vation in technologies is slower than changes in the market situation.
The third cycle deals with plant breeding and primary production and is
the slowest cycle even with the use of modern biotechnology. Short-
term changes in the market are impossible to follow. From a chain-
oriented perspective it is of utmost importance for breeders to have a
strategic view of market developments and to identify market niches
where they can be strong and ahead of their competitors. Consequently,
it is of great importance to establish strategic collaboration within the
chain. With respect to consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables a strate-
gic alliance between breeders/agronomists and retailers to meet chang-
ing consumer demands is vital.
QUALITY MODELING OF FOOD PRODUCTS
Development of new food products and/or varieties is based on a
translation of consumer demands into product characteristics. At first se-
lection of the desired product characteristics is done qualitatively but at
a later stage these characteristics must be quantified. In an attempt to
systemize this approach the system of Quality Function Deployment
(QFD) has been developed (Evans and Lindsay, 1996). QFD, also called
the House of Quality, is a system that puts the consumer central and is
characterized by a step-by-step approach. One of the strong features of
the system is that it makes considerations explicit, thus facilitating the
collaboration between marketing and R&D. Also, within the agri-food
sector application of QFD can assist in a more structured way of prod-
uct innovation (Dekker and Linnemann, 1998).
Additionally, QFD can provide a basis for chain-oriented quality mod-
eling. The aim is then to translate consumers’ demands into specified
conditions that can be used throughout the production chain. To achieve
this, it is necessary to extend the QFD matrices with submodels that de-
scribe the relationship between product quality and processing and han-
dling conditions in the chain. In the literature models are presented that
describe specific quality attributes in a part of the chain. One example
is the description of the Maillard reaction in liquid food products (van
Boekel and Berg, 1994). Generally, chain-oriented quality modeling is
based on a number of steps that start with the consumer and go back in
the chain (Figure 1.6).
- From consumer to quantitative product characteristics
- From product characteristics to processing conditions