Optimization of a ham formulation

The functionality of a ham formulation was examined with respect to variation in both blend and amount of added ingredients. This allowed the determination of how the individual attributes: cooking loss, syneresis and gel strength, changed in response to ingredient addition. Optimizing the ingredient proportions and addition level that determined acceptable functionality was addressed using a method that took account of how cooking loss, syneresis and gel strength change over the blend/amount region. the optimization led to the identification of a suitable formulation. the more general problem of how best to identify an optimum in food systems when faced with differing units of measurement and differing ranges of individual response is discussed by examining specialized distance measures, or metrics. By allowing the performance of the food system to be monitored these allow a compromise to be determined between possibly conflicting optimal values on individual responses.     

Optimization of linear systems of constrained configuration†

For the sake of simplicity it is often desirable to restrict the number of feedbacks in a controller. In this case the optimal feedbacks depend on the disturbance to which the system is subjected. Using a quadratic error integral as a measure of the response, three criteria of optimization are considered :

1. The response to a given initial disturbance.

2. The worst response to an initial disturbance of given magnitude.

3. The worst comparison with the unconstrained optimal system.

It is shown that for each of these criteria the gradient with respect to the feedbacks can be calculated by a uniform method. The solution may then be found either directly or by a descent procedure. The method is illustrated by an example.