Business and consumer perspectives on food quality
1. Introduction to Food Quality
Voedselkwaliteit
Verschillende definities:
- ISO: a desirable characteristic that a product must have
- Fitness for use
- Meet the specificatoins
- Meeting or exceeding customer or consumer expectations
Kwaliteit is geen eenduidig meetbaar begrip. Een samenkomen van verschillende attributen.
Attributen zijn wel afzonderlijk te meten: instrumenteel, mens als meetinstrument.
Bovendien: kwaliteit is anders voor verschillende stakeholders, specifiek wanneer het gaat om FQ.
Bedrijf wil vooral veilig en concurrerend product
Consument wil een product dat past bij zijn behoeften (dat het veilig is, is vanzelfsprekend)
Overheid stuurt op veiligheid, duurzaamheid, eerlijke handel
Verschillende (typen) consumenten) = verschillende kwaliteitsperceptie
Dé consument bestaat niet: bepaalde persoon, bepaalde situatie, bepaald moment, specifieke
behoefte wel kun je consumenten indelen in ‘typen’met hun eigen focus bij keuze & aankoop.
- Typen consument:
1. Milieubewuste consument – duurzaamheid
2. Natuur- en diervriendelijke consument – dierenwelzijn
3. Gezondheidbewuste consument – gezondheid
4. Gemaksconsument – tijd
5. Hedonische consument – smaak
6. Prijsbewuste consument – geld
7. Variatie-zoekende consument - verandering
Fasen in een productontwikkelingproces
Consumentenonderzoek
Idee ontwikkeling (kan ook voor verbetering van bestaande producten)
Welke ingrediënten zijn nodig?
Op welke manier kan het gemaakt worden?
Op welke wijze kan het verpakt worden?
Welke informatie moet op de verpakking?
Op welke wijze gaan we het product vermarkten?
Product attributen: een onderscheid
- Intrinsieke attributen= eigenschappen van een producti die indien je ze verandert, het product
veranderen (bijv. smaak, kleur, textuur). Fysieke product eigenschappen. Direct en/of indirect
meetbaar.
- Extrinsieke attributen= kenmerkend ie het product zelf niet veranderen als je ze verandert (bijv.
label, merk, prijs). Wijze waarop product is voortgebracht. Belangrijk bij aankoopafweging
consument.
Before purchase: formation of quality expectations
After purchase: quality experience (mensen verwachten een bepaalde kwaliteit)
,2. Food component (19 maart)
Food labels
- The packaging is the dress of food product and it is used to provide many information to
consumers. As consumers we perceive only the top of the iceberg that is behind the info on the
packaging
- Rules. Alle ingrediënten moeten er op staan. Ook allergenen.
- Macronutrients: fat, proteins, carbohydrates. Together with water they account for more than
90% often 99% of the product content.
Fat – consumer perception & interests
- Nutritional: negative calories and cholesterol. Positive omega-3 (fish and nuts fats good for
cardiovascular health)
- Origin: animal saturated (verzadigt) fat vs. plant unsaturated (onverzadigt) fat
- Use: better spread on the bread. Seed oil t fry or season salad.
Fat – Food companies interests
- Taste: fats givet aste and flavour to the products. Consumers are attracted by fatty taste.
- Nutrition: vegetable fats no cholesterol
- Bad fat quality: product bad taste
- Reduce the fat: yes but it is not easy!
McLean Deluxe
Burger with less fat (91% fata free) Fat replaced with water and seaweed extract.
It performed well in initial tests, but i didn’t sell well once it went live. Despite the addition of
“natural” beef flavour additives, consuer noticed the lack of the familiar flavour and the dry burger.
This burger was later calld the McFlopper.
Fat – Food companies interests
Origin: it is irrelevant. What it matters is the physical state (solid or liquid).
Saturated fat= solid. Unsaturated fat= liquid
At room temperature!
The solid or liquid state of the fat implies different properties when they are used in a product:
example bakery products (a lot of fat).
Solid fats leavened bakery products (bread, pastries, croissant), ice cream, chocolate
Liquid fats liquid dressing, nut cream, frying oil
Shelf life: fats are easily spoiled during the storage. This is called oxidation.
Liquid (vegetable) fats are oxidised much faster than solid one (example nuts)
Fat oxidation is the main reason to reduce the shelf life of the products
The concept of “Best before consumption” date
Origin must be sure. Zero Km or long distance is secondary
Traceability building trust with our purchasers
Certifications important market driver
Safety contaminants accumulation int he animal fat moiety
Price major impact on the final product. Animal fat more expensive.
,Steps of fat innovation
- Tradition butter and oil
- First innovation margarine a chemical process is used to convert vegetable oil into solid fat.
Problem: formation of unhealthy trans fat
- Second innovation palm oil a cheap fegetable oil that is solid and so it perform like animal fat.
Problem: palm plantation cause deforestation in Malaysia & Indonesia
Example croissant
- Traditional croissant made with butter, perfect expansion full flavour but expensive
- Croissantw with margarine (shortening) made form vegetable oils but poor nutritional quality
(trans fatty acids)
- Margarine replace with palm oil ethical issue deforestation
- Vegan croissant made with coconot oil and margarine.
- Top price.
*Slide what you have to know, why you have to know
Proteins – consumer perception & interests
Nutritional: body mass construction important to grow up. Digestibility (related problems)
Origin: animal protein (meat & fish) animal derived (milk, dairy & egg). Vegetal protein soybeans and
legumes
Sustainability: 10.000 L of water for 1 kg of meat! Vegetarian, vegan, reducetarians.
Proteins – Food companies interests
Structure: proteins are the main responsible for product structure (texture, creaminess, foam, gels)
They change during processing!!
Meat Change of color: heating kills protein (denaturation) and they lose the colored
components. Change of size: raw (native) proteins hold a lot of water. Denatured (processed)
proteins do not.
Eggs whipped eggs: mixing forces protein to interact each other entrapping air and forming a
foam. Heated eggs: protein coagulation entrapped the water forming a gel. The longer the
heating the stronger the gel.
Bread change of color: only the crust! Proteins react with sugars forming color and flavours
(maillard reaction). Change of texture: protein coagulate keeping the gas bubbles formed during
leavening (dough expansion)
Selection of the proteins according to the desired characteristics of the final product.
Bahaviour during processing.
Features priority depends ont he product category
- Texture – meat
- Digestibility – infant products
- Color flavour – bakery products
- Origin – vegetarian celiac disease
Origin must be sure. Zero Km or long distance is secondary
Traceability building trust with our purchasers
Certifications import market driver
Safety allergens is an issue
, Price significant impact on the final product. Alternative sources still very expensive.
Stages of the protein innovation
Tradition – meat and fish: the more the better
First hit mediterranean diet – too much protein can be harmful. Part of the proteins should come
from vegetables
Second hit sustainability – with the increasing of meat consumption in developing country there are
not enough resources on earth. Industry is looking for alternative protein sources: insect, algaea are
curiosities now but will become reality soon
Protein demand will increase by 50% by 2050. Waar is de grens (aanbod/vraag)?
Carbohydrates – koolhydraten, waarvan suikers
Difference between complex carbohydrate (mainly starch) and free sugar (sucrose, lactose glucose,
fructose)
The same energy value but completely different nutritional and sensory properties
Sugar – consumer perception & interests
Nutritional energy and pleasure but also negative calories
Cost effective potato, pasta, rice, fill you with low cost
Properties switeness and stickiness
Origin brown and white sugar. Natural sugar vs. sweeteners (not sugar, but same function).
Sugar – food companies interests
Seperation between polysaccharides and free sugars: they belong to the same chemical category
however they are totally different
Starch (zetmeel) is the main food polysaccharide
Carbohydrate – food companies interests
Taste: stickiness (kleverigheid) and thickness (dikte). Modified starch provides a world of
oppurtunities (soup, meat and fish couting, ready to eat, dessert, snacks)
- Replacing protein or fat with carbohydrate based ingredients is a food company dream.
Processing heating starch caused gelatinization (verstijfseling). It become softer and take water
(the oppisite than protein)
Digestibility (verteerbaarheid) cooked carbohydrate become more digestible and can be degraded
in glucose during digestion