Food Product Development Lab: Product formulation, sensory testing, and processing support
The Food Product Development Lab at Montana State University helps food businesses develop, improve, and test products, offering formulation, sensory evaluation, and pilot-scale processing.
Overview
The Food Product Development Lab at Montana State University provides consulting and technical support to food businesses working on product innovations, improvements, adaptations, and market testing. Its team spans product development, sensory science, and culinary research, with a culinary team led by Culinary Research Chef Rebecca Soule assisting with recipe ideation, development, and value-added processing.
Research focus areas
- Product formulation and reformulation
- Sensory evaluation and large-scale consumer acceptance testing to assess marketability and competitiveness
- Recipe and process development, including extruded products using a pilot-scale twin-screw extruder
- Analytical support using instruments such as a rapid visco analyzer, water activity meter, and texture analyzer
- Nutrition fact label creation and reporting
Membership & engagement
Montana food businesses using Montana crops and/or meat/poultry may be eligible for free technical assistance through the Business Enhancement Program managed by the Montana Department of Agriculture. Businesses whose projects are ineligible for that program can work with the lab as private paying clients.
About Montana State University
Montana State University's substantial research enterprise growth has been accompanied by focused investments in innovation and research translation, creating new opportunities for companies to engage with MSU research and expertise. A particular strength is MSU’s network of specialized centers, institutes, and industry-accessible core facilities, which bring together multidisciplinary expertise, advanced research infrastructure, testing capabilities, and established pathways for working with industry partners. MSU is one of a select group of universities participating in the NSF's Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program, which is building the capacity and infrastructure needed to translate more research discoveries into solutions with real-world impact. The growing MSU Innovation Campus and expanding incubator infrastructure provide additional opportunities for university-industry interaction, startup development, and technology-focused companies. These efforts are complemented by MSU’s Technology Transfer Office, which works with researchers and companies to protect and license MSU inventions and facilitate industry-sponsored research collaborations.
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