Gemma and James are the founders of Nae Nuts, a start-up company who aimed to create a range of sunflower seed butters. The company sought the expertise of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) to assist with the development of the range, utilising the SCFDI’s food science and product development knowledge. The couple had the idea to develop a smooth, crunchy and sweet crunchy variety of the sunflower seed butter that would provide an alternative to typical nut butters like peanut or almond for nut allergy sufferers and their households to enjoy.
The project was funded by Scottish Funding Council’s
The company were involved throughout each stage of the project and approved three recipes. The final recipes were evaluated by a panel of consumers and analysed for nutritional composition. The SCFDI provided a report of the consumer testing and provided all the relevant information required to manufacture and launch the three varieties.
"The team at the university have been great to work with and have allowed us to develop 3 products and give us a great start in getting our company off the ground and up and running. The team’s knowledge and expertise enhanced the project, we were able to gain valuable information and the team were very open and enthusiastic throughout the whole process. "
- The Brief
- The Research
- The Outcome
James, a sufferer of a severe peanut allergy, was looking for a nut free alternative to peanut butter but struggled to find a product which met his flavour and texture expectations. Gemma and James decided to create a range of products made from sunflower seeds which focused on providing a nut butter style product that allergy sufferers and their households can enjoy with confidence. Peanut allergies affect around 2% of children in the UK and as a result, many schools are now nut free environments (Allergy UK, 2021). In the development of a peanut and nut free alternative the company have identified a gap in the market that will benefit themselves and many households like them. The couple tasked the SCFDI with developing three variants: smooth, crunchy and sweet crunchy, flavoured with honey and cinnamon.
Firstly, the SCFDI sourced ingredients free-from nuts, including risk of cross contamination. The team sourced a new piece of equipment that would be suitable to process the sunflower seeds and achieve the desired texture profile. The team went on to develop the three variants over three development rounds. Gemma and James attended a site visit to QMU’s development kitchen where they assessed samples and assisted with developing further samples. The three finalised recipes were sent to a UKAS accredited lab for nutritional analysis testing which provided the company with essential nutritional information for back of pack labelling. The three approved recipes were evaluated by a consumer panel of 43 nut/seed butter consumers in QMU’s sensory suite to gain valuable feedback on the concept, appearance, texture and flavour of a sunflower seed butters.
The company were provided with an information pack for the three approved variants. The information packs included formulations, methodologies including equipment recommendations, ingredient supplier information and nutritional and ingredient declarations for on pack labelling. The company were provided with an in-depth report of the consumer panel results and a shorter summary report which they could provide as evidence to future buyers. The SCFDI provided invaluable advice on how to scale their business and manufacture the products.
