As expensive and difficult as formulating good-tasting foods can be, food manufacturers appreciate as much help as they can get. A consultancy service that is strong in research and development, Park 100 Foods, Tipton, Ind., has grown from modest beginnings 25 years ago by helping food industry formulators offer consistently high-quality flavors, textures, appearances, and product mouthfeel. In order to ensure the best entrees, side dishes, sauces, gravies, soups and fruit toppings possible, the company relies on top ingredients and their suppliers.
Food products are developed at the Morristown, Ind., pilot plant, then scaled up to larger production batches at the Tipton location. “When we work closely with a customer, and after we have a food system he feels will succeed, we determine the pH, salt content, drainage weights, fat content, color, Brookfield viscosity, Bostwick viscosity and we use a refractometer for Brix values,” explains David Alves, vice president. During scale-up, employees exactly match the values of several of these parameters. The process is adjusted as necessary to maintain high-quality food standards.