Design and Production Systems for Food Products

Abstract

Food has two characteristics: tangible and intangible. Customers evaluate the quality of food physically, judging the taste, texture, and arrangement. At the same time, customer evaluation is influenced by non-physical aspects such as the dining situation, tablemates, and dining space. To maximize value, food should be designed considering tangible and intangible aspects. In addition, quality, taste and seasoning of food depend deeply on the production method. They change with the passage of time. To realize designed food quality, production processes and methods should be designed based on an interdisciplinary approach, not only cookery science. This chapter discusses design and production theory for food.