Food Product Development
Domain 6 tests food product development from consumer brief to launch. The exam expects the sequence, the role of specifications, and the reason each test is done.
Core rules
- The usual sequence is idea generation, screening, concept testing, prototype formulation, process development, sensory and shelf-life trials, packaging, regulatory check, scale-up and launch.
- A product specification states ingredients, composition, aw or moisture, pH, texture, microbiological limits, packaging and shelf-life.
- Formulation must fit permitted additive limits and labelling rules; a good prototype that cannot be legally labelled is not a product.
- Scale-up changes heat transfer, mixing and filling; bench results do not automatically transfer to the plant.
- Costing includes ingredients, packaging, processing, distribution and wastage, not just raw material.
Worked example
A pearl-millet snack is targeted at 5% moisture and aw below 0.6, with 60% millet, 20% chickpea, 15% rice and 5% seasoning. Reasoning: low aw limits bacterial growth and slows mould; millet gives the claimed ingredient; chickpea adds protein; rice improves extrusion. The prototype is tested by a hedonic panel, then stored at accelerated humidity to confirm crispness and rancidity over the claimed shelf-life. Only then is the recipe frozen for scale-up.
Traps
- Skipping consumer or concept testing and designing only from laboratory convenience.
- Ignoring FSSAI additive and labelling limits until after launch.
- Assuming bench-scale times and temperatures hold at plant scale.
- Claiming shelf-life without storage or sensory evidence.