- It was engineered and designed by P&G and first sold in 1968. It was engineered to specifically solve a few problems described below.
- Each potato is unique, therefore each chip is different. This is not ideal from a production standpoint. P&G decided to use an engineered mixture of potato, starch, flour and other ingredients (potato is a mere 42% by content of mixture). A mixture ensured flavor and quality consistency.
- Consistent shape of each chip allowed for cooking consistency.
- Consistent shape and utilizing a potato mixture changed the entire industrial production process. This allowed large increase in production efficiency.
- It was designed to be saddle shape. The saddle shape allowed for stacking that minimized broken chips during transport.
- The stacking of chips allowed for tight and smaller packaging. The packaging allowed for lower transport cost and less required shelf space.
- However, the design turned out to have a consumer behavior flaw. A conventional chip bag with packaged air looked bigger than a can of Pringles. Consumers would subconsciously conclude Pringles had less chips and offered poor value. P&G had to spend much more on marketing to change this perception.
Pringles is actually quite a food engineering marvel when you think about it. It simultaneously solved several problems in potato chip manufacturing.
To answer the question - Pringles is a potato mixture specifically designed and optimized to be saddle shaped.
Video with manufacturing process below:
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