either the full label or selected aspects and we can forewarn of potential difficulties and suggest practical alternatives. With product labelling affected by rules from well over 100 separate pieces of UK and EU legislation, as well as extensive formal and informal guidance, the advice offered can be used to avoid costly re-formulations, label or product write-offs and even difficulties with enforcement authorities.”

Companies can also get an independent view of how their new products compare with those of competitors, through our growing product benchmarking service. Provided by an experienced team of home economists, chefs and expert shoppers, the service identifies, sources, prepares and assesses new products, to express an independent view as a simple eating enjoyment score. And, going full circle, the consumer view of your new product can be skilfully elicited by our consumer science team, providing valuable feedback to help steer further product development.