Healthy Dairy Foods

Introduces

1. Executive Summary
2. Final Product Formulation

 

3. Label Information
4. Final Process
5. Final Package Design
6. Final Consumer Testing
7. Results for viscosity, melting, overrun, and microbial analysis

H. Shelf Life Determination

9. Recommendations
10. References
11. Appendix

In the first phase of product development, ten new product ideas were developed and screened by gap analysis, perceptual mapping analysis, key attributes, and novelty to determine the best three product concepts. In the second phase, the best three product concepts selected were Green Tea Milkshake, Buckwheat Ice Cream, and Fried Tofu Delight. In the third phase, based on consumer testing and concept evaluation, the most marketable new product concept was determined as Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream.

In the fourth phase, several prototypes were produced and evaluated based on its sensory attributes and physical properties for the creation of the optimal buckwheat chocolate ice cream prototype. For project planning, management tools used were The Project Summary Sheet, The Milestone Status Report, The Project Task Plan and Schedule, and The Gantt Chart.

Some product attributes evaluated include overall acceptance (preference), texture, buckwheat flavor, chocolate flavor, appearance, color, and sweetness. All statistical analyses were conducted by SAS. Based on the results from sensory panel statistical analysis, Surface Response analysis, melting time, and % overrun, it was determined that buckwheat flour sieve No. 70-100 (particle size 150 um to 212 um) and 1.5% addition level were the optimal conditions for pilot plant scale production of this ice cream product. In addition, the sensory panel statistical results determined that there was no significant difference between the three different brands of buckwheat (Arrowhead Mills, Hodgson Mill, and Frankford Farms). However, since Arrowhead Mills buckwheat flour was most preferred and is the most readily available in Columbus, Ohio, we selected Arrowhead Mills buckwheat flour for the production of our final buckwheat chocolate ice cream product.

The goal of this fifth phase is to determine the final product formulation, create the product label, finalize the processing conditions, select the package design, determine the results of the final consumer test, measure physical properties of the mix and product, determine the coliform and the aerobic plate counts.

Final product formulation required a statistical basis for the formulation, raw material specifications, ingredient percentages, finished product specifications, and performance tests. Label development included the creation of the final product name, nutrition label, ingredient statement, and analysis of production costs. Development of the final processing steps for buckwheat chocolate ice cream required the creation of a final flow sheet, material balance analysis, and guidelines for general operating conditions. The final packaging design for the buckwheat chocolate ice cream of paperboard (laminated with LDPE) pint cups and lids was selected based on careful analysis of different packaging materials.

The final consumer testing comparing the 1.5% buckwheat chocolate ice cream and the control was conducted through the use of 31 sensory panelists to determine the preference of the consumer for buckwheat chocolate ice cream to determine if the product meets the original buckwheat chocolate icecream product concept. The panelists selected one preferred product in a paired comparison test and rated their preference for three attributes (texture, buckwheat flavor, and overall acceptance), based on a 5-point scale, on both samples in hedonic preference test. For the Hedonic preference test, a t-test at 95% confidence level was used to analyze preference test determined that there was no significant difference between the two samples although the regular chocolate ice cream was preferred more greatly. For the paired comparison test, at the 95% confidence level there was a significant difference where the panelists preferred regular ice cream over buckwheat ice cream. Additional questions determined that 42% of the panelists would purchase buckwheat ice cream; whereas 58% of the panelists would purchase only regular ice cream.

Based on these results, buckwheat ice cream has met the original concept since 42% of the surveyed individuals were willing to purchase the product.

For both ice cream samples the mix viscosities were compared, and the melting time and the %overrun were compared. The viscosity results showed that the addition of a buckwheat slurry to the chocolate ice cream mix resulted in a slight increase viscosity. The melting time results indicated that with an increasing concentration of buckwheat, the freezing point depression of the ice cream mix is greater which results in a decreased melting time in comparison with the control chocolate ice cream. The % overrun results indicated that an increasing concentration of buckwheat, the increase in solid content of the ice cream mix results in less incorporation of air into the mix, resulting in a lower overrun.

Both the control and the buckwheat chocolate ice cream were analyzed microbiologically by the Total Aerobic Petrifilm Plate count and the Coliform Plate Count.. The Total Aerobic Plate count results were Control Chocolate Ice Cream with 1.02*10⁴ CFU/g and Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream with 8.6*10³ CFU/g which are less than the maximum USDA allowable standard plate count levels of 50,000 CFU/g. These results indicate that both ice cream products may be microbiologically safe in terms of the aerobic plate count.

The presumptive positive coliform count results were Control Chocolate Ice Cream with 5.8*10³ CFU/g and Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream with 5.55*10³ CFU/g which are far greater than the USDA maximum allowable coliform count levels of 10 CFU/g. On the surface, it may appear that both ice cream products are highly contaminated with coliform. However, the extremely high presumptive coliform counts may be due to false positives due to the ability of non-coliform microorganisms to ferment the sucrose in the ice cream (Richter et al,, 1992). In addition, if the coliform counts were actually so great, the total aerobic plate count results would be far greater and not in the acceptable range of less than 50,000 CFU/g. One method of reducing the possibility of false positives is by filtering the dilution solutions to remove non-coliform microorganisms.

Possible sources of microbial contamination were explored to insure the future production of microbiologically safe buckwheat ice cream. First, the purchased ice cream mix may have been contaminated with coliform since a discussion with the ice cream mix producer indicated recent problems with coliform contamination in the skim milk used to produce the mix. Second, the presumptively positive coliform results need to be confirmed by testing the organisms with the Brilliant Green Bile Broth test. Only coliforms can ferment lactose at 35° C and result in a color change. Repasteurizing the ice cream mix after addition of the buckwheat slurry will reduce the chance for coliform and other microorganisms to contaminate the ice cream mix. Third, environmental sampling to determine aerobic plate counts of every piece of equipment in the production of the buckwheat chocolate ice cream will help identify possible sources of microbiological contamination.

The sixth phase involved making future plans for product development by developing a shelf life determination plan and making recommendations.

Future recommendations include the development of a new batch of buckwheat chocolate ice cream with better qualities such as texture is needed for the second consumer test. Second, the study of shelf life of buckwheat chocolate ice cream should be completed before going further. Third, before making a plan to introduce product into the market, buckwheat ice cream should be evaluated for its qualities based on the official ice cream score card (Arbuckle, 1966).

When the project team developed the buckwheat chocolate ice cream concept, we looked at the project survey results conducted by Prepared Foods, 1993. The results are listed in Table 1 which clearly showed that high caloric intake and high fat intake may increase the chance of developing obesity. Reduction in caloric or fat intake and a reduction in cholesterol intake are the two main consumer concerns and two of the most attractive food company projects. CDC investigation also revealed that cardivascular and other related diseases maintain their number one position as the leading killing agents in the USA and other places. Buckwheat flour contains rutin which may provide health benefits. Some possible activities of rutin include antiinflammation, antimutagenicity, smooth muscle relaxation, and reduction in blood vessels fragility (Oomah et al., 1996).

Table 1. Health In product development Percent of respondents projecting increased (>20%) investment over the next two year

Objective Investing companies (range*)

The biologically active components in buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, are flavonoids, proteins, sterol and the resistant starches. If we can incorporate buckwheat flour successfully in ice cream, a popular dessert, buckwheat chocolate ice cream has an excellent chance for commercial success. Our final buckwheat chocolate ice cream product effectively combines buckwheat with chocolate ice cream since the buckwheat flavor is masked by chocolate flavor. In addition, the grey color from the addition of the buckwheat slurry is hidden by the dark brown color of chocolate. The statistic analysis of the consumer tests revealed that this new product was well accepted by the consumers surveyed. The final product successfully meets the original concept of providing consumers with the oppportunity for acquiring health benefits while enjoying a buckwheat chocolate ice cream dessert.

The final product formula is based on the statistical analysis of the results of physical properties and consumer attribute taste panels for the control and buckwheat chocolate ice cream prototypes. The experimental design for the prototype buckwheat chocolate was divided into three stages. In the first stage, effect of percent buckwheat flour at three levels 0%, 2.5%, and 5% on the product sensory attributes results were explored in an ANOVA-single variable design. In the second stage, the effects of the three brands of buckwheat flour on the product sensory attribute results were compared to determine the best brand in an ANOVA-single variable design. In the third stage, the effects of different combinations of percentage buckwheat flour (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) and buckwheat particle size based on sieve No. (50-70, 70-100, and 100-140) on product sensory attribute results were determined in a full-factorial design with 9 products and 1 control. For all three stages, untrained sensory panelists evaluated the product attributes using a 9-point hedonic scale. Some product attributes evaluated include overall acceptance (preference), texture, buckwheat flavor, chocolate flavor, appearance, color, and sweetness. All statistical analyses were conducted by SAS. For the third stage, the Surface Response Methodology was used.

The sensory statistical analysis results and the Surface Response Method results determined that 70-100 particle sieve size and 1.5% addition level is the optimum combination for the two factors for this product. From the melting time and percent overrun results, the optimal levels for sieve particle size and addition level of buckwheat flour is 50-100 and 1%, respectively. The conclusion was reached that that sieve No.70-100 (212 um to 150 um particle size) and 1.5% addition level are optimal conditions for pilot plant scale production of this buckwheat chocolate ice cream product.

Product: Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream

Date 8/22/99

a. Buckwheat Flour

General Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Appearance powder

Color medium light toasted (pepper grey)

Flavor raw and slightly bitter

Sieve Size No.70-100 (particle size 150 um-212 um)

% Moisture 10%-12%

Microbiological Characteristics

Packaging

Approved Supplier

Arrow Head Mills, INC

Box 2059

Hereford, Texas 79045

Healthy Foods Company Ingredient Specifications

Product: Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream

Date 8/22/99

b. Meyer Pasteurized Chocolate Reduced Fat Ice Cream Mix

General Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Appearance viscous liquid

Color dark brown

Flavor sweet

PH 6.5-6.7

Fat content 4% (since below 10% it is reduced fat CFR 21)

Whey content 25%

Microbiological Characteristics

Coliform <10/g (Pasteurized Milk Ordinance)

Total Plate Count <20,000 (Pasteurized Milk Ordinance)

Packaging and Storage

Approved Distributor

H. Meyer Dairy Company (for Smith Wayne Dairy)

Arlington Heights, OH 45215

Phone 513-948-8811

Healthy Foods Company

Master Formula No: 4321

Date of Issue 8/22/99

Ingredient No. Calculation of Ingredients Percent

201 Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat Flour 1.4%

Healthy Foods Company Final Product Specifications

Product: Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream

Date 8/22/99

Buckwheat Chocolate Ice Cream

General Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Appearance chocolate ice cream

Color dark brown with buckwheat specks

Texture smooth with a slight sandiness

Flavor sweet and slightly bitter

PH 6.5-6.7

Fat content less than 4%

Microbiological Characteristics

Total Plate Count 50,000 CFU/g, maximum

Coliform <10 CFU/g

Packaging/Storage

Approved Supplier

Clark Food Service Supplier (for cup and lid)

2503 Commodity Circle

Sharonville, OH 45241

Healthy Dairy Foods Corporation

2121 Fyffe Road

Columbus, Ohio 43210

For the control and the final buckwheat chocolate ice cream product, the % overrun and the melting time are important methods for determining the performance of the products. The % overrun determines the amount of air incorporated into the ice cream mix as it is frozen. The goal of the ice cream manufacturer is to have a high a % overrun to maximize profits. The melting time determines the stability of the ice cream product. The ideal ice cream product should have a long melting time because the flavor, taste, and appearance of the ice cream is not as pleasing when melted. The results for these tests are in the results section.

0.5 cup serving (68 g)

servings per container 2

Amount per serving

total fat 2.7 g 4%

sat fat 1.8 g 9%

cholesterol 9 mg 3%

sodium –44.5 mg 1.9%

Total Carbohydrate- 13 g 4.3%

Dietary fiber-0.02 g 0%

Sugars- 11 g

Protein- 2.7 g

Vitamin A 2%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 7%

Iron 0%

Water 71%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Ingredients: Milk, sugar, cream, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, whey, water, cocoa processed with alkali, skim milk, buckwheat flour, stabilizer (mono and diglycerides, guar gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, dextrose), vitamin A Palmitate, tetrasodium phosphate.

Healthy Dairy Foods Corporation

Columbus, OH 43202 USA

Keep Frozen

Guarantee if you are not satisfied with this product or have any questions or comments, please send the UPC code and stamped information from the bottom of the container to Consumer Relations at the address listed above.

Cholest Less than 300 mg 300 mg

Sodium Less than 2,400 mg 2,400 mg

Total Carb 300 g 375 g

Fiber 25 g 30 g

This reduced fat buckwheat chocolate ice cream has

81 calories and 2.7 g Fat per ½ cup

In contrast, regular chocolate ice cream has

160 Calories, 9 g Fat per ½ cup

The cost for the raw materials for the production of buckwheat chocolate ice

cream were the following:

Meyer Chocolate Reduced Fat Ice Cream Mix at $2.03 per 0.5 gallon.

Paperboard Cup (laminated with LDPE) at $0.10 per cup

Paperboard Lid (laminated with LDPE) at $0.05 per lid

The calculated cost for the production of one pint of buckwheat chocolate

ice cream is approximately $0.85. The calculations required for this cost

determination are provided below.

58.1 g in results in 31.023 g out

one pint of ice cream has 3.8 g flour

Cost for 3.8 g of flour=($2.39/907g)(3.8g out)(58.1 g in/31.023out)

Ice cream Mix

3870 g in results in 1914.423 g out

one pint of ice cream has 242 g mix

cost for 246 g mix=($4.06/3870g)(242 g out)(3870 g in/1914.423 g out)

Paperboard Cup = $0.10

Paperboard Lid = $0.05

Total cost for Buckwheat flour, Ice cream Mix, Cup, and Lid is $0.1875+$0.5132+$0.10+$0.05=$0.85 for the production of buckwheat chocolate ice cream. These costs do not include additional costs from labor, shipping, santizer use or additional material costs during production.

For the final process, some of the steps have been changed from the initial progress based the results from the prototype product development stage. In the microbial analysis section, the results for the aerobic petrifilm plate count and the coliform petriflim plate count are discussed and shown in Tables 6 –11. For the buckwheat ice cream product, the coliform petrifilm counts revealed that a high number of presumptively positive coliform with 5.55x10³ CFU/g,much greater higher than the commercial ice cream standard set by USDA of less than 10 CFU/g. For the buckwheat ice cream product, the total plate count results were approximately 8.6x10³ CFU/g which is below the maximum USDA standard of less than 50,000 CFU/g for ice cream.

These results may suggest the possibility of water contamination and the post-processing contamination. Microbiologists, from 3M corporation and Sillilker Laboratories, have suggested that high presumptively positive coliform counts may be due to the ability of non-coliform microorganisms to ferment sucrose in the ice cream (Richter et al., 1992). In addition, if the coliform counts were actually so great, the total aerobic plate count results would be far greater and not in the acceptable range of less than 50,000 CFU/g. One method of reducing the possibility of false positives is by filtering the dilution solutions to remove non-coliform microorganisms.

Possible sources of microbial contamination were explored to insure the future production of microbiologically safe buckwheat ice cream. As shown in Table 8, the difference in the coliform counts and the aerobic plate counts between the regular soft-serve chocolate ice cream, made from the commercial soft serve ice cream mix, and our product, made from the mixture of the commercial ice cream mix and cooked buckwheat slurry, was not significant. We can conclude that the addition of the buckwheat slurry is most likely not a source of the contamination and the cooking of the buckwheat slurry is adequate for the inactivation of microorganisms in the slurry.

Since the tools, utensils and the soft serve machine were sanitized with KAY-5 sanitizer following the manufacturer’s instructions, it is possible that there is a greater chance that microbial contamination may be from the initial ice cream mix or inadequate packaging. Some suggestions to insure the future production of microbiologically safe buckwheat ice cream include changes in the final product processing procedure to assure the inactivation of microorganisms in the ice cream mix and the use of sanitized sealed cardboard cups to protect the product from further contamination. The first processing change requires the addition of a pasteurization step after mixing the ice cream mix and the buckwheat slurry and before freezing in the soft serve machine. The second change involves the use of strict sanitizing procedure for the cardboard pint cups and lids with LDPE. The unsanitized plastic cups and lids will no longer be used based on the packaging specifications. The final flow sheet is provided in Figure 1.

The operation conditions for the final procedure are listed later in this section. The material balance was calculated based on 1 gallon commercial ice cream mix with the addition of the cooked and blended buckwheat slurry under the conditions listed later. The final buckwheat ice cream product contains 1.4% buckwheat flour and 1 gallon (3870g) commercial ice cream mix and results in the production of 2144.5 g of the buckwheat ice cream product in 10 cups with an average weight of 214.45g. The addition of buckwheat and the water into the ice cream mixture results in a total material loss equivalent to:

(3870 + 58.1 + 407) – 2144.5 = 2189.6g

Part of this loss was due to cooking and transferring the buckwheat slurry from the beaker to the mixer. The other losses were from other processes as shown in Figure 2.

The final operating conditions for each step were described as in the following:

1. The cooking of the buckwheat slurry: weigh buckwheat flour (go through 70~100 sieves) in beaks and add potable water to buckwheat flour at a water to flour ratio of 7; stir it vigorously until the uniformly dispersed slurry formed; cook the slurry by maintain the temperature at 70~80^oC for 10 min while stirring it continuously and vigorously; cool down to 30~40^oC;
2. Blend the cooked slurry: blend the cooked slurry with a blender at low speed for 1 min or until no clump can be found in the slurry;
3. Commercial ice cream mix: the commercial ice cream mix was bought from the local supermarket and stored in refrigerator at 4^oC;
4. Mixing: mix the commercial ice cream mix and the cooked and blended buckwheat slurry as uniformly as possible with a mixer. The utensils and the mixer should be completely sanitized and cleaned right before using;
5. Pasteurization: For the production of high quality ice cream product, pasteurization can always be one of the controlling points. Here we suggested using 185^oC for 35 seconds to pasteurize the possible microorganisms contaminated from the environment and water;
6. Cleaning and sanitizing of soft serve machine: This is also one of the most important critical control points for ice cream production. The condition we recommended for this step is as: clean first with cool potable water, then warm water, soft detergent solution, cool potable water; sanitize with KAY-5 at 100ppm chloride concentration (1 bag in 2 Gallons) and rinse for 10 min;
7. Flushing the soft serve machine with the ice cream mixture: flushing the machine with ice cream mixture until no chloride can be tested in the flowing-out mixture. This step is very important for controlling the chloride flavor and the possible chemical hazards for consumers;
8. Frozen in soft serve machine: This step incorporates many tiny air bubbles in the ice cream mixture and gives the ice cream product smooth texture. The frozen point here is 24^oF.
9. Sanitize the cups and/or pints: This is also a very important critical control point for microbiological safety of the product. The cups or the pints should be cleaned and sanitized with effective sanitizer, like KAY-5 or Ster-bac and then cleaned and dried for the packaging use;
10. Package in small package: Put the ice cream in the clean and sanitized pints or cups with suitable amount in each pint. Too much or too less amount in package is not good for the stability of the product in storage. Good seal ability is another important concern considering the possible contamination from environment during storage and distribution.
11. Frozen and stored in low temperature freezer at –22^oF: The temperature in the freezer should be stable to avoid any obvious temperature fluctuation. This temperature should be maintained in the range of -20~-24^oF.

In this process, only three different materials were used. They are water, commercial ice cream mix and the commercial buckwheat flour. The mass balance or material balance was briefly described as shown in the following diagrams of figure 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The loss of water is mainly from the process of vaporization of water during the cooking of the buckwheat slurry, the mixing (residue on the utensil surface), flushing the soft serve machine and the residue of the mix in the soft serve machine after running. The loss of buckwheat is mainly from the residue of the buckwheat slurry on the surface of utensils and the soft serve machine during cooking, mixing, flushing the soft serve machine and residue in the soft serve machine after the running. The spilling of the product is also a source of the mass loss.

The results from the material balance analysis revealed that the product production rate is too low. The effective usage rate of the commercial ice cream mix was only 1914.423/3870=49.47% while the effective usage rate of buckwheat flour was 53.40%. These rates are really too low for industrial production. The material loss during the production here for buckwheat ice cream is from the flushing of the soft serve machine and the residue stayed inside the machine after running. All these loss resources can be greatly minimized with the scale-up of the production level. As mentioned above, the high loss rate of the material will no longer be a problem when the production scale-uped to the whole industrial scale and the project team decided not to pay too much attention on this issue.