Food Industry Research Areas
The food industry consists of various research sectors, but broadly, it includes formulation, processing, packaging, and preservation. All research focuses on these three areas, as well as the raw materials involved. However, it is important to note that, in the end, raw material research serves the purpose of formulation. Additionally, in the packaging sector, research aligns with packaging technologies and advancements in polymer science. Therefore, formulation and packaging research are primarily dependent on the raw materials involved in the studies.
Key Research Issues
The main issue in research is the cost of formulation. The total cost should be based on an optimized formulation aimed at achieving the desired product quality. Cost plays a fundamental role in the selection of raw materials and is, in fact, a limiting factor. Even for similar raw materials, suppliers offer a wide price range based on origin and quality. Formulation researchers must consider cost as a key element in their studies. The cost limit is a parameter determined by market conditions, brand reputation, and product competitors.
Research and Raw Material Sustainability
Research investment should consider the sustainability of raw materials. This issue is particularly important in industrial settings due to the high volume of production. The sustainability of raw materials depends primarily on supply volume and consumption rate. If a raw material is produced in limited quantities, price fluctuations or supply shortages will impact production consistency. Another factor in supply sustainability is the number of suppliers. If a raw material is only available from a specific company or is technologically complex, production increases may lead to supply shortages or price fluctuations, thus hindering supply. One reason industrial ideas that appear profitable fail is the dependency of formulations on indigenous or commercially unavailable raw materials. While these ideas may seem valuable, their unsustainable supply and quality can pose significant challenges in industrial production.
Industrial Research and Fundamental Academic Research
Some fundamental academic research focuses on replicating studies with different raw materials or seeks fundamental reasons behind scientific observations. However, the goal of such research may also be to offer solutions to industrial challenges.
In these studies, the focus may be on raw materials that either cannot be produced or supplied industrially or lack sufficient availability for supply.
However, in some cases, successful ideas, with industrial investment and the availability of raw materials, are guaranteed in terms of production sustainability. Therefore, if academic research is based on sustainable raw materials, it has a higher chance of being applicable in an industrial scale. This general idea plays a vital role in commercializing the innovations.
Sustainable Startup Ideas for Raw Material Supply
In food formulation, a wide range of raw materials is used. Producing certain raw materials from more abundant sources with lower costs can help reduce prices and ensure a stable supply. For specific raw materials, developing alternative production methods with higher efficiency will attract industrial research units. In this regard, considering food production waste as an accessible and inexpensive resource can lead to innovative ideas in raw materials or the replacement of high-cost materials. The production of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers from agricultural product waste and the substitution of emulsifying and protein compounds with these inexpensive products are startup ideas growing worldwide.
The Need to Understand Raw Materials
Another important issue in industrial research is the effort to understand specific and exclusive formulations provided by suppliers. Understanding formulations helps ensure that if the desired raw materials cannot be supplied, the quality of substitute raw materials can be enhanced by adding the necessary compounds to meet the desired quality, in case of texture or flavor of the final product.
For more information, please refer to articles on optimizing food formulations and the sustainability of native gums in production.
