The data that comes out of an instrument during experimentation “isn’t the scientific result,” says David Gosalvez, Executive Director of Science and Technology at Revvity Signals. “You don’t inherently know how to proceed with the experiment, project, or product until you process the data.” 

So true. Data is foundational to all experiments and innovation, but in its raw form it’s typically insufficient for any meaningful analysis. To unlock its full potential, data needs to be meticulously organized, structured, and manipulated. This process allows formulation chemists to uncover patterns, interpret various combinations, and provide the necessary context for insights, ultimately driving informed decisions and groundbreaking discoveries.

Data tables serve as the building blocks of analysis and formulation workflow in the chemical and food industries. They provide the framework for the development process, acting as repositories for data, cataloging such things as chemical composition and its interactions or nutritional content and its shelf life. Viewing data in a data table format is essential for formulation scientists to make informed decisions and maintain an efficient workflow. Excel is a commonly used tool to represent formulation data due to its powerful data tables and ease of use. But there are drawbacks:

• Disorganized data control which can result in missed opportunities
• Un-centralized knowledge exchange, lacking collaboration capabilities
• Inadequate software for scalability and handling of large datasets
• Wasted resources
• Lack of transparency and traceability

As these drawbacks become increasingly challenging for today’s R&D organizations, the need for tools providing efficient data management, streamlined workflows, and integrated solutions is essential. Formulation scientists and industry leadership recognize this as more urgent than ever.

Changing Times

The status quo in the food & flavor and specialty chemical industries is shifting so quickly it feels as if there are hourly tremors. It’s not surprising considering the United States alone produces tens of thousands of products. It’s big business, and the complexity is increasing. Relying heavily on human processing power is no longer an adequate approach. This dynamic environment compels leaders to reconsider their business, in this case, their R&D operating models. From their standpoint: 

• They know they need speed.  Their scientists shouldn’t waste essential time waiting for search results or transitioning between various parts of their experiments. The goal is to accelerate discovery.
• They know the critical role of data tables in the formulation workflow and recognize the limitations and scalability issues of Excel.   Scientists must manipulate large data sets into readable formats and powerful visuals to reveal insights. Additionally, connecting data sources is crucial for providing a larger context for decision-making.
• They know they need to eliminate siloed data to increase collaboration while ensuring data security. 
  An integrated system smooths collaboration between chemists working with proprietary information and offers robust security.

How can leaders improve R&D operations to address the needs of scientists and the markets?

Adopting and Integrating Signals Notebook Across R&D is the Solution

Harnessing the power of Signals Research Suite, the latest in cloud-based technologies for Research and Development (R&D), is pivotal to accelerating product innovation in chemicals as well as food, flavor and fragrance. It’s the only cloud-native Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) that natively integrates ChemDraw™️ and Spotfire®️. This cutting-edge solution enables seamless collaboration, data capture, and streamlined workflows, enhancing productivity like no other ELN on the market.

Addressing Excel's limitations has long been a challenge in the formulation workflow. While Excel’s powerful table features, ease of use, and flexibility are its strengths, its lack of structured data capture is a significant drawback.

That’s where Signals Research Suite comes in. It bridges the gap by creating context with a structured data input and capture environment while maintaining some of Excel’s power and flexibility. This empowers formulation scientists to create, organize, and analyze formulation data in a structured and collaborative way. As if that isn’t enough, there are newly released features that will become a daily delight to formulation chemists:

• Admin Defined Tables (ADT) and Variant Tables now have a new series of calculations and summary views. 
• The formulation library has tools to capture formulation data, ingredient data, processing data, and contexture data.
• The library is now a rule-related environment that allows formulation and testing data to be compared, checked, archived, further analyzed, and visualized.
• A new beta capability to link Admin Defined Tables and Variant Tables to Inventory.

With enhanced data table features, scientists can implement a complete formulation workflow in one integrated system, saving time and reducing risks. Composition, ingredients, inventory, material, testing, and equipment data are all accessible and connected, enriched with contextual information to ensure a natural, scientific, and comprehensive digital environment for formulation workflow.

Signals Research Suite further empowers the lab by allowing it to process data in multiple ways. Scientists can easily identify their data, refine and test their formulations, and decide which products to develop.

To learn more about how digital transformation across the product development process can lead to faster development via better use of data, collaboration, and computation power, read the e-book Reaching The Next Frontier.

If you need more information on this topic or any of our solutions please do contact us.