PepsiCo Open Innovation
Technology Request
UIDP Member Representative Austin Kozman, PepsiCo shared the following announcement
about the technologies that PepsiCo is seeking.
Austin Kozman, Ph.D., P.E.
R&D Director – Open Innovation & Alliance Management
7701 Legacy Drive | Mailstop: 2T-200 | Plano, TX 75024 USA
Phone: (972) 334-4338 | Cell: (972) 898-5453 | Fax: (972) 334-2329
Email: Austin.Kozman@pepsico.com
The PepsiCo Open Innovation team is the upstream, externally facing, department within
PepsiCo Global R&D. The Open Innovation team is actively scouting for, identifying, and
developing strategic partnerships with external collaborators. The ultimate goal of the Open
Innovation team is to locate key external insights, business models, and technical unlocks
that, when partnered with PepsiCo’s robust internal R&D expertise, will yield disruptive
innovation in our core products and/or new and emerging products/markets. The Open
Innovation team is currently exploring novel technology spaces that can dramatically impact
our portfolio of beverages (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Pure Leaf Tea, etc.), snacks (Lays, Doritos,
Cheetos, etc.), and nutrition (Quaker oats, Naked & Tropicana juice, Muller yogurt, etc.). The
Open Innovation team is interested in all facets of our supply chain and improving global
efficiencies including: crop science, ingredients, processing, packaging, sensors, analytical
equipment, point of sale equipment, distribution/fleet, e-commerce, etc.
Below is a brief list of some current high priority technology requests from each business
category:
Snacks:
1)
New/unique dehydration technologies for food manufacturing (other than baking, frying,
etc.). Dehydration is critical to the PepsiCo’s Snack portfolio. The dehydration method has a
large impact on the final taste, texture, and appearance of the finished snack. PepsiCo is
interested in new methods to dehydrate food that produce novel and differentiated finished
products. The alternative dehydration method could be leveraged from a non-food industry
source.
2)
New food manufacturing processes (e.g. injection molding of food). Cheetos is a great
example of a food manufacturing technique that leverages a core technology from another
industry (plastic extrusion). PepsiCo is looking for other manufacturing technologies and
processes that can be leveraged to run food materials such as starch to create unique and
novel snack foods.
Beverage:
1)
Next generation of plastic packaging – what is the next polyethylene terephthalate
(PET), cheaper, more sustainable, and with better barrier properties? The desire is to reduce
the amount of plastic material used per bottle, but still achieve at least the same performance
without adversely impacting the recycle stream. Materials will have desirable mechanical
properties, crystallinity, strength, and polymer orientation, all while achieving a lower overall
bottle weight. Some materials may have additional desirable properties such as maintaining
carbonation levels, or stability to beverages with low pH values.
2)
Enhancement to package barrier (through process, coating, etc.). The desire is for a
cost effective barrier that can be applied to bottles and cans inexpensively after forming. The
barrier can be applied prior to forming as long as it is robust enough to survive the forming
process and still be uniform in thickness with no imperfections. Solutions that provide for
enhanced barrier through process changes are also of interest.
Nutrition:
1)
Nontraditional binders for granola bars that would improve nutritional and ingredient
statement advantage (e.g. reduced sugar). The goal is also to reduce the amount of binder
required to agglomerate the food particles. Binders with no sweetness are desired because
they have diverse applications into savory snack clusters and bars.
2)
Advances in sterilization/pasteurization technologies including alternative processes for
finished package/bottle. The technology scouting includes sterilization tolerant probiotics and
aseptic filling with particulates (fruit, grains, probiotics, etc.). The ultimate goal is technologies
that can produce sterilization kill rates equivalent to conventional thermal sterilization, but at
room temperatures. Technologies capable of reduced time and/or temperature sterilization
are also of interest. As PepsiCo’s food and beverage portfolio grows, technologies that can
handle multi-phase products (liquid and solids) are becoming more critical.
University Engagement with DTRA
Webinar October 28, 1-2pm ET
1:00-1:10 PM: DTRA Leadership will provide a brief overview of DTRA's mission and R&D
focus
1:10-1:45 PM: "Doing Business with DTRA"
Suggestions and Lessons Learned: An in depth look at different kinds of business
opportunities and how to find them.
Presenters:
Ms. Elizabeth Braxton, DTRA Contracting Supervisory Specialist
Mr. Mark DeGroodt, DTRA Technical Program Manager
1211 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 650
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 640-6592