Write a four-page essay in APA on food science & technology_challenges for a new product development
My major is Marketing and I need seven sources
Description
You have been assigned project manager to evaluate the feasibility of a new product launch
for Health and Wellness Company. The company is committed to providing healthier snack food
choices for the moderate to low income consumer.
Their latest product concept is something called Peanut Butter Pops. Characteristics
include:
1-1.5 cm sphere of peanut butter with ~0.5 Tbsp of peanut butter encased in an edible shell
packed in vending packs of 4 spheres (equivalent to one serving (2 Tbsp) of peanut butter).
The product is positioned for the peanut butter lover, as an alternative to the less
healthy peanut butter products in the market.
The edible shell: One means of protecting your peanut component during distribution is to
coat the peanut “ball” with an edible material. You might consider a sugar shell such as
what is used with peanut butter M&M’s, a chocolate flavored shell such as used for malted
milk balls, or some other material that is both protective and pleasantly edible. Which
would you select, and why would you select that particular coating to contain the peanut
butter?
There are major chemical stability challenges associated with this product, such as water
activity, moisture gradients and lipid oxidation. Discuss these specifically in reference
to the peanut butter pop products. In your answer, you should address why this peanut
butter pop would be a healthier alternative that may include the composition and make-up of
the lipids in peanuts; it may include information on satiety due to lipids, fiber or
proteins; it may include information on the composition and make-up of the lipids that make
it susceptible to lipid oxidation; it may include information on the water activity and
water activity differences between the two main components (the peanut butter and the
chocolate shell), and how you would maintain stability.
Describe the major microbial issues related to the ingredients used (consider specs and
documentation that might be applied in purchasing the items), describe environments where
the product is processed, packaged, and distributed (e.g., sanitation, facilities,
practices, etc.), and assess the final product (rate microbial stability and the safety
hazard, address microbial shelf-life). Describe any microbial concerns with this product
and possible resolutions to problems or potential problems.
Peanuts and peanut products are known allergens that affect a small fraction of the
population. How would you account for the presence of peanut in the product technically
without having to remove the product from mainstream distribution? For example, how would
you engineer a processing/packaging operation to ensure that the peanut component is
confined to your product? Describe the major the packaging stability challenges associated
with this product and possible resolution.
Be sure to include documentation of resources consulted. Commodity groups and *.org, *.edu
and *.gov sites often have easy to find information, such as:
http://www.peanut-institute.org/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/Is-peanut-butter-healthy
http://nationalpeanutboard.org/nutrition/peanut-nutrition-in-a-nutshell/
