ABSTRACT
Product development is almost always a team effort involving professionals in disciplines which may be unfamiliar to an engineer. Most consumer products, indeed most products of any kind, seem to have a finite life span, almost like a living organism. Building on existing products, by addition of flavors or features, is known as line extension and is probably the most common approach to new product development. For instance, nitrite has been a reliable food preservative for bacon, corned beef, and lunch meats, but it also can promote the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in some products under certain conditions. Taken together, the motivations mentioned in this chapter and others lead to certain generalizations about current trends in new food product development. The food scientist responsible for the product is most concerned with the taste, color, texture and other characteristics of the product, with little regard for exactly how these will be maintained on a large scale.
