KTP uncovers science behind dairy's range of products

Devon dairy business harnesses the university's expertise in understanding the science behind its range of ice creams, creams, cheeses and yoghurts
Anna Tatkiewicz

Fast facts

  • 'Company: Langage Farm

  • (Location: Plymouth, Devon

  • <Industry/sector: Dairy Food Manufacturing

  • ASize: SME (50 employees)

Project information

  • Project aim: to embed a new technical function to enhance product quality and reduce waste
  • Project duration: 30 months
  • Project budget: £149,006
  • KTP funder: Innovate UK
  • Academic team: Dr Victor Kuri, Mrs Liz Preston from the School of Biological Sciences and Dr Roy Moate, Manager of Electron Microscopy Centre, School of Marine Science and Engineering
  • Associate: Anna Tatkiewicz
  • Degree studied: MSc Food Science and Nutrition & Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodietetics, University of Warsaw, Poland. Biotechnology of genomics of plants, University of Madrid

Background

Fast-growing Devon dairy business Langage Farm embraces innovation to increase its competitiveness and has linked up with University of Plymouth experts to help them uncover the science behind its branded range of products. A collaboration with the university through its Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme will enable Langage Farm to address the cause and effect of production variations needed for enhanced quality, waste reduction and new product development across its range of more than 100 different ice creams, creams, cheeses and yoghurts. 
The firm, which is based just outside of Plymouth, has embarked on its second KTP with the University experts in food quality, to gain a greater understanding of small seasonal variations in the dairy products’ appearance and texture. KTP Associate Anna Tatkiewicz will spend 30 months with the business to ascertain what causes these changes and determine how the firm can alter its processes to deliver more consistent products to its customers, which include some of the UK’s leading supermarkets. 
The dairy had noticed small differences in the consistency of different batches of its soft cheese and by accessing the latest technology in Scanning Electron Microscopy, the team were able to examine the products more closely. By spending a day generating high resolution images of the cheese using the powerful electron microscopes, the firm was able to analyse the different micro-structures across a range of batches. 
Just a short time in to the project, the company are very pleased to report that the company recently achieved a grade A in their British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit and that Anna contributed to this success particularly through her work with supplier surveys. 
KTP is a world-leading programme that helps businesses succeed by connecting them to the UK's rich academic resources. Part-funded by government, it's a partnership between a business seeking expertise, an academic institution (such as the University) and a recently qualified graduate – known as an Associate.

Anna’s application, analytical and research skills are second to none and have made a huge difference, like a breath of fresh air to our business. Knowing we have the infrastructure of the University behind the scenes to support our investigations again is crucial for our development and also very comforting. Knowing and applying the science behind what we do in dairy manufacturing gives us and our staff a massive advantage in ensuring our products are of the highest quality and standards possible. Along this journey we have met many people who support our business from the University in many different departments. Their support has been superb and now these people are considered friends rather than just work associates. I would wholeheartedly recommend the KTP project and engagement with the University for any business irrespective of size.

Paul Winterton, Managing Director, Langage Farm

Inspired by this story? Your journey starts here.

If you want to grow your business through collaboration and innovation, KTP is the programme that has the power you need to get ahead of the competition.
To find out more about how KTP can inspire innovation in your business, contact the Enterprise Solutions Team on +44 800 052 5600 or email: enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk