Food Science faculty and students in the Spring 2025, “Food Product Development,” course display their plant-based beverage creations on May 1 in the Food Science lobby. Photo: OPOC.
The lobby of the Food Science building on the George H. Cook campus was transformed into a teeming taste-testing venue on May 1 as students enrolled in the three-credit “Food Product Development” course showcased the plant-based beverages they created over the course of the semester.
Food Product Development class tasting event in the Food Science lobby. Photo: OPOC.
Taught by associate professor of food engineering Paul Takhistov, the course is the capstone class in the Food Science undergraduate program where students had the opportunity to apply what they learned in prerequisite courses like food chemistry, food microbiology, food engineering and sensory science.
“The goal is to use scientific and engineering knowledge to design a food product that can be manufactured and accepted by consumers,” said Takhistov.
Open to faculty, students, staff and visitors, the culminating event in the course invited guests to “taste the future of functional drinks,” which were designed by teams of students with health, functionality and taste in mind. Each team provided samples, explained their products and collected feedback from visitors using sensory evaluation ballots.
Attendees were treated to samples of four functional products:
Mazen Shehat, Senior Associate Dean of Finance and Administration at SEBS, and Mukund Karwe, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food Science, listen to the presentation of “Snatched Sweets” from the student team. Photo: OPOC.
Snatched Sweets, a meal replacement shake designed for weight management. It was high in fiber and protein.
Early Bird, a plant-based oat beverage designed to support senior wellness, with added calcium and probiotics.
GoBoat, a kid-friendly drink with a smooth texture and fruity flavor, fortified with DHA—an omega-3 fatty acid—and vitamins.
GlowJoe, a caramel latte-flavored protein beverage for athletes, with 20g of protein and caffeine for energy.
Takhistov, who has taught the course for the last 10 years, explained that the course is organized around the standard 7-step food product development process used in the food industry: market research, product ideation, product formulation, prototype development, process design, scale-up, and final evaluation and consumer testing.
Students Minny Qiu, Michael Simitz and Kelly Casazza present their product, “Early Bird.” Photo: OPOC.
At the start of the semester, each student team is assigned a product category. “This year, teams were asked to developed plant-based functional beverages designed for different consumer segments.”
According to Takhistov, teams followed the same process in developing their product, including market research to identify target consumers and product opportunities. They then defined the desired product attributes, such as protein content, fiber level, sweetness and specific health benefits. Based on this, they developed a product concept and technical description before creating a laboratory-scale prototype using plant proteins, whole grains and other functional ingredients. They evaluated the prototype based on taste, texture and stability, revising their product prototype several times to meet the defined product goals in terms of nutrition and consumer acceptance.
“The product development process in the course followed a step-by-step approach,” explained Takhistov. “After initial concept development, each team formulated their product using appropriate ingredients based on functionality, nutrition and processing behavior. Students used their knowledge from food chemistry and food processing to ensure that the ingredients worked together without causing stability problems.”
Paul Takhistov samples “Glow Joe,” presented by students, left to right, Daniel Shlez, Cecelia Bay and Miranda Singh. Photo: OPOC.
Teams used lab-scale equipment to prepare the initial product samples. The samples were then tested for basic quality parameters such as pH, viscosity, taste and appearance. Based on these results, students adjusted the formulation as needed. Once the lab-scale formulation was acceptable, they created a process flow diagram and a HACCP plan to ensure food safety during production.
A major part of the project was scaling up the process from lab scale (milliliters) to pilot scale (10 liters). For this, students used the department’s new HTST (high-temperature short-time) beverage processing system. This system heats the product to 140 °C for 4 seconds and cools it quickly. It allows sterilization of the product while preserving vitamins, color and flavor.
The acquisition of the HTST beverage processing line was made possible through a Rutgers Strategic Initiative Grant, led by Takhistov and Nolan Lewin, executive director of Rutgers Food Innovation Center, with strong support from the SEBS leadership team. During scale-up, used to evaluate whether the product was suitable for real manufacturing, the students had to solve problems related to heat stability, sedimentation and phase separation.
Student Romit Bhaumik pours a sample of his team’s product, “GoBoat.” Photo: OPOC.
“Despite challenges during formulation and processing, all the teams were able to produce a stable product with an extended shelf life,” said Takhistov.
Products were processed under aseptic conditions using the HTST system. “Students demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, especially in adjusting formulations for heat stability and consumer acceptance. The final presentation showed the full cycle of product development from idea to ready-to-market prototypes.”
Takhistov has taught the course for the last 10 years. He explained that “the course is organized around the standard 7-step food product development process used in the food industry: market research, product ideation, product formulation, prototype development, process design, scale-up, and final evaluation and consumer testing.”
At the start of the semester, each student team is assigned a product category. “This year, teams were asked to developed plant-based functional beverages designed for different consumer segments.”
Students, left to right, Jayson Logan, Faye Furman and Laila Sohail display their product, “Snatched Sweets.” Photo: OPOC.
According to Takhistov, teams followed the same process in developing their product, including market research to identify target consumers and product opportunities. They then defined the desired product attributes, such as protein content, fiber level, sweetness and specific health benefits. Based on this, they developed a product concept and technical description before creating a laboratory-scale prototype using plant proteins, whole grains and other functional ingredients. They evaluated the prototype based on taste, texture and stability, revising their product prototype several times to meet the defined product goals in terms of nutrition and consumer acceptance.
“The product development process in the course followed a step-by-step approach,” explained Takhistov. “After initial concept development, each team formulated their product using appropriate ingredients based on functionality, nutrition and processing behavior. Students used their knowledge from food chemistry and food processing to ensure that the ingredients worked together without causing stability problems.”
Teams used lab-scale equipment to prepare the initial product samples. The samples were then tested for basic quality parameters such as pH, viscosity, taste and appearance. Based on these results, students adjusted the formulation as needed. Once the lab-scale formulation was acceptable, they created a process flow diagram and a HACCP plan to ensure food safety during production.
Left to right, SEBS Food Science faculty Mukund Karwe, Paul Takhistov and Chitra Ponnusamy, FCHS faculty Patty Oehmke, and SEBS Senior Associate Director of Finance and Administration Mazen Shehat. Photo: OPOC.
A major part of the project was scaling up the process from lab scale (milliliters) to pilot scale (10 liters). For this, students used the department’s new HTST (high-temperature short-time) beverage processing system. This system heats the product to 140 °C for 4 seconds and cools it quickly. It allows sterilization of the product while preserving vitamins, color and flavor.
The acquisition of the HTST beverage processing line was made possible through a Rutgers Strategic Initiative Grant, led by Takhistov and Nolan Lewin, executive director of Rutgers Food Innovation Center, with strong support from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) leadership team. During scale-up, used to evaluate whether the product was suitable for real manufacturing, the students had to solve problems related to heat stability, sedimentation and phase separation.
“Despite challenges during formulation and processing, all the teams were able to produce a stable product with an extended shelf life,” said Takhistov.
Products were processed under aseptic conditions using the HTST system. “Students demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, especially in adjusting formulations for heat stability and consumer acceptance. The final presentation showed the full cycle of product development from idea to ready-to-market prototypes.”
