DS-gluten free are dedicated to making delicious gluten free foods for people diagnosed with coeliac disease and those suffering from a gluten and wheat allergy or intolerance. Our gluten free range now includes bread, pasta, pizza and frozen meal solutions but how did they all come about you ask?! We interviewed our Research and Development manager, Eva, to talk to us about the New Product Development process. Eva explains how the delicious DS-gluten free products go from an idea to the tasty gluten and wheat free foods you buy in the supermarkets!

What is New Product Development?

New product development is the entire process of taking an idea for a new gluten and wheat free food to a packaged product on the shelf! It is all about researching ingredients and sourcing safe and suitable alternatives to gluten and wheat.

What is your role?

My role is the Research and Development Manager so I follow the process from the very beginning right through until the launch of the product and then any further improvements that can be made. It starts with an idea and then we start sourcing ingredients. When we have a basic idea of the ingredients to use we get to “the fun part”. The fun part is basically being in the kitchen trying tasty foods and cooking up gluten free recipes! Once we have a recipe in our kitchen we take it to the factory to see if it works in “mass production” which means using the same recipe to make a larger number of products. Once the gluten free recipe works on a large scale we can start work on some eye catching packaging and hopefully get the product into store! But even then the process isn’t completely finished because when the product is on the shelves we are always looking at ways they can be improved which is why consumer feedback is so important to us.

What are the challenges involved in making gluten free products?

The number one priority is to make the product safe for people with coeliac disease or following a gluten and wheat free diet. The ingredients and products are constantly tested to ensure they are below the recommended standard for gluten and wheat free foods. Once we have found ingredients which are safe to use we make sure they are in ample supply all year round. Replacing the gluten is a challenge as the gluten gives the product a stability and an elasticity so it’s hard to find good alternatives but not impossible!

What substitutes do you use for the gluten in products?

Mainly gums and natural fibres, gluten free bakers will have heard of Xanthum gum. The gums give the products that elasticity network which holds air in the product and makes it prove and rise evenly.

How do you ensure they taste as delicious as the mainstream alternatives?

We hold regular taste panels where we taste all of our gluten free products against mainstream alternatives. If the panel don’t think they’re up to scratch we continue working on them to make sure they’re just as good or even better. Another “fun part” to the job.

How long does it take to develop a new product?

It can take anything from several months to 2-3 years, some products can be quite difficult to transform into a gluten and wheat free version such as bread and pastry and once the recipe works well in a domestic kitchen there’s no guarantee once you scale it up from 2-2000 that it’s going to work. As well as producing the product in mass we also have to test it constantly to make sure it’s safe and gluten and wheat free.

Finally Eva what do you love the most about your job?

The satisfaction of developing a food product from scratch and seeing the end result is very good. It is amazing to hear from our customers how these products can positively change their lives. For those on a gluten and wheat free diet, meal times can often be difficult, tiresome and boring. But when I speak to our customers about our food, it is great to hear that our products provide more meal choices. For those not on a gluten free diet, it can be hard to imagine a time when you would be able to pick up a quick sandwich or pop into any restaurant for a quick bite.

A big thank you to Eva for explaining the ins and outs of the new product development process! If you have any questions about how we make tasty gluten and wheat free foods please leave your comment for Eva below.





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