An Analysis of the Market for Olestra-Based Potato Chips
Who wouldn?t want to munch on delectable potato chips all day without the
worry of adding extra inches to the waistline? This is the assumption the manufacturers
of Olestra-based potato chips are banking on. Olestra is a ?fake-fat?; it is a cooking oil,
made by a combination of sucrose and vegetable oil, whose numerous fatty acid chains
are indigestible by the human body. Therefore, it imbues potato chips with the same
flavor and texture as their full-fat cousins but diminishes the guilt factor substantially.
Olestra chips have zero fat and half the calories of the full-fat varieties (ACSH).
Obviously, this is quite an attractive prospect to chip producers, especially in the current
times where thinness and physical fitness reign supreme. Presently, there appear to be
three major potato chip brands using the fake-fat technology: Frito-Lay?s WOW! Chips,
Procter and Gamble?s Fat Free Pringles, and Utz Brand Yes chips (though Utz is sold
almost exclusively on the eastern half of the country). The market structure is a bit
interesting, considering that the Olestra oil is an innovation of Procter and Gamble alone.
Adding to this interest is the heated controversy surrounding the fake-fat chips, which has
undoubtedly had some effect on pricing and market behavior.
Before examining the market workings of today, it could perhaps be beneficial to
review a brief history of Olestra. Olestra is not a new fat substitute by any means;
Procter and Gamble scientists discovered it in 1968. They esterified eight fatty acid
residues to a molecule of sucrose, reasoning that the increased number of fatty acid
chains would help premature infants to absorb more fat. However, ...
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...98.
http://www.acsh.org/publications/story/olestra
Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?1998 Annual Report.? 1998
http://www.pepsico.com
Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?1999 Annual Report.? 1999
http://www.pepsico.com
Annual Report: Pepsico Corporation. ?2000 Annual Report.? 2000
http://www.pepsico.com
Baumol, William J. and Alan S. Blinder. Economics: Principles and Policy. Fort Worth:
Harcourt. 2001
Center for Science in the Public Interest. ?A Brief History of Olestra.? 2000.
http://www.cspinet.org/olestra/history.html
CNN. ?FDA Panel Generally Endorses Safety of Olestra.? June 17, 1998.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9806/17/olestra.fda
FDA Backgrounder. ?Olestra and Other Fat Substitutes.? November 28, 1995
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/olestra.html
Olean. ?Answers to Questions about Olean.? Procter and Gamble. 1998
http://www.olean.com
Investigate how the Concentration of Sucrose Solution affects the Mass of the Potato Chip Aim To find out how the concentration of sucrose solution affects the mass of the potato chip left in the solution for one day. Water Potential: The water potential of a solution is a measure of whether it is likely to lose or gain water molecules from another solution. A dilute solution, with its high proportion of free water molecules, is said to have higher water potential than a concentrated solution, because water will flow from the dilute to the concentrated solution (from a high potential to a low potential). Pure water has the highest possible water potential because water molecules will flow from pure water to any other aqueous solution, no matter how dilute. Prediction: Osmosis is the passage of water molecules from a weaker solution to a stronger solution, though a partially permeable membrane.
the world. " The Big Three" hold nearly 75% of the market and produce over 8
§ In addition to salty snack products, the company also markets a line of nuts, peanut butter crackers, processed beef sticks, Grandma's brand cookies and snack bars, and assorted other snacks.
potato chips left in a sugar solution for a period of 1 hour. I will
The interesting part of this industry is the fact that there is no company with a dominant market share. Even though some revenue numbers might be higher for some companies, each company has a specialty that it brings to the industry. One of the main costs is manufacturing their products. A major reason the companies are moving manufacturing plants to Asia and South America is to lower manufacturing costs.
The most common theory to the invention of potato chips is that George was working at his restaurant when a customer complained that his french fried potatos were sliced too thick. George was annoyed at the customer thus he decided to annoy the customer back by slicing the potatos too thin to eat with a fork then his sister accidentally dropped it into the fryer. George served it to the customer but didn't get the reaction he was looking for. Instead, the customer was extremely pleased
Experiment to Find the Reaction of Potato Chips in a Salt Solution. Aim: to find a reaction of potato chips in a salt solution. Hypothesis: I predict that the potato will change in mass. The difference will occur in accordance to the difference of concentration of the salt solution each potato chip is submerged in.
Investigating The Effect Of Concentration Of Salt Solution On The Mass Of Potato Chips Aim: The aim of this investigation is to see whether the amount of salt solution affects the mass of the potato chip Hypothesis: In the solution below, water will diffuse from the dilute solution into the concentrated solution through the process of osmosis. Therefore the dilute solution level will fall and the concentrated level will rise Line Callout 2: Disapproved (is unable to go through the semi permeable membrane O Line Callout 2: Approved (is able to go through the semi permeable membrane P Salt solution Water [IMAGE] When a substance such as salt dissolves in water, the substance's molecules stick with some of the water molecules, so the concentration of the water molecules decreases. When the water molecules are the same concentration on both sides of a semi permeable membrane and salt is dissolved into one of them, osmosis will occur as shown in the diagram below.
Harvard School of Public Health “Shining the spotlight on trans fats.” Harvard Nutrition source, n.d.
The omega-3 fatty acids, popularly referred to as fish oil, are considered unsaturated fats. Science differentiates between unsaturated and saturated fats quite clearly. One fact that separates the two is the temperature at which melting occurs. Saturated fats melt at a higher temperature than unsaturated fats. The science behind fatty acids is rather complex; carboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains are the building blocks of saturated and unsaturated fats. This is important to the human body for many reasons; one reason being unsaturated fats do not cause plaque build-up in arteries like saturated fats due to their molecular structure in the human blood stream.
In the last couple of decades, dieting trends have astronomically increased. The average dieter has trained his or her ears and eyes to react to the word ‘fat’. Low fat, reduced fat, fat free- these are all words that until recently have set alarms off ringing in the typical dieter’s head. Recently, new vocabulary, such as ketogenic, ketosis, and low carbohydrate have stepped into the dieter’s world and questioned, or rather challenged, the ‘fat’ free method of dieting. So, after you have devoured the entire box of ‘fat’ free cookies perhaps you will ask yourself....WHAT ABOUT THE CARBOHYDRATES???
Another considerable way of consuming the crop is the potato chip, companies like Lays and Doritos specializing in the production and sale of potato chips. These two forms of consumption of the crop are only the beginning of a vast list of the ways to consume potatoes. Large amounts of potato consumption can also be seen in restaurant's recipes like potato soup, scalloped potatoes, and roasted potatoes which are commonly located on many restaurant menus due to their popularity among
...rogenation of their unsaturated components. Some of the remaining double bonds are isomerized in this operation. These saturated and trans-fatty acid glycerides in the diet have been linked to long-term health issues such as atherosclerosis.
Saturated fats come from animal sources like steak, hamburger and pork. Unsaturated fats are derived from plants. There are also trans fats that are considered poison for the body. They raise the bad cholesterol in your body, and should never be included in a healthy diet. There are also fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 that are good for a healthy body.
From this rudimentary description of the production of potato chips, one can see that the main ingredients include potatoes, oil, and some salt. However, what may not be so apparent are the “non-ingredient” inp...