The prototypes that were developed by the team consist of two dough discs filled with cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni. They require a minute and a half to cook at a medium setting on your average Proctor Silex. Fluted edges keep the discs fused together and the sauce and cheese from leaking into the toaster. An acetylated monoglyceride barrier between the crust and the sauce is the secret to the crisp texture, and a thick paste-type sauce prevents "squirt out" when the consumer takes that first all-important bite.
"They're healthier than a slice of pizza, lower in fat, and crisp, too," said Michael King, the food chemist who coordinated the development team. Other members were John Brent, Joanne Langdon, Aimee Eopocino, Susan Connel, Aaron Edwards, Lanette Schaffer, and Mary Beth Gangloff. Chamberlain and King are graduate students at Cornell's Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, working in the laboratories of food scientists Andy Rao and Terry Acree.
"Pizza Pop-Ups are about the size of English muffins," said Ellen Chamberlain, the chemical engineer on the team in charge of process design.
The group, an outgrowth of the Food Science Club at Cornell, started meeting last fall to brainstorm new product ideas in anticipation of entering the competition. "Pizza was a natural," said Chamberlain. "Our initial survey of the local pizza market - a niche that is very easy to identify among studentsÑdetermined what people wanted in a new pizza product."
"Survey results indicated crispness and convenience were the two primary concerns, so thatÕs what we went for in our toasted product," said King. In general, toasters and ovens give a much crisper product than microwave ovens.
"The purpose of the project was is to work together and learn what it really takes to create and optimize a new product concept," said King. "We had to actually go through all the leg work involved in developing a new food product, including identifying a product, surveying the market, economic and process feasibility studies, food safety evaluation, nutritional analyses, sales, and marketing."
The team solved various technical problems in the Pizza Pop-Up concept. In addition to "sauce migration," and developing a moisture barrier between the coated crust disks and the sauce, the team researched toasters. "We relied heavily on a study by Pillsbury that charted thousands of toasters for spring, shape, and size for the Toaster Strudel," said King. "Based on that study, we came up with an optimum weight of 50 grams, an optimum width of half an inch, and an optimum diameter of three and three-quarter inches."
The team also researched packaging and processing design. "We determined what processing machines were needed (about 15) , how much they would cost; how fast the line would run, in conjunction wth a market analysis to determine market share, and a complete balance sheet and income statement," said King.
The team estimated it would take a well-established food company $4.6 million to capitalize and start producing Pizza Pop-Ups and that it would take six months before the product was ready to market as a snack, particularly targeted at single people and children. Estimated retail cost is $2.69 for 8, which is well below a comparable microwave product which does not compare for crispness. The $1.4 billion frozen pizza market is growing by 13 percent a year, according to King; demand is there.
"The competition is a relatively new one for IFT," said Peter Salmon, an industry analyst with The Food Network, an Ithaca-based consulting firm who helped sponsor the team. "These kind of competitions encourage students to do what they will most likely be doing when they get out in industry, which is product development. Pizza Pop-Ups is a very well-thought out concept, I wouldn't be surprised if someone does pick it up."
Representatives from the food industry attended the meetings in Anaheim and the Pizza Pop-Up poster and presentation generated substantial enthusiasm among attendees. King is seeking patents for the ingredients and processing of Pizza Pop-Ups and waiting for industry to call.
"Mostly, it was a good learning experience," said Chamberlain. "It was interesting to combine people with various backgrounds in nutrition, business, food science, and engineering to come up with a new product."
The team performed prototype development and taste-tests out of Chamberlain's kitchen on a toaster her mother had received as a wedding present many years ago. "In college, you eat a lot of pizza," said Chamberlain. "We all had a lot of experience with the product we were making."
Food science students from Cornell have submitted proposals to the competitition for the past four years. This is the first year a Cornell team ever made the final six and the first year a Cornell team won. The other six finalists in 1995 included product development proposals for: Cherry Stout Beer, Pastabilities, Fabulous Frozen Fruity Cookie Dough, Ecstasy (chocolate covered fruit), and Pea Pleasers (a yellow-pea based tortilla chip).
Faculty advisors to the team included Joseph Hotchkiss, Syd Rizvi, Dennis Miller from the Food Science Department, and Dick Wittink from the Johnson School of Management. In addition, Joe Regenstein, from Food Science, helped coordinate mock product defenses.
Contact: Linda McCandless
315-787-2417
e-mail: llm3@cornell.edu
Communications Services, Geneva, NY
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