Essay: Gluten-Free Quinoa Chocolate Bars - High Protein Development

After the completion of this topic, you should be able to:
1. discuss the importance of product development to food companies;

2. explain the reasons that compel food companies to go into product development;
3. outline the key phases of the process of product development;

4. explain product development as an integrated process

Originality

Gluten is a protein composite and it is generally found in several types of grains. Many people have gluten sensitivity as it causes to attack against it and it also attacks an enzyme which is present in the digestive track. As a result, this protein composite causes celiac disease which is an autoimmune disease. Immune system normally protects a human body from various kinds of diseases but this deficiency can lead to several harmful effects to human body (Augustin et al., 2016). So, a gluten free diet is very effective in order to prevent such diseases. Due to this, there is a rising demand for gluten-free products in the market. The proposed new food product is completely gluten free and contains high protein Quinoa. So, the new food product is focussed to offer high protein in delicious way to all its users. In the following paper, the product ingredients, screening process, originality, target market, preservation technique all will be discussed in detail.

A high protein quinoa chocolate bites will be developed as the main product which will be gluten free. Quinoa is regarded as one of the best and popular health foods of world and this gluten free product is enriched with high protein as well as nine essential amino acids. The calorific value of it is very high as it contains fibre, vitamins, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and various others beneficial anti-oxidants. Those, who are trying to avoid wheat, barley, and other grains because of their gluten content, will find the best and healthy alternative with quinoa (Bouziat et al., 2017). Although, quinoa is not a cereal grain but, it is considered as whole food grain. Gluten is one of the main sources of celiac disease and it is generally found in the grains. So, many dieticians and physicians suggest avoiding such grains in order to get rid of celiac disease. As, quinoa is completely gluten free, so, the risk associated with celiac disease will be reduced. Apart from that, it will offer many health benefits to the consumers (Tester et al., 2017). Apart from that, the proposed new food will be composed of various other food ingredients which are full in nutritious value and along with that, the food will be presented in a delicious way to grab the attention of the consumers and it will quench their hunger in a lip smacking bar with lots of health benefits as well. So, this product is looking to achieve a highest success rate in the market.

Screening of any product is very much helpful and a large number of ideas can be evaluated with it. The screening process helps to understand the compatibility of the product idea with the objective as well as the strategies of the company (Unalp-Arida et al., 2017). Along with that, screening process will produce the result of marketability of the product. Technical feasibility, production as well as manufacturing capability and financial capability will also be checked which is required for the production of the new food product. Therefore, adoption of a systematic approach in the idea screening is necessary (Chemat et al., 2017). It helps in providing a uniform approach to the screening and at the same time, it encourages objectivity in the decision making process as well as the constant referencing to the company objectives. In the screening product ideas, three step procedures were followed to determine the status of Pass or Fail or the product. In order to complete the screening process for the proposed new food product, a survey was organized online along with 11 participants. Three different choices were there to the participants and the responses were recorded as “P” for Pass and “F” for Fail for the company objectives, production and market information and company’s return on investment for the products chosen.

Screening process

Screening of idea for the three chosen products in the survey is shown below in the tabular format. 

From the screening process which was completed by the survey it was clear that Quinoa Bites passed all the factors and it was widely acceptable in the market also. So, the general consensus was Quinoa Bites among all the chosen products.

Target market for any particular product determines the people who are going to use this. Target market can be smaller as well as larger depending upon the circumstances and the quality of the product. Target audience is basically the intended audience where the advertisement of the product will bring potential buyers and consumers (du Jardin, 2015). As, this proposed product is beneficial for health to all the people from all over the world and in addition it can provide some nutritious value to the consumers so a larger target audience will be better in this regard. So, in this case, a local, national as well as international market has been chosen as target market for this new food product. Fitness enthusiasts, gluten intolerant, vegans, vegetarians and busy people will be considered as the target audience for this product. It is expected that people from all over the world, will be benefited with the consumption of this product and as it will be delicious so it will be acceptable to a wider group of audience also.

Core benefit: Quinoa is enriched with fibre, vitamins and other nutritious elements. Apart from that, it is gluten free and there will be no risk of celiac disease with the consumption of it (Laska et al., 2015). In a study it has been found that one cup quinoa consists of 17-27 grams of fibre and it is an excellent protein source for vegans and vegetarians also (Fuchs et al., 2018). Furthermore, some other ingredients of this Quinoa Chocolate Bar will add extra benefit to this food product.

Product form: Product will be produced in the form of chocolate bars.

Key ingredients: Puffed Quinoa, Prana power plant protein powder, Plamil no added sugar dark chocolate, dried goji berries, coconut nectar, crushed dry roasted almond, cocoa powder, pre-biotic fibre. 

Characteristics: The chosen ingredients should meet the set of specifications in terms of colour, quality and price. The ingredients must be least expensive.

Differentiation from similar products: Various similar products are available in the market but this product will be unique for its added health benefits for quinoa and it will also have a lip-smacking taste. Moreover, the availability will also be more when compared to other products. The product will be reliable for its best quality and will be cost effective also in comparison with other similar products available in the market.

A specific process is involved in the manufacturing of the new food. The production steps of the new food product which will be made up of quinoa and other nutritious elements.  

Any food product contains various types of ingredients, some requires cooking but some are not. In this recipe only quinoa is cooked rest are not (Lionetti et al., 2014). All the ingredients were mixed together and stored in refrigerator for setting purpose. As it will be prepared in the form of a chocolate bar, it requires being set. The packaging will be done keeping in mind about the matter of food value.

Target Market

A sensory evaluation test is required in order to know the shelf life of the product and its formation. A team of trained experts were involved in providing the analytical information of the new product and they used static test to analyze the shelf life of the food product (Liu et al., 2017). This is a chocolate bar it is having a good shelf life in compared to other similar products available in the market which is adding an extra mark on its quality and acceptability.

A product should be commercially viable and therefore it should have a preservation technique which will be easier for the consumers. Cooking or baking not always meets the requirement of preserving any food (Reguera et al., 2018). It should be kept in mind that the food must be safe for the human consumption and it must have a good shelf life in order to meet the market expectation. This quinoa chocolate bar will be manufactured in large quantity and it must be stored in a cool and dry place preferably in refrigerator. Sterilization, which is a heating procedure that is used to kill micro-organisms from food, will be used (Missbach et al., 2015). The preservation is much simpler and any consumer can preserve this food product for further use.

Conclusion

The world is trying to fight against celiac disease and looking for substitute of grains to avoid gluten in their diet. This product is expected to meet all the requirements of essential nutrients in a flavour full chocolate bar. Even, amongst all the similar products available in the market, this is unique because of its nutritious composition and an excellent shelf life. The product is budget-friendly too. So, it is expected after screening and analysing this product will be widely accepted by the people from all over the world.   

References

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Bouziat, R., Hinterleitner, R., Brown, J. J., Stencel-Baerenwald, J. E., Ikizler, M., Mayassi, T., ... & Ernest, J. D. (2017). Reovirus infection triggers inflammatory responses to dietary antigens and development of celiac disease. Science, 356(6333), 44-50.

Chemat, F., Rombaut, N., Meullemiestre, A., Turk, M., Perino, S., Fabiano-Tixier, A. S., & Abert-Vian, M. (2017). Review of green food processing techniques. Preservation, transformation, and extraction. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 41, 357-377.

du Jardin, P. (2015). Plant biostimulants: definition, concept, main categories and regulation. Scientia Horticulturae, 196, 3-14.

Fuchs, V., Kurppa, K., Huhtala, H., Mäki, M., Kekkonen, L., & Kaukinen, K. (2018). Delayed celiac disease diagnosis predisposes to reduced quality of life and incremental use of health care services and medicines: A prospective nationwide study. United European gastroenterology journal, 6(4), 567-575.

Laska, M. N., Caspi, C. E., Pelletier, J. E., Friebur, R., & Harnack, L. J. (2015). Peer Reviewed: Lack of Healthy Food in Small-Size to Mid-Size Retailers Participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014. Preventing chronic disease, 12.

Lionetti, E., Castellaneta, S., Francavilla, R., Pulvirenti, A., Tonutti, E., Amarri, S., ... & Castellano, E. (2014). Introduction of gluten, HLA status, and the risk of celiac disease in children. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(14), 1295-1303.

Liu, E., Dong, F., Barón, A. E., Taki, I., Norris, J. M., Frohnert, B. I., ... & Rewers, M. (2017). High incidence of celiac disease in a long-term study of adolescents with susceptibility genotypes. Gastroenterology, 152(6), 1329-1336.

Missbach, B., Schwingshackl, L., Billmann, A., Mystek, A., Hickelsberger, M., Bauer, G., & König, J. (2015). Gluten-free food database: the nutritional quality and cost of packaged gluten-free foods. PeerJ, 3, e1337.

Reguera, M., Conesa, C. M., Gil-Gómez, A., Haros, C. M., Pérez-Casas, M. Á., Briones-Labarca, V., ... & Mujica, Á. (2018). The impact of different agroecological conditions on the nutritional composition of quinoa seeds. PeerJ, 6, e4442.

Tester, J. M., Leung, C. W., Leak, T. M., & Laraia, B. A. (2017). Peer Reviewed: Recent Uptrend in Whole-Grain Intake Is Absent for Low-Income Adolescents, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2012. Preventing chronic disease, 14.

Unalp-Arida, A., Ruhl, C. E., Brantner, T. L., Everhart, J. E., & Murray, J. A. (2017, January). Less hidden celiac disease but increased gluten avoidance without a diagnosis in the United States: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2009 to 2014. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 92, No. 1, pp. 30-38). Elsevier.