Stage+IV+summary+&+gantt+chart

The goal of this unit was to complete the entire product testing before the product launch, and develop the product commercialisation report. Product optimisation was conducted but did not finish completely in Unit III, therefore the optimisation of the product was continued at the beginning of this Unit. A commercial product test was conducted after the optimisation to ensure that the final product meet the consumer expectations. In addition, shelf life and all the factors affecting it were investigated in combination with packaging proposal for quality and safety requirements. Both UK and EU food labelling legislation were addressed to make sure the package and label of the final product is safe and legal for launch. Good manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) analysis and quality control plan were conducted in this unit to ensure the quality and safety of the final product. By analyzing the optimization results, two most acceptable samples with almost the same rating were chosen to do the commercial testing, which were i) sample with 11% cow's yoghurt and 12% kiwi, ii)sample with 18% cow's yoghurt and 8% kiwi. The sugar and water percent for both of the 2 samples were constant at 10.5% and 20%. These two products with two other competitors’ product in the market were evaluated by 56 untrained assessors. The results indicated that both of our two products are more acceptable by assessors, and within 4 products, the one with 11% cow’s yoghurt and 12% kiwi juice got highest mark which was chosen as the final product to do the shelf-life experiment. Shelf-life is “the period during which a food product maintains its microbiological safety and suitability at a specified storage temperature and, where appropriate, specified storage and handling conditions” (FSA 2010). There are various factors that affect the food shelf life, and the most important factors for the yoghurt drink are the microorganisms, pH, temperature, water activity, oxygen and the humidity. The shelf-life of the drinking yogurt product can be determined by sensory evaluation and pH measurement which was carried with trained assessors in the lab. Packaging plays a crucial role not only in marketing and carrying important information on the label relating to preparation, safety and nutrition, but also in shelf life of yoghurt drink in order to maintain its quality. To achieve the desired shelf life of the yogurt drink (2-3weeks) and maintain its quality primary, secondary and tertiary packaging are recommended in this unit. It was decided that the primary package of the yoghurt drink will be PET bottles with aluminium seal to make packaging more effective, and Paperboard laminated cartons are used as secondary packaging, while the tertiary packaging will be Pallets or crates. According to the legislation of labelling, product information on the label will include the name of the product, list of ingredients, name of manufacturer, manufacturing date, used by, allergens( soy and kiwi), Flavour(kiwi), net quantity expressed in ml, name of distributor, definition of yogurt drink and conditions of storage (Temperature= 4°C). The prerequisite as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) have to be proposed before implementing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Since the HACCP analysis also link to GMP and GHP, the information of GMP and GHP has to be specific for the process and layout of yoghurt drink product. Then HACCP analysis of production process was conducted in this unit. All the potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards that may be introduced, increased, or controlled in the production process were evaluated. Pathogens (//E.coli//, //Cryptosporidium parvum//, s//taphylococcus aureus//, and //Salmonella//), patulin, pesticides and metal fragments were considered to be the main potential hazards in yoghurt drink. Quality control is used to control the quality of the products, process and service support to ensure the processed food meets the specific quality requirements. Therefore, the quality control plan was conducted and the most important task for this plan was to develop a comprehensive approach to monitor the quality and safety of the yoghurt drink. The raw material control, process control and finished product inspection was conducted to make sure all the parameters are under control, and do the correction if there are any unacceptable level of hazards in the final product.
 * Stage IV Work Summary **

The tasks were divided into several parts for each group member. Individual work was showed in the gantt chart.

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