“We often use these when doing research projects at school, but the equipment in our R&D center is even more advanced than the school’s,” Shen Nian’an said truthfully, his admiration for the R&D center’s capabilities growing even stronger.

After touring the R&D center, Zhang Qiming led Shen Nian'an to his workstation. The workstation was located in an open-plan office area on the second floor of the R&D center, by the window, where there was ample light and a wide view. A brand-new computer sat on the desk, next to a thick stack of documents, including professional books such as *Food Nutrition*, *Food Technology*, and *Data Analysis and Modeling*, as well as product development reports and market analysis data from "Natural Taste" over the years.

"Nian'an, this will be your workstation from now on," Zhang Qiming said, pointing to the desk. "Take a good look at these documents first, and get to know our company's products and R&D processes. This afternoon I'll give you an introductory task to familiarize you with your job duties. Feel free to ask me any questions, or ask your colleagues."

"Thank you, Director Zhang!" Shen Nian'an said gratefully.

Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou looked at their son's workstation with smiles of relief on their faces. Lin Wanqiu stepped forward and helped her son tidy up the documents on his desk, saying softly, "Nian'an, do your best. Your mother and father won't bother you anymore. We'll cook you something delicious when we get home tonight."

"Yes, Mother, Father, don't worry!" Shen Nian'an nodded and watched her parents leave.

After his parents left, Chen Nian sat down at his workstation, took a deep breath, and began to review the documents on his desk. He first picked up the "Natural Taste" product development report and began to read it carefully. The report detailed the development process of every product the company had produced from its inception to the present, including raw material selection, formula design, process optimization, taste testing, and other aspects. The data was detailed and the analysis was thorough.

Shen Nian'an became increasingly engrossed in the book. It was as if he had traveled through time and witnessed his mother working in a small rural workshop, using her skillful hands and unwavering belief to gradually develop products and improve processes. He saw the R&D team working day and night in the laboratory to overcome a technical challenge, and he witnessed the glorious journey of "Natural Flavor" products from rural markets to the national market, becoming beloved by countless consumers.

He felt a deep sense of pride, but also a heavy responsibility. He knew that "Natural Flavor" had achieved its current success with great difficulty, and as the next generation of the Shen family and the company, he had a responsibility to carry on this business and make it even greater.

Before he knew it, the morning had passed. Shen Nian'an put down the documents in his hand, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, and had already gained a preliminary understanding of "Natural Flavor's" products and R&D process. He discovered that while the company's products were diverse and of excellent quality, there was still room for improvement in the precision of their nutritional ratios and the consistency of their taste. For example, the company's signature pastry, "Osmanthus Cake," while soft and fragrant, showed slight differences in sweetness and texture between different batches; similarly, the company's multigrain porridge, while nutritious, needed further optimization in terms of flavor balance.

"If we can use mathematical modeling to precisely optimize the product's formula, these problems should be solved," Shen Nian'an murmured to himself. His major is applied mathematics, and he excels at using data analysis and modeling to solve practical problems. In his view, food research and development is not just about accumulating experience, but also requires scientific data analysis and precise formula design.

In the afternoon, Zhang Qiming assigned Shen Nian'an an introductory task: to conduct a taste and nutritional analysis of the company's existing best-selling product, "Red Date and Walnut Cake," and to offer suggestions for optimization. This Red Date and Walnut Cake is one of "Natural Flavor's" classic products, made primarily with red dates, walnuts, flour, and honey. It has a sweet and soft texture, is rich in nutrients, and is very popular with consumers.

Upon receiving the assignment, Shen Nian'an immediately threw himself into the work. He first retrieved different batches of jujube and walnut cake from the sample library, carefully observing their appearance, color, and texture, and then conducted a taste test. He closed his eyes, put a small piece of jujube and walnut cake in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and savored the sweetness of the jujubes, the crispness of the walnuts, and the softness of the flour. At the same time, he meticulously recorded the details of each texture in his notebook: sweetness, acidity, hardness, elasticity, and cohesiveness.

Next, he went to the nutritional analysis area and used a spectrometer to analyze the nutritional components of the jujube and walnut cake. He carefully placed the sample into the instrument, entered the relevant parameters, and waited for the results. While the instrument was running, he didn't rest; instead, he turned on his computer and consulted a large amount of data on the nutritional components of ingredients such as jujubes, walnuts, and honey, as well as relevant research literature on food nutritional ratios.

After the test results came out, Shen Nian'an compiled the data into tables and then used statistical methods to analyze them. He found that although the nutritional content of this red date and walnut cake met national standards, the sugar content of the red dates was too high, while the unsaturated fatty acid content of the walnuts could be improved. In terms of taste, there were certain differences in hardness and cohesiveness between different batches of products, which may be related to the ratio of raw materials and the baking process.

Having identified the problem, Shen Nian'an began to build a mathematical model. Using the ratio of red dates, walnuts, flour, and honey as independent variables, and the product's nutritional content and taste indicators as dependent variables, he employed multiple linear regression analysis to establish a mathematical model relating the product formula to its nutritional and taste characteristics. Then, by adjusting the values ​​of the independent variables, he conducted simulations to find the optimal ingredient ratio.

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