Quick Dips

The Ultimate Potato Chip

Chris Southern has possibly the most enviable job in the country: he eats potato chips for a living. But, he's quick to point out, it's all in the name of science and the quest for the ultimate potato chip.

"I'm finishing my PhD in Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland and my thesis is on improving potato chip production, so 'testing' the chips is really just part of the job," he says.

He is working with Bluebird Foods on developing the best way to analyse the potato at cell level. From that will come systems and parameters to ensure that top quality is consistently achieved -- an end to the "darks" and "softs" that plague potato chip makers the world over when minor miscalculations happen.

The three-year project is partly-funded by the Graduates in Industry Fellowships Programme through the Technology New Zealand Scheme and provides a significant bonus for Bluebird Foods, according to Technical Manager, Bryce Howard.

"The research provides us with vital local information for all the variables, like soil, potato quality and type, water, climate and handling," he says. "All of these things are critical in producing a perfect chip."

Chris Southern describes the decision to spend another three years in university study, rather than head into industry full time as "having your cake and eating it".

"It's been a real eye-opener coming from the university lab and having to work in a commercial environment, interacting with people and looking at the way a business works, as well as developing the social skills you need to get along in a company: sometimes you can forget that in the university world."

He gives credit to his University of Auckland supervisor, Dr X. Dong Chen, who was the driving force behind the collaboration with industry.

"Having a GRIF Fellowship has given me a chemical engineer's dream job: it means I can concentrate on my research without wondering where the next meal is coming from, while the company gets access to university research with solid commercial prospects."