Abstract:

Training students in food engineering requires students to develop proficiently in at least the areas of Food Development and Innovation, Food Safety and the Engineering Process. Food innovation is an area that requires not only technical knowledge, but the integration of knowledge from different disciplines and also soft skills competencies. Technical knowledge is required to determine the feasibility of the project; concepts associated with consumer science are important to assess the market's needs and the competitors' characteristics, while the co-creation process requires the creation of trustful collaborative relationships with stakeholders. Food product innovation favors the integration of knowledge reviewed separately in different subjects and allows for application for the solution of a specific case.
The collaboration between universities and industry is a vehicle to enhance skills development and learning. In the study, small businesses located in the region, which required product development, were identified. It was decided to focus on this size of companies given the feasibility of commercializing the developed product and the possibilities of independent learning by the students compared to the work carried out for large companies, in addition to the possibility of implementing new processes or modifying existing ones.
A consulting experience was designed for each group of students, and each group worked with a different small business. The business defined the development specifications and the gold or worthy standard (if applicable) through a Brief. During the first stage, the students analyzed the Brief and the technical and commercial feasibility (costs, equipment, legislation, sustainability, etc.) of the product required. After that, students negotiated the product's final specifications and signed the project's legal agreement. This first stage challenges the students’ technical knowledge and favors the development of negotiation skills in the workplace.
After this stage, the practical work begins. This stage is characterized by a high degree of independent work, only limited by the schedule agreed upon at the project's beginning. The process considers the visit of the students to the company and the development of co-creation activities.
Two formal stages of progress review and a full delivery at the end of the semester are defined. The grade of the group of students is defined by the fulfillment of the specifications of the Brief, the final presentation to a group of experts, professors, and businessmen, the fulfillment of the agenda and the qualification granted by the small business with which the consultancy was made.
A mixed approach study has shown the capacity of the methodology to favor the integration of knowledge, the creation of new knowledge, and the development of soft skills, in addition to favoring the strengthening of systemic thinking for the solution of specific problems.

Keywords:

Undergraduate students, Food product innovation, University/Industry collaboration, Competences, soft skills.