Indice
1. Before we dive into our discussion, Insights about you and your professional background?
Her professional field allowed her to dive into the multidisciplinarity of food science as she mentioned “so I have gone across many topics in the food sector, starting from microbiology, food safety, and now I’m in the product development field”.
2. What are the disciplines that interconnect when developing a food product?
“So this multidisciplinary branch of sciences to be applied in a very tangible and hopefully, in a tasty manner” as added by our guest.
And “it was very obvious in a sense that the research they presented was very relevant to the food science discipline, it was just looked in a very different manner, and the solutions were given in in a new perspective” as demonstrated by Helen.
The example of chocolate presented by Helen also showed the necessity of non-food expertize such as engineers in the modelling of the appetizing food characteristics like the sound of the crunchy chocolate bite.
3. Can you tell us the difference between product design and product development?
Helen considers product development and product design as two distinct concepts although they are used interchangeably in a way, yet, product development is definitely embracing product design concept.
When it comes to the design part, “as a food scientist, I’m using some structural design principles to improve the quality of the product. So, to go through this process, I first need to have this design plan which is sort of a vision, I need to work around with” as explained by Helen.
Following the preset design points, the building materials of the product ingredients are then selected with the help of structural design and engineering principles.
At the end, the ingredients can be hold together to build the final product.
So the product development is a wholesome view while product design is more about the vision, the plan and the tools you need for the visual and the artistic side of the food product.
4. With the presence of large food choices in the market, how is it still possible to develop food products and create a real economic value?
“constant testing and tasting and designing … and innovate to keep the customer sort of hooked.” as clarified by Helen.
From the consumer’s perspective, people are not only looking for the tastiest product but they are also admiring the story behind the product to pay for a product with the whole journey backing it.
Practically speaking, the consciousness about the sustainability aspects in the process of production can be invested in the product development stage to show the various product dimensions to the consumer.
5. Personalized nutrition Vs one size fits all approach, why is it important to have a multidimensional perspective to human nutrition?
Following Helen answer on the question, she pinpointed the consumers’ need for the empowerment through food and how personalized nutrition can contribute effectively.
In fact, personalized nutrition is creating an intimate and individualized product following one individual needs instead of what everybody needs. This innovative approach is based on the idea that “every everybody is not like everybody… that there are differences to help people respond to food, depending on the time of day and other factors” as explained by Helen.
Furthermore, since personalized nutrition can touch up the intersection between technology and science, one of the examples of the many tools emerging in terms of product development is “prototype of 3D food printer which can be installed as a vending machine in gyms to provide ideal nutrients for a specific workout.” as supported by Helen
Conclusions
Nowadays, the nature of food market is very competitive and the knowledge on different aspects of food is one of the key components for a successful food product development process. Hopefully, Product developer’s vision for personalized nutritional products will create a space for innovative foods that cheers human diversity and offers what’s best for each individual.
Helen Saar
Helen Saar is a food researcher aiming at the development of innovative food and fermentation technologies. With 10 years in the food sector, Helen draws her insights from experience in the industry, research and food entrepreneurship. Helen has a BSc degree in Food Engineering and Product Development from Tallinn University of Technology. She finished her master´s in Food Science and Technology at the University of Copenhagen combined with studies in molecular nutrition and public health at Wageningen University & Research.
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