Domestic Scan-Adapt-Diffuse Yields Laing for the World – 3 of 3

Delivering laing to Filipinos, in cans or in pouches, all over the world and all through the year is a difficult challenge to Scan-Adapt-and-Diffuse (from Post 68) for new combinations of otherwise mature technologies.

In an ideal world, food factories would like to get the exact quantity of raw materials for processing every working day of the year. In the real world, newly harvested gabi spoils quickly and supplies of fresh raw materials dry up during the rainy season. Thus, gabi leaves and stalks need to be preserved to allow some inventory to cover for these two realities and much more for the reality of demand variability.

The preservation method of choice is dehydration. The whole supply chain for dehydrated gabi leaves and stalks requires substantial technical and commercial challenges to put together.

Firstly, the supply of raw materials must be scaled up to serve the larger global market. Farmers must be encouraged through the right trading terms to produce more for the world.

Secondly, Bicolanos prefer a specific specie of gabi; Tagalogs like a different specie. Cultivation and harvest parameters must be established for both.

Thirdly, post harvest, gabi has a very short shelf life and is heat, moisture and crush sensitive. The right harvest method and transport handling need to be established and taught to farmers and transporters. Buying consolidation and pick-up points needs to be established.

Fourthly, manufacturing is a challenge. For one, given moisture content above 80% (and different for leaves), yield from stalks is low. The right compromises on certain process parameters need to be established by experimentation in adaptive research:

• The right balance between yield and drying cost has to be established. Gabi is rehydrated on cooking (after being dehydrated for preservation) so the key question to ask is: “What is the highest moisture level to dry into while achieving the desired shelf life?” Getting the right answer to this question avoids unnecessary energy costs.
• At the same time, on final quality, the right target moisture content (above that point where the cellulose sets), and the requisite drying process to get that point need to be determined. If the gabi is made bone dry, it will not return to suppleness after re-hydration and cooking.
• On shelf life as dehydrated, the right process needs to be developed to achieve the target shelf life in storage through the rainy season. The right packing and storage need to be established and diffused.
• All of the above need to be done within the target cost by design.

Fifthly, provision for adaptive research and pilot manufacturing to support the product and market development effort. Small-scale retorts and pilot dryers (that cost as much as a small car) need to be designed and tested. Modularity in the capacity build-up needs to be carefully planned to avoid a high fixed cost per unit burden.

Lastly, creating a supply chain from cultivation to manufacturing that assures consistent availability is a challenge. History is replete with failures in local agribusiness with other crops like tomato, mango coming from pricing, technical support and pole-vaulting issues. The internally consistent SAnD above worked well to jump start manufacturing. Continuous efforts must be made to further reduce costs.

All in all, success in all these SAnD activities are resulting into more branded laing on market shelfs all over the world. Better still, learnings from this successful technical platform can be emulated with raw materials for other iconic Filipino recipes.

(Click here for Part 2 of 3 and here for Part 1 of 3.)