Service

The Formula.

What it is

The Formula is where science becomes product. It’s the process of taking what you want to create, whether that’s an idea, a concept, a draft, or a prototype, and transforming it into something that actually delivers on its promise. Every ingredient chosen for a reason. Every dose backed by evidence. Every decision documented and defensible.

This isn’t formulation by guesswork or trend. It’s product development built from the science up. Every piece of work is carried out personally by Dr Carlene Starck: protein biochemist, published researcher, and one of a small number of people globally who understands both the deep science of protein and amino acid metabolism and what it takes to translate that into a product that performs.

This is right for you if...

…you have a product idea, a concept, or a draft formula that isn’t quite delivering what you know it could. Maybe you’ve been handed a spec sheet with no rationale. Maybe you’ve built something that works commercially but you’re not sure the science holds up. Maybe you’re starting from scratch and want to get it right from the beginning. Wherever you are in the process, The Formula meets you there.

Formula Audit
A full review of your existing formula: every ingredient and dose assessed against the evidence. Where it holds up, where it doesn't, and what to change.
Precision Protein Framework
My proprietary approach to protein formulation across five dimensions: quantity, quality, role, functionality, and the package. Nothing gets overlooked.
Dose Validation
Confirming that what's in the product is present at a level that actually delivers the outcome. Efficacious doses, not label decoration.
Development Support
Formulas rarely survive first contact with manufacturing. I stay with you through the tweaks and compromises so the science stays intact.

What you'll leave with

Your formula will be delivered in the format that works for you, whether that’s a comprehensive report or a slide deck you can share with manufacturers, investors, or your team. Fully explained, fully referenced, and ready to build from.

  • A complete, evidence-based formula, with every ingredient chosen for a reason.
  • Full dose rationale: why each amount, why each form, why this combination.
  • Protein quality assessed and optimised across all five dimensions.
  • The science behind every decision, documented and defensible.
  • A formula you can explain to manufacturers, investors, and regulators.
  • Clarity on what your product can genuinely claim to deliver.
  • Ongoing support through development, so the science survives the compromises.
  • A product that does what you say it does.

Any questions?

Not directly, I don't do bench work, sensory trials, or shelf-life testing. My role is to design the formula from the science up and hold its integrity as it moves through development. That work can be done by your existing food technologist or manufacturer, or I can arrange it through trusted third parties if you don't have that capability in place.
That can happen, as cost, stability, taste, texture, and processing all push back on the ideal formula. This is exactly why I stay involved through development. When compromises are needed, we make them deliberately, and we know what they cost scientifically.
No. Some clients arrive with a draft they're unsure about. Others start with nothing but an idea and an outcome they want to deliver. Both work.
Protein is the anchor, but a good formula accounts for the full nutritional picture: the cofactors, the micronutrients, all these things determine whether the formula acheives the intended outcome. That's part of the work.
That's a strategy question before it's a formulation question, and it's worth answering first. The Protein Strategy Sprint is designed for exactly this: four weeks to get clear on the science, the market, and what your product needs to deliver before you build anything.