Food Product Development, Design and Technology Processes
The design process
Candidates must understand the iterative design cycle: identify the need or brief, research, generate and evaluate ideas, prototype, test, evaluate against criteria, modify and produce. Know how to write a design brief with constraints and considerations, a product specification with measurable criteria, and a production plan with a flow chart, time plan and risk assessment. Distinguish a constraint (a fixed limit such as budget or equipment) from a consideration (a desirable factor such as sustainability).
Product development stages
Understand idea screening, concept testing, prototype development, sensory and consumer testing, shelf-life testing, packaging selection, costing and scale-up. Know the role of target market research, market segmentation and competitor analysis. Traps include confusing formative evaluation (during development, used to improve) with summative evaluation (at the end, judging success against the brief), and confusing a prototype with a final product.
Technology processes
Know that manufacturing systems range from one-off and batch to mass and continuous production, and that each suits different volumes and levels of standardisation. Understand quality assurance versus quality control, standard operating procedures, and the role of automation and computer-aided design in food manufacture.
Rule of thumb
Every design decision should be traceable to the brief: state what was decided, why, and which specification criterion it satisfies.
Worked example
A student develops a low-sugar muffin. The brief states maximum 5 g sugar per serve and cost under $1 per muffin. Prototype 1 fails the sugar criterion, so the student substitutes apple puree for some sugar, retests, records results in a table, and compares both prototypes against the specification. This is formative evaluation leading to a modified final product.