Time passed slowly, and the colleagues at the R&D center gradually left, the office area quieting down until only Shen Nian'an remained. Outside the window, the sky darkened, and the city's neon lights illuminated the R&D center's office area with vibrant colors. Shen Nian'an, however, was completely oblivious. He was immersed in the world of data analysis and model building, forgetting the time and his hunger.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, and complex data and charts constantly appeared on the screen. Whenever the model calculation yielded an ideal result, a glint of excitement would flash in his eyes; whenever he encountered a difficult problem, he would frown, fall into deep thought, and then sift through materials and consult literature to find a solution.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Nian'an finally established the optimization model and derived the optimal ingredient ratio. According to this plan, the adjusted jujube and walnut cake will have a 10% lower sugar content, a 15% higher unsaturated fatty acid content, and a more uniform and delicate texture.

He let out a long sigh of relief, rubbed his tired eyes, and a relieved smile appeared on his face. Although he was exhausted, all the fatigue vanished when he saw the results of his efforts.

He stood up, stretched, and prepared to pack his things to go home. Just then, he inadvertently noticed a market research report on his desk. The report mentioned that as consumers become more health-conscious, they are placing higher demands on food shelf life and preservation technologies. Currently, "Natural Taste" products mainly use traditional preservation methods, such as vacuum packaging and low-temperature refrigeration, resulting in relatively short shelf lives, which to some extent limits the product's market reach.

"Food preservation technology?" Shen Nian'an's gaze lingered on the report, a ripple of emotion stirring within him. He recalled his mother's words: for a company to further expand its market and go international, it must solve the problem of product preservation. During his research at university, he had encountered some novel food preservation technologies, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology, which held great potential in extending food shelf life and maintaining food quality.

"If we could apply these new preservation technologies to 'Natural Flavor' products, it might significantly extend their shelf life and open up a wider market for the company," Shen Nian'an thought to himself. He was already conceiving how to combine data analysis and modeling methods with these new preservation technologies to optimize the preservation process and improve its effectiveness.

He took out his notebook and wrote down the words "Research on New Food Preservation Technology" in large characters. Then he began to list some ideas and directions that had come to him. The night outside the window grew darker, but the lights in the research and development center remained bright, illuminating Chen Nian'an's focused and determined figure.

When Shen Nian'an returned home, it was already past ten o'clock at night. Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou hadn't rested yet and had been waiting for him to come home. Seeing her son's tired figure, Lin Wanqiu said with heartache, "Nian'an, why are you back so late? Are you starving? Go wash your hands and eat. Mom saved your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs and scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

Shen Nian'an felt a warmth in her heart and nodded: "Mother, I'm fine. I was just so engrossed in my work that I lost track of time."

He washed his hands, sat down at the table, and began to wolf down his food. Lin Wanqiu sat beside him, constantly putting food on her son's plate, her eyes full of tenderness. Shen Tingzhou sat opposite him, looking at his son, and asked softly, "How was your first day at work? Are you adjusting well?"

"I'm adapting quite well. Director Zhang and my colleagues have been very kind to me," Shen Nian'an said while eating. "Today I completed the task assigned by Director Zhang. I conducted a taste and nutritional analysis of our red date and walnut cake, and also established a mathematical model and proposed a formula optimization plan."

"Oh? Really? Tell us about it." Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou were both intrigued.

Shen Nian'an put down her chopsticks and explained her work to her parents in detail: "Through data analysis, I found that the sugar content of our red date and walnut cake is too high, and the taste stability also needs to be improved. So I established a multiple linear regression model. By adjusting the proportion of raw materials, the optimized solution can reduce the sugar content by 10%, increase the unsaturated fatty acids by 15%, and make the taste more uniform and delicate."

Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou both smiled with delight upon hearing this. Lin Wanqiu said happily, "Nian'an, you're amazing! To have such a great achievement on your first day at work, it's truly worth the time we trained you. This optimization plan is excellent; it meets the current consumer demand for health and also improves the product's taste. Please organize the plan and give it to Director Zhang so the R&D team can conduct trials as soon as possible."

“Okay, I’ll hand it over to Director Zhang first thing tomorrow morning.” Shen Nian’an nodded.

Shen Tingzhou also praised, "Nian'an, I'm very proud of you for using your professional knowledge to solve practical problems for the company. Data analysis and modeling are good methods that can be widely applied to all aspects of product development in the future to improve efficiency and accuracy."

"Thank you for your affirmation, Dad and Mom!" Shen Nian'an felt a great sense of accomplishment. He paused, then added, "By the way, Dad and Mom, when I was looking at the market research report today, I found that there's still room for improvement in our product's preservation technology. I've been exposed to some new food preservation technologies at school, such as nano-preservation and biological preservation. I'd like to try applying these technologies to our products; maybe it can significantly extend their shelf life."

Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and anticipation in each other's eyes. Lin Wanqiu said, "Nian'an, your idea is very visionary! Preservation technology is indeed a key bottleneck for our company's development. If we can overcome this problem, it will be of great significance to our company's market expansion and long-term development. Do you have any specific ideas?"

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