Frequently asked questions

Foodlab is a long-established food product and technology development centre located in Yakum, Israel. Foodlab combines food science, culinary development, process engineering and a benchtop application laboratory to help food companies, entrepreneurs and startups turn product concepts into commercially viable products and scalable production processes.

Foodlab works from early concept and formulation through laboratory trials, process development, packaging, shelf-life work and support for pilot and industrial scale-up.

At the Greenwork campus in Yakum, on Israel's central coast, north of Tel Aviv. The facility includes an application laboratory, an application kitchen, analytical equipment, workstations for visiting teams and a conference room.

Gil de Picciotto and Yoel Benesh. Gil is a chef and food product developer with extensive experience developing food products and technologies for companies in Israel and international markets. Yoel founded Olivia, an Israeli manufacturer of sauces and spreads, and later served in a senior R&D role following Olivia's acquisition by Tnuva. More about the team.

Established food manufacturers, multinational companies, ingredient and technology companies, early-stage startups, entrepreneurs and research teams. Projects range from focused laboratory trials and formulation work to complete product-development programmes involving process design, packaging, shelf life and industrial scale-up.

Our publicly presented track record includes work associated with companies and brands such as KIND, Olivia, Sunfrost, Dorot, InnovoPro, Ripples, Upland Snacks, Mama Oaf, Meir Beigel and Zieta. Representative projects have included snack and bar development, ingredient applications, frozen and fresh products, sauces, processing technologies and shelf-life solutions. See more examples.

• New food product development.
• Food technology and process development.
• Rapid formulation and benchtop prototyping.
• Packaging and shelf-life support.
• Pilot and industrial scale-up support.
• Thermal-processing studies.
• Laboratory and analytical work.
• Guided access to selected facilities and equipment.
• Professional education through Foodlab Academy.

Foodlab is also developing physics-based food-process simulation capabilities that support process understanding, experimental planning and scale-up.

A development project normally starts with a clear written brief: product concept, target consumer, nutritional objectives, intended market, target price, raw materials, regulatory constraints, processing requirements, packaging and expected shelf life.

Foodlab then develops and evaluates benchtop prototypes, records relevant process and product parameters, and reviews the results with the client. The formulation and process are refined through structured iterations.

When the laboratory result meets the agreed objectives, Foodlab supports transfer to pilot or industrial production. The client receives a product file with all the data required for industrial scale-up: raw-material specifications, process parameters, production instructions, trial support, packaging recommendations and shelf-life work. The full process.

A useful brief includes: the proposed product and consumer use; the intended country or market; target nutritional values and claims; ingredient restrictions and allergen requirements; target price and pack size; required storage conditions and shelf life; available manufacturing equipment; estimated production volume; reference products or desired sensory characteristics; and any existing formulas, trials or technical data. Foodlab can help convert an early idea into a structured brief when some of this is not yet available.

Development time depends on the complexity of the product, availability of raw materials, number of prototypes, processing technology, regulatory requirements, packaging and the shelf-life evidence required. An initial benchtop prototype may often be developed within several weeks, but a commercially ready product usually requires additional formulation, process, packaging, scale-up and shelf-life work. Foodlab defines the expected project stages and indicative schedule in the proposal.

Yes. Foodlab helps convert laboratory formulations and processes into practical production instructions for pilot and industrial equipment. Our development work has scale-up in mind from the first step.

Scale-up may include identification of critical process parameters; selection of suitable industrial equipment; adjustment of mixing, heating, cooling or residence times; evaluation of shear, heat transfer, mass transfer and product geometry; definition of process sequence and operating limits; production-trial planning; on-site support during industrial trials; review of changes in texture, yield, stability and shelf life after scale-up; and scale-up simulations.

The objective is not simply to reproduce the laboratory recipe at a larger weight. It is to preserve the relevant product properties while adapting the process to industrial equipment and operating conditions.

Yes, with clients in Israel and international markets. Over the years Foodlab created a methodology that supports new product development with remote teams: technical team meetings, exchange of samples and raw materials, documented laboratory trials, video review of prototypes and support for production trials at the client's or manufacturer's facility.

The cost depends on the project scope, product complexity, number of prototypes, technologies involved, required analytical work, packaging and shelf-life studies, and the level of pilot or industrial scale-up support. Foodlab first reviews the brief and then proposes a project structure, work plan, schedule and budget. Contact us to discuss the project and receive a proposal.

Yes. Foodlab treats client formulations, processes, commercial plans and development results as confidential. Where required, Foodlab enters into an appropriate non-disclosure agreement before detailed technical or commercial information is exchanged. The client owns the IP produced during the development process.

The client owns all formulations, process information, test results and intellectual property.

Contact us by email or telephone with a short description of the product, technology or problem. A typical first step is an introductory discussion covering the product or technical challenge, the intended market, the required development stage, available information and previous work, and the expected schedule. Foodlab then requests a written brief and prepares a proposal covering scope, deliverables, schedule and budget.

Email: office@foodlab.co.il · Telephone: +972-50-397-0305

The application laboratory includes equipment covering a wide range of food-industry unit operations at benchtop and development scale: milling and particle-size reduction; mixing and high-pressure homogenization; air, vacuum, spray and freeze drying; pasteurization, UHT development work and sterilization studies; fermentation; single-screw extrusion; separation and centrifugation; vacuum processing; cooling, freezing and blast freezing; chocolate and confectionery processing; ice-cream processing; coating, baking and frying; vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging; can and container sealing; texture and physical-property analysis.

The exact equipment and permitted mode of use depend on the product, process, safety requirements and availability. The full list.

Foodlab provides access to the laboratory and analytical equipment for approved development projects. Our team provides training on the equipment and requires the work to be done according to our SOPs and safety rules.

Foodlab offers flexible laboratory-access arrangements for food-development work in its lab in Yakum. The appropriate arrangement depends on the duration of the project, equipment required, level of technical support and whether the work is performed by Foodlab staff, jointly with the client or by trained client personnel under supervision. Foodlab supports engagements ranging from a focused laboratory trial to a longer development programme. About the Innovation Hub.

Yes. Foodlab provides both technical product-development services and access to an equipped food application laboratory. Foodlab can develop the product for the client, work jointly with the client's technical team, conduct focused process or analytical trials, support a startup through a defined development stage, and help transfer the resulting formulation and process to pilot or industrial production. The most appropriate engagement depends on the maturity of the concept and the technical work already completed.

Foodlab has freeze-drying capability for formulation, product-development and process-development trials at its laboratory in Yakum. Depending on the project and Foodlab's equipment-access policy, the trial may be carried out by Foodlab staff, jointly with the client or through supervised use by trained personnel. Development-scale results support scale-up planning, using Foodlab's experience and freeze-drying simulation.

Foodlab offers freeze-drying services that support new product development and prototyping on a small scale.

Foodlab's benchtop laboratory is designed for small-scale development trials that represent food-industry unit operations. Depending on the project, Foodlab can conduct pasteurization trials with product-temperature measurement, extrusion trials using development-scale equipment, and fermentation trials using controlled incubation and bioreactor equipment. Foodlab records relevant process variables and product responses so the results can be used for formulation decisions, process development and scale-up planning.

Foodlab conducts development-scale thermal-process studies using temperature probes and process calculations: heating and cooling profiles, cold-point evaluation, pasteurization-value and sterilization-value calculations, comparison of process conditions, assessment of process uniformity, evaluation of product-quality effects, and support for scale-up and industrial trial planning.

These studies support process design and subsequent industrial validation. The legal or regulatory validation of a commercial scheduled process may require additional industrial data, microbiological evidence or approval by an appropriately qualified process authority. More on pasteurization and sterilization.

Yes. Foodlab develops fermentation processes for foods, ingredients and food-related microorganisms. The fermentation facilities include controlled incubation equipment and a development-scale bioreactor. More on fermentation.

Yes. Foodlab helps identify the mechanisms that limit a product's shelf life and select formulation, process and packaging solutions that address them: water-activity measurement, moisture migration, lipid oxidation, texture change, colour or flavour deterioration, microbial risk, package barrier requirements, headspace-gas composition, vacuum or modified-atmosphere packaging, shelf-life simulation, seal integrity, and accelerated and real-time storage studies. The Whole Package.

pH; water activity; soluble solids (Brix); dry-matter content; viscosity; Bostwick consistency; colour and spectrophotometric measurements; optical microscopy with image capture; centrifugation and physical-stability assessment; instrumental texture analysis. Foodlab also works with external laboratories when accredited chemical, microbiological, nutritional or regulatory testing is required.

Crunchiness and crispness can be evaluated objectively using a texture analyser, but the correct method depends on the product. Foodlab selects a compression, puncture, three-point bending, shear or bulk-fracture test and measures initial fracture force, number of fracture events, size of force drops, work to break, hardness, structural recovery and acoustic response where relevant. A biscuit, extruded snack, coated nut and protein bar will not necessarily require the same test. Instrumental measurement allows formulations, processes, batches and storage samples to be compared more objectively. More on texture analysis.

Shelf-life failure normally results from one or more identifiable physical, chemical, microbiological or packaging mechanisms: moisture uptake or loss; migration of moisture between components; lipid oxidation and rancidity; aroma or flavour loss; colour degradation; microbial growth; emulsion breakdown; syneresis; protein aggregation; loss of crispness; hardening or softening; package-barrier failure; seal leakage; exposure to oxygen or light. Foodlab first identifies the dominant failure mechanism and the conditions that accelerate it, then evaluates changes to formulation, processing, storage and packaging.

An investigation begins by defining the intended shelf life, storage temperature, distribution conditions, packaging format, product quality at the start of storage, the specific defect observed, and the point at which the product becomes unacceptable. The first step is a shelf-life simulation that gives a clear picture of the processes at play. Foodlab then selects measurements and storage conditions, runs shelf-life studies including accelerated ones, and establishes the cause of deterioration and a recommended way to address it.

An accelerated study exposes a product to carefully selected stress conditions to increase the rate of a defined deterioration mechanism: elevated temperature, controlled relative humidity, increased oxygen exposure, light exposure, temperature cycling, or packaging with a selected barrier level. Foodlab selects the study conditions, measurements, sampling intervals and failure endpoints according to the expected mechanism. Where the mechanism and data support it, kinetic modelling estimates behaviour under normal storage. Accelerated testing complements rather than automatically replaces real-time testing.

Foodlab designs and manages a shelf-life study that establishes how product quality and safety change under defined storage conditions, combining real-time storage, accelerated storage, instrumental analysis, sensory assessment, packaging evaluation, microbiological testing through an appropriate laboratory, and modelling. A reliable conclusion requires product-specific evidence rather than a general estimate based on the product category.

It depends on what is causing the deterioration: oxygen-sensitive products may need low oxygen-transmission packaging; moisture-sensitive products need a low WVTR; light-sensitive products need opaque or UV-protective materials; respiring fresh products need controlled gas transfer; fragile products need mechanical protection; MAP products need suitable gas barriers and reliable seals. Foodlab evaluates the product, storage conditions, package dimensions, headspace and failure mechanism before recommending. We have particular experience with vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging, including fresh-cut.

Foodlab develops physics-based and numerical simulations to help explain and predict selected food processes before committing to extensive production trials or equipment investment: heating and cooling, pasteurization and sterilization, drying and moisture transfer, freezing and thawing, lipid oxidation, fermentation kinetics, shelf-life behaviour, mixing or residence-time effects, and scale-up sensitivity. Simulation does not remove the need for trials; its value is in improving understanding, narrowing the experimental range and reducing avoidable trial-and-error. More on simulations.

Yes. Simulation helps identify how changes in equipment size, geometry, heat transfer, mixing, residence time and operating conditions may affect a product during scale-up. Together with lab measurements and pilot trials it is used to identify critical variables, evaluate process limits, compare operating conditions, plan measurements for a production trial, and explain why a lab process behaves differently on industrial equipment. A model should be calibrated against data before it is used for quantitative decisions.

Shelf-life and oxidation models are used to compare scenarios, identify sensitive variables and improve the design of storage studies. Reliable quantitative predictions require product-specific kinetic data and confirmation against storage results. Foodlab uses modelling as a decision-support and experimental-design tool, not as a substitute for product evidence.

A successful protein bar or snack requires formulation, processing, sensory quality, nutrition, packaging and shelf life to be developed together. Foodlab develops bars and snacks from concept and benchtop formulation through process development, shelf-life work and preparation for scale-up. A change in protein, binder or moisture affects texture, processability and shelf life, so these factors should not be optimized independently.

Ready-to-eat development must combine sensory quality with an appropriate food-safety and shelf-life strategy. Control may rely on one or more hurdles: thermal processing, pH, water activity, refrigeration, hygienic processing, preservatives, fermentation, vacuum or modified-atmosphere packaging, post-pack treatment, and defined storage and distribution controls. Not every RTE product requires UHT or sterilization; the appropriate control system depends on the product, storage conditions, target microorganisms and regulation.

The technical challenges depend on the product: emulsion formation and stability, suspension of particles, viscosity and flow, mouthfeel, spreadability, syneresis, pH and acidification, thermal processing, microbiological stability, colour and flavour retention, filling temperature and package compatibility. Foodlab develops sauces, spreads and condiments from concept through laboratory trials and process development to preparation for scale-up. The approach differs between an oil-in-water emulsion, a particulate sauce, a refrigerated dip, an acidified condiment and an ambient-stable spread.

Yes. Foodlab has experience in fresh-cut products and modified-atmosphere packaging: raw-material preparation, washing and sanitation, respiration and gas-balance considerations, package-film selection, headspace-gas composition, temperature control, water management, browning, texture retention, microbiological risk and shelf-life testing. The package atmosphere must be matched to the product's respiration, temperature and food-safety requirements. MAP is not a replacement for hygienic processing or appropriate refrigeration.

The Innovation Hub provides food companies, startups and entrepreneurs with access to development facilities, technical support and an environment in which products and technologies can be tested. Hosted teams may use laboratory equipment, analytical equipment, workstations, meeting facilities and Foodlab's professional support, for a focused development stage or a longer project. More about the Hub.

Foodlab can host selected startups during an active product or technology development stage: access to relevant laboratory facilities, technical support, workstations and meeting facilities, interaction with other food professionals and companies, and a practical environment for iterative development. The scope, duration, equipment access, storage, confidentiality and commercial terms are agreed for each engagement.

Foodlab Academy provides practical professional education for food technologists, food engineers and other food-industry professionals. Courses combine scientific and process theory with hands-on laboratory work in small groups. The inaugural programme focused on industrial chocolate production: raw materials, chocolate physics and chemistry, ball-mill processing, tempering and enrobing. New courses and registration information are published on the Academy page. Courses are taught in Hebrew.