Applied operational excellence on the project "Creation of new product based on melon seed". Results and Reflections

The current interest of universities is to adjust to the needs of their environment. This factor determines and conditions to improve its operational excellence. The educational management of universities should give greater importance to applied research because it actively contributes to the development of their region and is an aspect that falls within their mission. This article explains how a traditional professional level course was managed and the impact it had by applying operational excellence to obtain better results than those obtained previously. One of these proposals for improvement in the educational experience was carried out with students of industrial engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey. The students made innovative and sustainable proposals during the development of the course to generate an innovative product, in this case, based on melon waste. Melon is one of the main products that are sown in Mexico and is an important source of employment. Melon is in great demand in the food industry and it can be consumed as fruit, juice or candy. Finding new technological developments is a topical task for the use not only of what has been mentioned but also of melon seeds that are considered as waste. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the yield of the minerals and the composition of fatty acids present in melon seeds in order to add value to this residue. By taking advantage of the melon seeds, we sought to create a drink made of melon seeds as well as making a snack with its seeds. The article will discuss the advantages of the methodology selected by the teachers to carry out this research with the participation of the students