Delicacy of South Asia (DOSA)
Kumar Murugan founded Delicacy of South Asia Ltd during the Covid-19 pandemic. He produces and sells refrigerated, ready-to-cook crepe dosa batter for retail in speciality markets in the East Midlands. Kumar approached the FIC to support him in evaluating and extending the shelf-life of his current product, using an Innovation Voucher provided by UKSPF funding. The FIC were also able to support Kumar in developing a new, ready-to-eat product for retail and wholesale customers.
Image credit: DOSA
The partnership with the Food Innovation Centre has been a transformative journey for Delicacy of South Asia Ltd. From evaluating our production process and ensuring food safety through HACCP protocols, to unlocking a confirmed 10-day refrigerated shelf life for our dosa batter, their expertise has directly strengthened our market readiness. Most notably, the development of a new ready-to-eat product has opened exciting commercial avenues for us. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jessica Stinton, Food Innovation Technologist, whose unwavering support, practical insights, and scientific rigor were at the heart of this success. Her contribution has empowered us with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to innovate and grow.
Project brief
- Support Kumar in requesting microbiological testing at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, to establish the actual shelf-life of his product.
- Evaluate the batter production process, to identify opportunities to improve food safety and apply HACCP protocols.
- Develop an initial prototype of a new, ready-to-eat product which maintains its quality over refrigerated shelf-life, and advise Kumar on the production, packaging and labelling of this new product.
The response
- The FIC supported Kumar in contacting Microsearch Laboratories Ltd, and developed a microbiological test plan for him to use when requesting shelf-life testing. They helped Kumar understand the results of the testing, and suggested next steps for the project based on these results.
- The FIC technologist evaluated the batter product using analytical equipment in the University’s Food Processing Facility, and provided Kumar with some suggested process changes based on this work, and from the results of a literature search.
- The FIC technologist developed a prototype of a new, ready-to-eat product, and evaluated the addition of different ingredients to maintain quality over shelf-life, informed by research. Kumar was provided with a comprehensive report, containing the recipe and process for the new product, as well as advice on HACCP planning, packaging and labelling.
Benefit to the business
- The microbiological testing identified a safe shelf-life of 10 days in refrigerated storage, which doubled the existing shelf-life of the product. The recommendations given by the FIC will further improve the safety and efficiency of the batter production process, and assist Kumar in producing HACCP plans for this product. The FIC team connected Kumar with a UKAS-accredited laboratory, enabling Kumar to request microbiological testing for different products in the future.
- Through the development of the new ready-to-eat product, Kumar will have access to a new market, through direct-to-consumer sales and wholesale channels. The outputs of this work will enable Kumar to continue to develop the product, as well as providing guidance on packaging and labelling in accordance with current legislation.
- Throughout the process, the FIC worked closely with Kumar to transfer scientific knowledge around his existing and new products. He now has access to contacts and resources for HACCP planning, packaging and labelling support, and microbiological testing.