Summary:

For our module, Food Prototype Development & Evaluation, the researcher is to develop an innovation hybrid meat product by substituting part of the meat content and replacing it with an alternative non-meat protein, making it suitable for the flexitarian diet .When developing my initial concept, I conducted an audit in several shops to examine the offerings available for the flexitarian diet, examine the ingredients used in each product and identify my main competitors. Upon my investigation, I failed to discover any steaks that met the criteria of the flexitarian diet. As a result, this prompted me to brainstorm the idea of developing a fillet steak that consists of 48% plant-based components and 52% beef.

When developing a new prototype, one must use their technical & marketing skills, showcasing creativity and knowledge to the steps involved into turning a concept into a product. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to manipulate food ingredients and additives to ensure effective development, taking into consideration, raw materials, costings and feasibility within the product. Every Wednesday we conduct classes which involves production of the food prototype, prototype taste testing, sensory evaluation, shelf-life testing, costings, HACCP & nutritional analysis, all of which are all important steps in the development of any food product. Following six weeks of developing the prototype, we have a showcase. We produce a poster for this exhibition that illustrates the process by which we transformed the product from a concept to a finished product. Additionally, we must provide a sample of the food product for the judging panel.

Objectives:

The primary aim through this process is to enhance my knowledge and expertise by reformulating & creating a food product, converting it from a concept into a profitable food product that is ready for sale in a retail environment.

In order to achieve this aim, I will need to attain a number of objectives, which include:

• Formulate a concept, determine the ingredients, and establish a brand identity.
• Determine the steps involved on how to transform a concept in a product.
• Gain a deeper understanding of all the factors affecting the product attributes.
• Evaluate packaging and labelling requirements taking into consideration EU law legislations and regulations along with storage requirements.
• Conduct in-class weekly sensory evaluations and 1 sensory evaluation with the public to evaluate the strengths and weakness of the product.
• Produce a logbook that records the sequential stages of the product development on a weekly basis.

Method:

1. Wash hands, sanitise work station, gather equipment and weigh up ingredients
2. Begin making the protein paste by straining the juice from the pinto beans, chickpeas and red kidney beans.
3. Place the red kidney beans, chickpeas and pinto beans in a medium sized mixing bowl.
4. Sieve in the gram flour and beetroot powder along with half of the quantity of the
5. On a brown chopping board, finely chop the rosemary and thyme and add into the same bowl, season the mix with salt and pepper, cover with cling film, and place into the fridge.
6. Remove the raw fillet steaks from the fridge and place on a red chopping board.
7. Using a sharp knife, slice each steak in half horizontally right in the center of the steak.
8. Using 4-inch steel ring cutter, trim around the edges of the steak, making it as uniform as possible, keeping the steak trimmings in a separate bowl.
9. Once the edges of the steak are trimmed, place on a tray, labelled and coved with cling film and place into the bottom of the fridge to avoid cross-contamination.
10.  Remove the bowl containing the plant-based proteins and add the remaining leftover trimmings of the steak into the bowl.
11. Place into a robot coupe and allow to mix until it resembles a smooth firm ball.
12. Using a silicon-mat roll the paste, using a rolling pin to approximately 2.5 inches in thickness.
13. Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the paste to harden so that it is easier the cut
14. In the meantime, wash and dry all used equipment, santise your workstation.
15. Remove the protein paste from the fridge and using the same 4-inch steel ring cutter, cut the paste.
16. Remove the prepared steaks from the fridge and place onto a clean red chopping board.
17. Prepare the meat glue paste by mixing the remained of the tranglutamise with water until it resembles a sticky paste.
18. Using a pastry-brush, brush the inside of the steak, along with the top and bottom of the protein paste connecting with the fillet of steak with the trangltamise paste.
19. Place the molded protein paste into the center of each steak and press together using a burger press.
20.  Vacuum-seal the steak, ensuring to take all of the air out to avoid oxidation occurring and place into the fridge to allow the transglutamise to activate (approximately 5 hours)
21. Remove steak from the fridge.
22. Seal the steak on a non-stick frying pan for 3 minutes on each side until you achieve a golden-brown color and finish in the oven set at 165 degrees for a further 8 minutes.