tinct flavors, the ingredient substitution changed the final product
somewhat, but was needed to take the chip to commercialization.
Experiment with Processing Aids. Lastly, while you probably would
not use these ingredients in a kitchen, when going into commercial
food processing it is important to get to know your organic certified
and organic compliant “processing aids,” which can help with texture,
volume, density, shelf life and emulsification. Conventional processors
“M“Many products that start off with excellent consumer acceptance die a slow (or not so slow) death due to the lack of measurable standards
use a long list of hard-to-pronounce processing aids, but organic suppliers have come up with healthy alternatives such as inulin (a prebiotic fiber that adds volume), natural preservatives made from
organic rosemary or acerola cherry, rice bran-derived flow agents,
emulsifiers and more. Another development in food technology is encapsulation, which allows key ingredients to be released at a specific
time during processing.
during and after production.”
Other Important Items to Address When Going to Mass Market
Packaging. Proper consideration of packaging requirements must
be integrated into the entire development process. Too often it’s an afterthought, and such poor planning can delay the entire project. For
example, one company didn’t start looking for the microwavable tray
needed for its organic frozen entrée until the project was in commercialization. Because a custom size was required, a 16 week manufacturing lead time plus time for R&D were required, putting the launch 3
months behind schedule. The functional requirements for new packaging equipment and packaging materials must be defined precisely,
accurately and completely if commercialization is to be accomplished
with economy.
Specifications. How do you assure you are getting what you paid
for? Through specs, and this applies to both your ingredients and your
final product. At the end of commercialization every product needs to
have a product manual, a “Bible” for the product. It will contain specific details on ingredient specifications, the product formula, the processing conditions and the quality-control and quality-assurance
procedures for the product. The plant manager assumes full responsibility for continual production of the new product once it is fully commercialized. This generally occurs between the first and fifth
production runs as operating conditions and processing details are
worked out.
Intellectual Property. A surprising number of organic brand owners
will answer “yes” when asked if they own the formulas to their products. In truth, many don’t, but think they do. Unfortunately, they
don’t find that out until they want to leave their co-packer! The “for-
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