BACKGROUND

When you blend together flour, water, maybe some fat, sugar, or a leavening agent, you create a dough. And depending on the inclusion, exclusion or ratio of ingredients to one another, you create different doughs with different properties, suitable for different products.

Increasing water in a dough can sometimes lead to reductions in fats and vice versa. However, consumer demand for reductions in fat content in baked goods as well as environmental pressures involving water availability have led some food producers to explore alternatives to the water/fat dichotomy.

TechConnect's client, a multinational cookie and cracker company, is interested in engaging with subject matter experts (SMEs) with in-depth knowledge and experience in ingredients for dough formulation. In particular, the client would like to consult with SMEs who can provide insight and guidance on alternative ingredients that allow for overall reductions in water, fat, or both in doughs while maintaining processability and finished product attributes. While not the primary focus of this project, organizations with novel ingredients or processing equipment which enable the reduction of water and/or fats in cookie and cracker recipes are also of interest.

The client intends to engage with relevant subject matter experts in consultative relationships with the potential for other forms of longer term collaboration. SMEs will be expected to share their expertise with the client regarding topics including:

• Novel ingredients OR
• Innovative formats for existing ingredients OR
• New processing techniques which enable reductions in water and/or fats

The goal of this sprint is to facilitate contact and interactions between the Sprint sponsor and active researchers or technology developers in this space. Submissions from all viable subject matter experts are of interest including those from academia and commercial entities.

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Submission requirements:

Solvers submitting an Entry are encouraged to highlight knowledge or experience in their Submission that meet criteria including:

• Relevant experience with reductions in:
• Water in dough
• Fat(s) in dough
• Desired form(s) of engagement
• Previous or current work on food reformulations especially:
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Type(s) of consultative engagement of interest

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Business Opportunity for Solvers

All complete and eligible Entries will be included in an exclusive Innovation Opportunity Report that will be presented to our client. Solvers with well-matched capabilities may be contacted directly by either TechConnect Ventures or the client to discuss potential partnership opportunities, including – but not limited to – demonstrations, consulting, contract research, licensing, and more. Top-rated Entries may also be invited to register or participate in an upcoming TechConnect Ventures event or pitch program.

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Participation Rules & Guidelines

Solvers are encouraged to review the Rules and Guidelines provided on the Sprint page for details about participation, including submission criteria, eligibility information, and more.

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Download Challenge Brief

QUESTIONS? Contact challenge@techconnectventures.com