Plum-Good Improvements

ONTO THE BENCH

With that background, we started into benchtop development. The first step was to select prototype formulas (typical of those used in a commercial bakery) for the broad product categories Sunsweet provided us: a fudge-type brownie, a pear-cranberry muffin, an oatmeal-raisin cookie, and a whole-wheat oatmeal bread.

Each control formula was produced several times to ensure consistency and suitability for testing. Experimentation began on each formula with the use of one prune ingredient at a time to understand first-order substitution effects. Various levels of each ingredient were then tested with the appropriate adjustment to formula water. The most-efficient method of testing single ingredients was to start at the highest reasonable level for each one and then make a second batch using a quantity thought to be about correct. This allowed us to “bracket” the optimal quantity of single ingredients. Additional adjustments were sometimes necessary, but they were generally small.

Once each ingredient had been individually tested and an optimal level found, a decision was made whether or not to use that ingredient in each formula. After selecting ingredients, experimentation began on combining ingredients to understand their interactions and the limits of ingredient substitutions (second-order effects). Eventually, through trial and error, we were able to determine final formulas.