Style: APA 6th Edition

Thesis Proposal

Team Milk
Thomas Blackmon, Jonathan Chang, Amy Cheng, Tiffany Jen, Hannah Kravis, Raishay Lin,
Michael Lu, Erin Ong, Tanya Pakzad, Nima Sarfaraz, Yvonne Shiau, and Jacklyn Wong
Mentor: Dr. Nam Sun Wang

Spring 2011

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 Abstract:

Ambiguous expiration dates on milk cartons can mislead consumers into disposing

unspoiled milk or becoming sick from drinking spoiled milk. To protect consumers from these

risks, Team Milk will attempt to develop a more accurate method of detecting milk spoilage. The

lab team will determine the acidity at which milk spoils, cross-referenced with Pseudomonas

spp. bacteria levels, and will construct a prototype of a pH sensitive carton. At the same time,

the business team will conduct surveys and market research to determine the general

demographics of the optimal target market. Our project ultimately aims to design a prototype for

a pH-sensitive milk spoilage detector as well as contribute to current related research.

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Section 1-Introduction:

Research Problem and Concerns

“Sell by” and “best if used by” dates are meant to provide an estimate of milk shelf life.

Unfortunately, this is an inaccurate system. Studies demonstrate that discrepancies between

estimated and actual spoilage dates can differ by as much as a week when milk is kept at optimal

conditions and by an even greater time span when kept in suboptimal conditions (U.S.

Department of Agriculture, 2007). This inconsistency may then result in food poisoning if the

milk has spoiled before its expiration date or premature disposal if the milk has not spoiled by its

expiration date. In the U.S., more than 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur each year,

resulting in 32,500 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths (U.S. Food and Drug Administration,

2008). Meanwhile, in 1995, retailers lost more than 96 billion pounds of edible food with 18.1%

of that being fluid milk. This approximates to 17.4 billion pounds of milk wasted because

consumers assumed it was spoiled (Kantor, Lipton, Manchester, Oliveira, 1997).

Inaccurate spoilage dates are an issue on both environmental and economic levels. Food

waste negatively impacts the environment because the decomposition of food and other organic

waste in landfills (under anaerobic conditions) produces more than 20 percent of all methane

emissions. Methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas (U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

On an individual level, food waste causes households to spend more money than

necessary. The USDA and the EPA have started launching nation-wide projects such as ‘Waste

Not, Want Not: Feeding the Hungry and Reducing Solid Waste through Food Recovery’ to

recover and recycle food waste (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). Although these

programs are not directed specifically toward it, milk is an enormous contributor to the waste

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problem. Based on the amount of fluid milk wasted each year that was mentioned earlier,

households collectively waste over $53.2 billion on milk every year at the current price of $3.06

per gallon (American Farm Bureau).

Our Project

Team Milk plans to alleviate these problems by creating a product that will accurately

detect milk spoilage. This study proposes to create a product that will indicate spoilage in a

manner that is easy to locate and identify, and be marketable enough for consumers to be willing

to purchase it in order to prevent unnecessary wastage and potential illness. We have two basic

research questions to approach these problems: To what degree of accuracy can an integrated pH

sensor effectively indicate the spoilage of milk? What is the consumer demand for a product

designed to detect milk spoilage and how can we develop a business plan to fulfill said consumer

demand?

The null hypothesis for the first part of our question is that an integrated pH sensor will

not accurately detect the spoilage of milk in a given sample. In response to the latter question,

we hypothesize that there will be a significant level of demand for a carton that detects milk

spoilage and through analysis of this demand we will be able to develop a business plan targeted

to a specific market segment. Our proposal is structured in two distinct sections, the first section

detailing the lab group’s work and the second focusing on the business group’s work. In each

section, we will discuss related studies and then describe our own plans to conduct lab

experiments and surveys.

Section 2-Literature Review:

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 In designing a consumer-friendly product that will accurately detect and indicate milk

spoilage, we must first investigate the characteristics of milk spoilage (i.e. the actual definition of

spoilage). Then, using what we know about the traits of spoiled milk, we will deliberate over the

possible methods of detecting the spoilage before choosing the optimum method to create our

product. During the design process, we will minimize the cost of the product in order to

maximize consumer interest.

Milk and Bacteria

In order to establish a definition for milk spoilage, we must first understand the cause of

the spoilage, and take into consideration pH and bacteria factors. To determine the composition

of spoiled milk, Fromm and Boor (2004) conducted a research study in order to discover the

external and internal conditions of pasteurized fluid milk (2% HTST milk) during its shelf life.

They concluded that the processing plants where milk is produced have drastic effects on the

eventual quality of the milk. They discovered that free fatty acid levels, which contribute to the

sour taste of spoiled milk, increased during shelf life while casein levels dropped (Fromm and

Boor, 2004). Lactic acid buildup contributes the most to the rise of fatty acid levels in milk.

Establishing lactic acid levels and its corresponding pH is crucial when using pH as a

sensor to detect milk spoilage. Ostlie, Helland, and Narvhus (2003) conducted a study to analyze

the amount of metabolic products produced by five specific probiotic strains in ultra-high

temperature (UHT) treated milk. They discovered that the pH of the UHT milk decreased from

6.7 initially to 3.9 - 4.4 after 24 hours of incubation. This decrease in pH was due to the lactic

acid produced as a byproduct of the bacteria. For this reason, we will establish a correlation

between pH and bacterial count.

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 Ideally, our milk spoilage detector should be effective for as wide a range of milks as

possible. Deeth, Khusniati, Datta, and Wallace (2002) confirmed that all bacteria isolated from

both skim and whole milk during spoilage were strains of Pseudomonas species and grew at

similar rates; however, their enzymatic analysis showed that the bacteria displayed different

metabolic behaviors in the different types of milk. Thus, the different spoilage patterns of skim

and whole milk are not due to bacterial growth rates, but rather the acidity that arises from by-

products of lipid and protein breakdown. Thus, a study that correlated Pseudomonas aeruginosa

counts with lowest percentage of fat and protein content in milk supports the conclusion that

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with milk spoilage (Yagoub, Bellow, El Zubeir, 2008).

Other species of Pseudomonas have also been linked to spoilage patterns (Deeth et. Al., 2002).

We therefore plan to focus specifically on the growth of Psuedomonas aeruginosa and similar

strains in our own milk samples using Irgasan®, a chemical that will select for these bacteria

(Pseudomonas Isolation Agar, 2008).

Detecting Spoiled Milk

After establishing an understanding of the spoiled milk and its properties, we must then

identify a system for detecting spoilage in milk. In order to best appeal to our projected

demographic, this proposed system must be accurate, consumer-friendly, and cost-efficient.

Many possible methods of detecting spoilage have already been considered. Magan,

Pavlou, and Chrysanthakis (2008) sought to use an electronic nose system to find the relationship

between bacterial concentration and the sensitivity of detection of spoilage in milk. However,

this method was concluded as ineffectual because of the electronic nose system’s limited

sensitivity.

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 Established already as a competent method for detecting spoilage in animal products such

as chicken meat, short length near infrared (SW-NIR) spectroscopy was hypothesized by Al-

Qadiri et al. (2008) as an equally effective, noninvasive technique for retail and industries to use

in monitoring milk spoilage. Though research results were positive and confirmed the

hypothesis, we concluded that spectroscopy was too expensive and difficult to incorporate into a

marketable product.

Past research involving the detection of spoiled milk concentrated heavily on the use of a

variety of inexpensive sensors. An amperometric sensor was found to be affordable and

effective in detecting E. coli and Ent. aerogenes bacterial growth in spoiled milk, but it was

unable to detect a response to other bacteria, limiting its overall potency for the purposes of our

experiment (Lee, Wu, Hsu, Liang, 2009). Disposable, low-cost magnetoelastic sensor strips are

made to account for only one type of bacterium in milk, Staphylococcus aureus, which presents a

similar problem (Huang et al., 2008). Meanwhile, disposable and low-cost taste sensors were

investigated by Sim et al. (2003) as a method for testing milk quality. Though results proved

successful, taste sensors as a concept are unwieldy and difficult to integrate into a mass

marketable product like the one that we envision.

Another possible method is gas-sensor array technology, which Haugen et al. (2006)

applied to monitor the growth of disinfectant-resistant spoilage bacteria in milk. Even though

sensor signals correlated with cell counts and were able to predict shelf life, there was an

experimental error margin of 5%, which falls short of our accuracy standards (Haugen, Knut,

Langsrud, Bredhold, 2006).

Wallach (2002) filed a patent for a device that used a pH indicator to determine food

freshness and detect microbial spoilage in food products. His main focus was to create a product

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that would be inexpensive, simple, and accurate, all of which are characteristics of the product

we want to design. Wallach tested for the most effective indicator and the most effective

“wrapping” that would envelop the pH indicator. He determined that bromocresol purple

appeared to be the most effective indicator and cigarette wrapping paper or white tissue paper

were preferable because they were thinner and the color change occurred on both sides almost

immediately (Wallach, 2002).

In conclusion, because an optimal pH indicator is consumer-friendly, cost-efficient, and

accurate in the detection of milk spoilage, it is this method that we will use as a foundation for

the creation of our milk detection product. The means of encapsulating the pH detector can be

revised from a patent filed by Lee, Kwan, Kien-wan, and Kan-nan (1998), in which they

invented a method to coat a pH indicator onto a plastic material. The main advantage of their

method is that it disallows the indicator solution from being washed off of the surface of the

plastic.

Creating the Milk Spoilage Detector

Based on the previous two sections, we narrowed our results down to using pH as the

primary method of detecting and indicating milk spoilage. However, the means to do so still need

to be ascertained and other extraneous factors, such as environmental-friendliness, should be

taken into account as well.

An environmentally friendly commodity would be an added advantage, as we seek to

consider all angles at which we can target potential consumers. We are still deciding whether to

enter the “green technology” market, however, as Chen (2001) warns that a company should

market its product through either an entirely green or entirely functional angle; attempts to

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reconcile both angles are cost-ineffective. We will take his advice into consideration when

deciding whether to design our final prototype to maximize its environmentally-friendly features

or to maximize its efficiency. Using a modified combination of these methods, we should be

able to integrate a pH indicator into a plastic material that would be able to accurately detect and

indicate milk spoilage.

Consumer Interest

Previous research indicates that a potential target market for our product consists of

younger, health conscious shoppers with higher levels of income. Our product must meet that

market's criteria to be successful. Lopez and Lopez (2009) conducted a market study and found

that those with higher incomes prefer the more expensive specialty milks, especially organic,

lactose-free, and low fat milks. Families with younger children tend to buy milk with higher fat

content and the general public preferred manufacturing brand, conventional milks. Furthermore,

Tsiros and Heilman’s study (2005) found that willingness to pay is less among younger

consumers and consumers with lower incomes. This allows us to specify and coordinate our

target market, which will most likely consist of consumers at high-end grocery stores. In

addition, Dimitri and Venezia (2007) indicate that those more likely to spend extra on organic

and specialty milks have an income of $70,000 or more, a college degree, and are generally

younger than 54. The study also indicates the consumer interest and specialty milks between

demographics and size of household. This established research indicates a potential target market

and helps us determine which segment of the population will most likely be interested in our

product.

The level of demand for our product must also be determined. Sen and Block (2009)

examined the role of ownership in customers’ willingness to consume products past their

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freshness date, finding that consumers add more value to their food when they own the product

and thus are more willing to consume it past the expiration date for monetary reasons and waste

minimization. Another study found that the willingness to pay for a product diminishes as the

shelf life of a product increases; therefore, discounting prices to give consumers an incentive to

buy milk closer to its expiration date may be an effective way to decrease wastage of milk

(Tsiros & Heilman, 2005). Our project seeks to eliminate the ambiguity surrounding the

expiration date and the risk of consuming spoiled food. Furthermore, another study was

conducted to see how consumers interpreted health claims and the effects they had on purchasing

behavior (Williams, 2005). He found that consumers generally feel that health claims are useful

and that they are more likely to purchase products with them. The health claim that consumption

of spoiled milk increases consumer exposure to dangerous bacteria is an important marketing

tool for our product.

Contribution to the Research Field

Upon surveying the literature, it is evident that there is a clear void of information in the

field of milk spoilage definitions and detection products. The research in our preliminary study,

in the creation of our product, and in the creation of our market strategy should serve to fill this

gap and add new insights in respect to this field of research.

Section 3-Methodology:

Research Design

Our mixed methods research design collects both qualitative and quantitative data

through survey and lab research. We divided our team into two sub-groups, a lab group and a

business group. The lab group will collect quantitative data by experimentally testing the

product to ensure effective milk spoilage detection. The business group will collect both

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quantitative and qualitative data by conducting surveys and market research. Product design is

applied research, as we will be providing an effective solution to consumers who are worried

about milk spoilage. In order to maximize efficiency and increase participation, the two groups

will conduct research simultaneously. This team structure allows close collaboration between

the two groups, eliminating the issue of being excessively dependent on one group and not the

other. Please refer to Appendix A for a more detailed sketch of the two subgroups' timeline.

Lab Group Section

Based on our preliminary literature review and knowledge about existing pH detection

and indication methods, we plan to develop a color-changing carton using pH-sensitive plastic.

This idea is based on a study conducted by Ferreira and Girotto (2009), in which they were able

to develop a film that was sensitive to a pH range from 1.5 to 11. The study concluded that the

preparation of this film is simple, reproducible, and inexpensive, all of which are crucial to the

successful development of our own project (Ferreira, Girotto, 2009). Throughout the lab

procedure, please see Appendix D for definitions of technical terms.

Phase 1: Preliminary Tests

Phase 1 will aim to define "spoilage" and gauge the universality of our future results.

Research will be conducted using milk samples with three different milk fat contents—whole,

2%, and skim— to verify the generalizability of our product. If the fat content is shown not to

impact pH, then we can conclude that our product can be used for any type of milk. If fat is

shown to impact pH, then the design will be modified accordingly. We will use incubators set at

25°C and 37°C, a refrigerator set at 4°C, and an electronic pH probe to conduct the research.

In order to test our product, we must first establish a definition of "spoilage" during

preliminary testing. A lower pH indicates spoilage in milk due to lactic acid produced by

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bacteria that break down nutrients. Based on our literature review, we believe that this spoilage

pH is between 3.9 and 4.4 (Ostlie, Helland, Narvhus, 2003). To narrow and confirm this range,

we will conduct our own experiments and collect data on five sample types: sterilized milk,

sterilized milk inoculated with bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) stored at refrigerated

temperature (4°C), sterilized milk inoculated with bacteria stored at incubated temperature

(25°C), off-the-shelf milk stored at refrigerated temperature (4°C), and off-the-shelf milk stored

at incubated temperature (25°C). Items 1 – 3 (the sterilized milk, sterilized milk inoculated with

bacteria at 4°C, and sterilized milk inoculated with bacteria at 25°C) will act as controls.

Sterilizing and inoculating the milk ourselves minimizes the chance of pH change being caused

by components in the milk other than psychrotrophs. We will always use the same brand of milk

bought from the same grocery store in College Park. We will record the expiration date listed on

the milk carton. When we analyze our data, we will be aware of these expiration dates as the

milk producers’ claims of freshness levels. Milk samples will only be compared to other samples

with identical time left until their expiration date.

Each sample will be split into 15 partitions of 20mL. The refrigerated samples will be

tested daily (t = 24 hr.) for 3 weeks, while the incubated samples will be tested every hour (t = 1

hr.) for 2 days in shifts using a calibrated pH electrode. Samples will also be tested per time

interval for bacterial count. In order to determine bacterial count, we will plate 100uL of the milk

onto Trypticase Soy Agar plates and place them in 37°C incubators overnight. We will then

count the number of colonies growing and calculate the number of bacteria at that time. The

formula to calculate the CFU/mL is (number of colonies growing on a plate) x (dilution factor)/

(milliliters plates). The literature definition of the bacteria level at which milk spoils is 20,000

SPC/mL (Murphy, n.d.). We expect that bacterium levels will correspond with pH levels.

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Therefore, by monitoring both pH and bacterium level and then noting when the bacterium level

reaches 20,000 SPC/m, we will determine the pH at which milk spoils.

Phase 2: Prototype Design

This phase will use a pH-indicating compound, in addition to the same equipment used in

Phase 1. After analyzing the data obtained from Phase 1, we will choose an FDA-approved pH

sensitive compound that is able to show efficacy at our determined pH range. Since we are

developing a food packaging product that will come in direct contact with food, it is important

that our chosen compound is FDA-approved and food-safe.

We will test the chosen pH-sensitive compound with milk samples (five 20-mL samples

per compound) under the same conditions listed in Phase 1 of the design. We will also record the

color of the compound in the milk with our other data collection. If this compound exhibits a

visibly discrete range of colors, we will continue to Phase 3. Currently, we are investigating the

potential of the pH-sensitive compound bromophenol blue, which turns yellow at a pH of about

3.0 and purple at a pH of about 4.6 (Ferreira, Girotto, 2009). If bromophenol blue does not suit

our needs, we will repeat phase 2 with a different compound. We will choose the pH sensitive

dye based on the level at which the compound begins to change color. We will also conduct

statistical analysis on the results of our research in order to test for variance of data using a T-

test. Ideally, the analysis will show that the same color changes occur at the same bacteria and

pH levels across results from multiple trials.

Phase 3: Product Testing

Following the completion of Phase 2, the chosen compound will be integrated into a

plastic. The type of plastic will be selected based on literature review and should exhibit the

following properties: molding ease, consistency at common temperatures (which will range from

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0°C to about 50°C), reactivity after molding, capabilities of combining with a pH sensitive dye,

and material costs. This thermoplastic will be melted into liquid form, doped with the pH-

sensitive dye chosen in Phase 2 and then formed into a predetermined size and shape through

molding. The sensor will then be incorporated into the milk packaging at the most advantageous

position in regards to accurate detection as well as visibility, most likely near the bottom of a

milk carton. Finally, samples of the milk listed in Phase 1 of the design will be tested to show

that the sensors are indeed accurate. Multiple trials will have to be conducted and their results

compared through analysis with testing, which allows us to compare the means of the time

periods for the different conditions under which milk is placed. Other correlation tests may be

conducted to verify the accuracy of the product.

Ultimately, we anticipate a positive correlation between pH and bacterial count. We hope

that our pH indicator will remain sensitive enough, even in melted plastic, to detect pH changes

as the milk sours. We realize that confounding variables may influence our results throughout

the lab procedure; one major confounding variable is the presence of other bacteria in our milk

samples that may cause spoilage without lactic acid production and so will not affect pH.

Because our detector relies on pH change, spoilage caused by these bacteria will not be

accounted for. We will try to eliminate this confounding variable by having control groups with

sterilized milk. In Phase 1, we also made the assumption that spoilage will be accompanied by

pH change, but we acknowledge that spoilage may occur without causing pH change. Our goal is

to have a viable product at the end of phase three with significant data to support our hypothesis.

Alternative Strategies

Even though we have outlined our project, we understand that not everything will go as

planned. If we are unable to find a direct correlation between bacterial concentration and pH

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levels, we will use an alternative method to measure spoilage related to bacterial concentration.

Another option is to make our product measure the bacterial count. If we are unable to find an

FDA-approved pH indicator, we will research naturally occurring indicators that are found in

foods, such as red cabbage juice (Chigurupati et al, 2002). If red cabbage juice fails as an

alternative indicator, we may follow our original plan of using bromophenol blue. Because our

product must come in direct contact with milk, however, we must consider the process of

acquiring FDA approval for bromophenol blue as a food additive.

Business Group Section

While the lab group conducts the preliminary tests, the business group will further split

into two sub-groups 1) to design and submit a survey draft to the Institutional Review Board

(IRB) for approval, and 2) apply for both research and business grants. For the sake of

efficiency, the business sub-groups will work concurrently. Both the survey and grant groups

will also research and prepare material for business competitions.

Phase 1: Writing the Survey

Our survey aims to identify a market segment and gauge consumer interest in a

household milk spoilage detector. We have based our survey on samples of market research

(Texas Commission for the Arts, 2000; Fowler, 2009). Our survey can be seen in Appendix C.

For our consumer interest questions we have used bipolar questions (yes/no questions). We chose

this kind of question format to ensure simplicity and clarity in the survey. Furthermore, this will

provide easily quantifiable results. Our market segmentation questions have used a combination

of closed ended questions, namely bipolar, ratio, and ordinal questions. The survey has been

limited to 7 questions in order to make our survey as user-friendly as possible.

Phase 2: Obtaining IRB Approval

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 The Social and Behavioral IRB 02 application will be completed by mid-spring semester

of sophomore year. According to the Human Subject Design Chart on the IRB website our

research will qualify for Exemption 45 CFR 46.101 (Office for Human Research Protections,

2005). At the time of this writing, our survey qualifies for the minimal risk track, and we hope to

receive IRB approval within eight weeks so that we can begin conducting our survey during the

summer before our junior year.

Phase 3: Conducting the Survey

We will conduct our survey at three grocery stores in the Washington, DC metropolitan

area that represent a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds to approximate the milk market

demographic. We chose these locations based on population, housing, and economic data from

American FactFinder, a service of the U.S. census bureau. American FactFinder organizes census

data by zip code, allowing us to input the zip codes of our chosen grocery stores to find

approximate demographic information for areas surrounding the stores. The chosen stores are the

Whole Foods store in Bethesda, MD for a sample of higher-income consumers, the Shoppers

store in College Park, MD for a sample of lower-income consumers, and the Giant Foods store in

Rockville, MD for a mix of several demographics (Factfinder.census.gov).

As soon as we obtain IRB approval, we will contact the managers of our chosen stores

and request permission to conduct surveys. In order to best sample the population, surveys will

be conducted at the front of each store location on four separate days at different times of day.

Surveys will be conducted simultaneously at each of our chosen locations in order to control the

variables of time and date. Our goal is to obtain 150 subjects at each location each time we

conduct the survey. All team members will participate in conducting the survey.

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 We will also prepare a script to standardize distribution of the survey and minimize

surveyor behavior as a confounding variable and systematic error. The script will describe details

such as how the surveyor will ask for permission to complete the survey, where the surveyor will

stand, what the surveyor will do, and how the surveyor will answer any questions the subject

may have. For example, each team member may be instructed to say, "Hi, my name is _____

and I am a student at the University of Maryland conducting a research project. Would you be

willing to complete this brief survey?” We must act friendly enough to receive a high response

rate, but also conscientiously avoid moderator acceptance bias (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990).

These precautions will hopefully strengthen the validity of our results.

Phase 4: Analyzing the Survey

Our hypothesis for the survey is, “There will be a significant consumer demand for our

product from the younger, health conscious, higher income market segment.” In order to reject

or accept our hypothesis, we will use statistical tests to analyze our data. We hope to find

statistically significant correlations between the answers to our market segmentation and

consumer interest questions so that we can successfully identify a target market for our product.

As previously mentioned in Phase 1, all of our data will be quantifiable. During the data

analysis phase, we will measure correlation between responses to different questions. For

example, we will measure the correlation between health consciousness and interest in our

product. To measure the relationship between these two variables, we will use the Pearson

Product-Moment Correlation with a correlation coefficient, where a correlation of -1.00 is a

perfect negative relationship, a correlation of 1.00 is a perfect positive correlation, and a

correlation of 0 means there is no relationship between the variables (Graziano et al, 2007). To

measure the degree of the linear relationship, we will examine the correlation coefficient of the

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two variables. For this specific correlation test, our null hypothesis would be that there is no

correlation between health consciousness and consumer interest. We will use a significance level

of 0.05 to either reject or fail to reject our null hypothesis. For categorical data such as whether

consumers look at expiration dates or whether consumers would be interested in having accurate

milk spoilage detection incorporated into packaging, we will use the Spearman rank-order

correlation to interpret the correlation between variables (Fowler, 2009).

In order to reduce misinterpretations and influences from the surveyor, it is best to give

out written surveys instead of oral ones. We also realize that, because the extent of random

variation in our selection of respondents will be limited due to time and location, there will be

some sampling error in our data (Brace, 2004).

After analyzing the results of our survey, we anticipate finding data that confirms our

hypothesis, meaning that health conscious consumers will be more likely to buy our product.

Organic food buyers are more likely to have children and a higher level of disposable income

than non-organic food buyers (Davies, Titterington, Clive, 1995). We compared organic foods to

our product because they are luxury food items; like our product, organic foods are non-essential

and expensive, but also provide health and food quality benefits. Because of this, we believe the

consumer profile of organic food buyers will be similar to that of our target market. The results

of the survey will provide our team with a better understanding of consumers’ mindsets and will

also allow our team to identify our target market. These results should also contribute to the

research field by providing information on consumers’ interest levels of food technology

products.

Market Research

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 In addition to conducting surveys, we will conduct market research to construct consumer

profiles. We realize that student-conducted surveys are not the only way to research the

demographics of potential consumers of our product. Thus, we will also find consumer profiling

information in resources at the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, MD as well as online

databases in the Virtual Business Center. Our goal is to construct a profile of a consumer who

will be likely to buy a luxury food technology or high-end dairy product like ours. We hope to

find more sensitive demographic information that subjects may be reluctant to reveal in random

surveys, such as the age and household incomes of potential consumers.

We will also identify industry competitors who make and sell products similar to ours.

We can access the 10-K Annual Reports of publicly traded competitor companies through the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In these reports, we can find sales revenue, sales in

particular geographic locations, number of units sold, and production information for particular

products (Hague 2003, Proctor 2005).

Marketing Strategies

The final analysis of our survey results will enable us to better understand the consumers’

mindsets. We will be able to differentiate our target market from the overall population. The

survey results will indicate whether our product should be marketed as a money-saving product,

an environmentally-friendly product, or a health-conscious product. Depending on the

possibility that the lab sub-team is able to produce a completed product early, we may be able to

conduct a consumer response study. Based on the time constraints, it is unlikely that we will

reach this stage, but we recognize that such a study would be beneficial when creating a

marketing plan.

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 Alternative Strategies

It is possible that the final survey results will indicate that the general public does not

have a great deal of interest in our product. In the event that we find such results, we will have

to develop an alternative strategy to approach marketing our product. We will begin by

approaching various private institutions such as public schools, universities, and government

institutions to gauge their interest levels in our product. Considering that these organizations are

large consumers of milk and have higher health standards than that of the average consumer, it is

very likely that they will have an interest in our product even if the general public does not.

Limitations

Although we realize that the results collected from our surveys will not be representative

of the entire country, we hope that the results can give us an approximate representation of

consumers residing within Maryland. We will stay in areas close to the University of Maryland,

College Park campus for logistical reasons. We are also limited by the number of people who are

willing to take our survey and willing to answer all of the questions on our survey. We realize

that participants may be hesitant to answer all the questions and might skip some. Participants

who are uncomfortable answering specific questions may also lie on our survey. In addition,

there may be moderator acceptance bias because the participants may answer questions based on

what they believe our team wants. This will hopefully be reduced by the use of the surveyor

script. Also, our survey results may reflect social desirability bias if subjects respond that they

drink more milk than they actually do, based on the perception that drinking milk is good for

their health and thus a desirable social behavior (Graziano et al, 2007). Even with these

limitations, our team is confident that we will have enough data to produce statistically

significant results.

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Conclusion:

Food wastage occurs due to inaccurate expiration dates; consumers who are unsure of the

quality of their food often discard food unnecessary. In response to the environmental and

economic problems of food wastage, Team Milk seeks to develop a pH-sensitive spoilage

indicator to be integrated onto milk packaging. Our research project aims to answer the

following questions: To what degree of accuracy can an integrated pH sensor effectively indicate

the spoilage of milk? What is the consumer demand for a product designed to detect milk

spoilage and how can we develop a business plan to fulfill said consumer demand? We hope to

address not only the scientific, but also the business demands of creating a new product that is

both effective and marketable. Our predicted findings would be very important to the field

because they will fill the current gaps in the research in the field with primary research and add

new data for future studies.

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Appendices:

Appendix A. A sketch of how the two subgroups will work concurrently.

Product
Preliminary Creation Product testing
Testing Data analysis (11/31/11- Data
(9/1/11-
(11/4/10- (4/8/11- 4/30/12) Analysis
11/31/11)
4/8/11) 4/29/11) (Senior Year)

Lab
Survey results
Grants Conduct survey analysis
Group /Competitions (summer of 2011) (Senior Year)
(11/4/10-3/4/11) Get IRB
Approval
Business (by
4/2/11) Grants/Competitions

Waiting for
IRB approval
Survey Design
(11/4/10-3/4/11)

*the lengths of the arrows do not necessarily correlate with the length of time spent on a process.

23
Appendix B. A budget of projected expenses.

Item Required Estimated Cost

Milk (x30 gallons) $105
pH Probe and Meter $300
Pseudomonas Bacteria $320
Detection Kit (x4)
Chemicals and Consumables $350
Printing Survey Expenses $50
Travel Expenses for Survey $60
Total $1185
*Some lab equipment and supplies will be provided by our mentor Dr. Wang

24
 Team Milk Survey

I have thrown away milk as soon as the expiration date is reached.

Yes No

I am concerned about food wastage.

Yes No

I am _________ about the health quality of my food.

Not concerned Slightly concerned Concerned Very concerned

I buy this type of milk. Circle all that apply:

Non-organic Milk Organic Milk Soy Milk/Lactose Free Milk Other

I would prefer to purchase a milk carton that changes color to indicate spoilage.
Yes No

Age (in years):

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 Over 64

Gender:
Male Female

25
Appendix D. Glossary of scientific terms.

Amperometric sensor: a detection and quantitative measurement device that recognizes a specific
compound.

CFU/mL: (number of colonies growing on a plate) (dilution factor)/milliliters plated.

pH electrode: a re-usable scientific instrument used to detect pH levels.

Pseudomonas: a common genus of bacterium known to cause food spoilage in dairy products.

SPC/mL: Standard Plate Count per milliliter, a popular method of measurement for the number
of bacteria in milk and dairy products.

Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA): a Petri dish which can be used to support the growth of bacteria.

uL: microliter, a unit of measurement that is 0.000001 liter (1 X 10-6 l).

26
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