David Michael's Innovation Roadshow 2009

http://www.dmflavors.com/innovation_roadshow.htm


Last week I had the privilege in attending the David Michael 2009 Innovation Roadshow.

David Michael & Co. (DM) is a company that provides flavors to the food industry. Where ever you see natural or artificial flavors on an ingredient statement, companies like David Michael are the companies that make them.

At the Roadshow each year, DM highlights the up and coming trends in flavors and consumer trends as well as technical and culinary creativity.

This year the topics that caught my attention were the comfort food trends and emerging ethnic flavors. Comfort food trends or "Grandma's recipes with a twist" covered the Baby Boomer and the Gen X generations, where the Baby Boomers prefer "classic" foods such as braised meats, casseroles, ice cream, gourmet artisan cheeses and dark chocolates; where the Gen Xers prefer fast food, packaged cooking, and snacks. The top trends that are emerging are being seen in meatloaf, mac & cheese, artisan pies, breakfast for dessert and casseroles. DM used the "mini" trend and demonstrated concepts like Meatloaf Cupcakes. They showed an Italian herb flavored meatloaf cupcake with a butter parmesan flavored potato frosting and a caramelized onion flavored meatloaf cupcake with a brown sugar cinnamon sweet potato flavored frosting. DM also showed "Pie Pops", which pretty much were apple pie and dark chocolate yumberry pie on a stick and with sticking with the "100 calorie" or less trend, one pir pop was 50 calories, essentially dessert on the go.

Emerging trends in ethnic flavors that were discussed were flavors from Australia, flavors like rosella (wild hibiscus) and the Australian blood lime. In addition, DM covered the emerging flavors from Asia. Flavors such as, Honey Sweet Date (Jujubee), Sea Buckthorn (Hippohae), Lychee, Yuzu, Pomelo and Shiso (Japanese basil). For the first time we are seeing more flavor trends emerging from South America, flavors such as Lucuma from Peru and other flavors like guanabana, prickely pear/cactus and chermoya.

The David Michael Innovation Roadshow directly relates to my job as a product developer and manager of the retail development lab. Staying in touch with emerging trends keeps helps to keep the products we sell current and helps us maintain a competitive edge in the market place.

'Smart Stop' Technology- Automatic Brakes

Mercedes Benz is coming out with a new driver-assist technology that will allow smart intersections communicate with your vehicle. The idea is that the technology called the the "Smart Stop" system will communicate with an intersection which would automatically stop your car in the event you fail to stop at a red light. A monitor in the car would also display real time traffic data and your distance from the intersection. The technology could potentially communicate with other cars that have the technology, to prevent accidents and car pile ups.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I will be purchasing a car with this type of technology anytime soon. For any of you who have ever driven on snowy roads may know, sometimes in poor conditions you couldn't stop at a red light even if you wanted to and if you attempted, you would end up sitting in the middle of the intersection, so your best option is to continue to go through. I can see it now, some poor person is stuck in the middle of an intersection because their car has decided that they are running a light. I think I prefer to keep the decision making in my hands, or should I say foot?

Check out the article, there is a short video demoing the "Smart Stop" technology.

http://www.gizmag.com/mercedes-benz-smart-stop-system/13122/

Penny-sized Nuclear Powered Battery

http://www.gizmag.com/smaller-nuclear-battery/13076/

Researchers at the University of Missouri are currently in the developmental stage of engineering a battery that is smaller, lighter and more efficient than current nuclear batteries that have been on the market for years and have powered items such as pacemakers, satellites and underwater systems.

Nuclear batteries are unlike nuclear reactors that power our cities and towns as they do not use a chain reaction that is continuous. Nuclear batteries use emissions from radioactive isotopes to generate electricity, so there is no risk of a meltdown.

The battery is currently being developed by Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri University. What makes his battery innovative over existing nuclear batteries is that he is utilizing liquid semiconductor as opposed to a solid conductor. In the past, the radiation energy would damage the lattice structure of the solid semiconductor, by using a liquid semiconductor, Kwon hopes to minimize that problem.