A practical approach to new food product development; from idea generation to commercialization-Case Study: Development of ice-cream fortified with omega-3 fish oil

In the past decades, numerous efforts have been made to systematize the process of developing new food products from idea generation to product commercialization. So, studies on consumer behavior in foods have led to particular changes in the processing of food and beverage products. Food industry is one of the most competitive industries in the country's economy, and manufacturing new products is one of the key pillars of success in food and drink processing units. On the other hand, the change in the taste and expectations of customers about the processed products makes the creation of new products inevitable in accordance with their demands. The present paper consists of two parts introducing "the process of developing a new food product" and the results of the research on "developing omega-3 enriched ice cream using this approach." The first part is the author's experience in teaching designing and manufacturing of food products in a number of abroad universities and research centers. The second part (case study) is an applied research carried out at the Animal Science Research Institute of Iran. The purpose of this article is to open up a window towards the science of food design and development, which in our country, unfortunately, has been systematically and scientifically less attention paid to it. This article will introduce researchers and experts in the food industry to the process of developing a new product and will be a useful guide for those interested in this science.