SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY, TOURISM & EVENTS

SCHOOL OF FOOD STUDIES & GASTRONOMY

INT60112 INTERNSHIP

INTERNSHIP REPORT

Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Hons) (Events Management) ❑

Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Honours) ❑
Bachelor of Hospitality Management (Honours) ❑
Bachelor of Culinary Management (Honours) ❑
Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Culinology) ❑

Name of the Student Cathryn Choe Quer-Erm

Student ID 0338139

Batch N° / Intake: BS16

Name of the Company Linaco Resources Sdn Bhd

Internship Dates 3rd January 2022 to 30th June 2022

SUBMISSION DATE: 4th July 2022

 TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY | INTERNSHIP REPORT | BACHELOR DEGREE PROGRAMME

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Acknowledgements 3
2. Introduction 4
3. SHTE /SFSG Internship survey 8
4. Professional Study 9
5. Conclusion 15
6. Internship Evaluation Form by Supervisor 16
7. Internship Marksheet 18

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1. Acknowledgements

When I applied to study Culinology and applied for the RCA scholarship with Tysons Foods,
one of my goals was to eventually develop ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook condiments and
sauces on a commercial scale. The internship I had with Linaco was a great chance to for
learning and create products that were aligned with my dream. I consider myself a very lucky
and fortunate individual who had the liberty and chance to develop and further refine a few
Peranakan recipes and products with authentic Asian flavours throughout my internship. I’m
grateful to have joined a close-knitted team, and within the team, 2 colleagues were a senior
from Culinology and a friend from the church which made my transition period easier. Aside
from work, they would often give me their stories and advice on ‘adulting’ and what to
expect during my transition stage from a student to a working adult.

Initially, I deferred my internship by a semester due to difficulty finding a placement because

I could not travel to Selangor from Malacca due to border restrictions. I am touched that
Mama Chong checked in on me a few times with recommendations to do a remote internship
with a food organization in the USA. Even in the Culinology Facebook group Dr.Wendy also
shares postings for places that are hiring which was also encouraging to know that my
lecturers still look out for students even after completing their modules.

I’m also thankful that my parents helped to arrange accommodation near my internship
workplace and would make sure I had enough allowance to live on my own.

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2. Introduction

Internship preparation
I used a variety of job search sites, including LinkedIn, Jobstreet, Glassdoor, and Hiredly,
before confirming my internship with Linaco. Due to the slow and closed economy, there
were hardly any opportunities to hire Research and Development interns.Even after sending a
few follow-up emails within a month, I still did not receive any responses.

Out of the blue, a senior in culinology told me about an opening for an intern, and I applied.
The fact that the company was interested in developing products with authentic Malaysian
flavours and was hiring people to contribute to this range of products aligned with my interest
and original career goals. Fortunately, Mid-October I was offered the internship placement to
start in January 2022.

As a Culinology freshie, I had a dream to commercialise my grandmother's Peranakan

recipes. I didn't anticipate having my own projects as an intern; instead, I merely wanted to
have a handle on the fundamentals and the day-to-day activities of a food technologist. Like
QA/QC, conducting market research for the development of new products, assisting seniors
with their projects, learning more about the SOPS, and becoming aware of the crucial food
regulations to follow when formulating a product.

I believe that in a workplace, I required and would value a nurturing environment where I
could gradually learn and experience new jobs while also being trusted to take on obligations
using my own creative approach. I was given a wide range of activities and experience in the
product development of coconut milk, coconut beverage, herbs and spice blends, and
soy-based sauces. Over the course of my internship and being allowed to work on my own
project made me happy.

I think I could have been better equipped for the internship. I wasn't used to several things,
especially when it came to food regulations and using lab equipment. Within a few weeks, I
was compiling a legislation file where it contained the regulation and food standards of the
company's food product categories. I also made a few SOP manuals for the lab equipment for
future employees that are hired to refer to.

Company’s Profile
Linaco’s headquarters is located in Shah Alam and has reached 30 years of achievement. In
1992, the late chairman Richard Ling developed and established Linaco Group, the largest
and most integrated manufacturer of coconuts. His two sons, Joe Ling and Jimmy Ling, who
have been serving as the group managing director and group executive director since 2014,
have now taken over the reins of the company. The main office of the Linaco Group is in
Shah Alam, with factories for its coconut plant in Batu Bahat and Kalimantan and its soy

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sauce factory in Bandar Enstek. The business of the corporation has flourished, and it now
exports to over 40 countries.

The Linaco Group of Companies has steadily expanded from its modest beginnings in 1992
to become a reputable producer of coconut-related products, Chinese herbal recipes
(Easy-To-Cook), pre-mixed spices, caramelised sugar, flavours, and sauces. The company
also offers OEM services as well as re-packing for clients. The food product brands owned by
Linaco Group are Rasaku, COWA, Claypot and Yuen Chun, examples of each brand’s
product can be seen in figure 1.0.

Figure 1.0 illustrates some of the food products from each food product category.

Company values and philosophy

Linaco’s corporate heartbeat; ‘He who builds will himself be built’ definites its vision and
mission. The company logo is a pine tree that stands regal and tall. Because it enjoys its
reputation for being sturdy, durable and long-lasting, these are attributes the company has
worked hard to demonstrate over the years.

Corporate Vision
“We want to build a sustainable future for the generations to come”

Corporate Mission
Lead by Example, Ideas creation, Nurture growth, Authentic, Celebrate every moment,
Organization Unity.

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Market positioning

Claypot's products are easy-to-cook Rasaku's and COWA's coconut products

gourmet spice mixes for traditional oriental
delicacies. It's mainly marketed toward
Chinese consumers and tends to incorporate
more traditional Chinese herbs. Claypot
sources most of its raw Chinese herbs from
distributors in Malaysia with origins from
China.
remain competitive and are one of
Malaysia's leaders in coconut sales. Rasaku
sources its coconut from Kalimantan
Indonesia and has recently set up a coconut
plantation site in Sabah. Although Kara
remains the market leader, Rasaku offers
consumers a wider range of coconut
products.

Organizational Chart

Linaco adopts a traditional and functional organizational hierarchy, the departments that RnD
tends to liaise the most with are the new product development team, procurement, Sales and
QA & QC. New Product Development is a new department that was started in January 2022.
Its main function was to conduct primary and secondary market research. RnD relies on
Procurement to source raw materials and ingredients with existing certifications like Halal,

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HACCP and GMP. QA/QC are responsible for shelf-life testing and quality control of herbs
and spices products.

Human Resources Environment

The human resource department makes it a point to assemble everyone on the first or second
week of every month for a corporate zoom meeting to share company-wide announcements
and an opportunity for two or three colleagues to prepare a PowerPoint and give introductions
of themselves. A distinctive tradition practised by Linaco is the playing of "Hari Ini Ku Rasa
Bahagia" at the beginning of each gathering. It was intended to promote inclusion among
coworkers.

The human resource has enforced an anti-bribery environment by complying with ISO37001
standards. To further enforce this stand, an external keynote speaker was invited to deliver a
training session and expectation setting for all colleagues on the anti-bribery and no-gifts
policy. In addition, a mental health talk was delivered during work hours to enforce and
promote awareness and let employees know where support can be accessible.

Employees are encouraged to pursue continuous learning and development via human
resources. Employees have been encouraged to enrol in courses or earn certifications relevant
to their positions. During my internship period, my seniors attended leadership development
training, a practical microbiology refresher course and were offered a partial scholarship to
further their studies for a master's.

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3. SHTE /SFSG Internship Survey

Name of the Company Linaco Resources
Internship period 3rd January 2022 - 30th June 2022
Departments covered Research & Development
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions using the Likert rating scale presented below.
5 – Strongly Agree 4 – Agree 3 – N/A 2 – Disagree 1 – Strongly Disagree
5 4 3 2 1
1 I received a full orientation of the company’s facilities & operation. 🗸

2 I understood what was expected from me during my internship. 🗸

3 I received necessary training on all the tasks I was asked to complete 🗸

4 I was given proper and valuable training by the supervisor. 🗸

5 I received frequent feedback and guidance from my supervisors. 🗸

6 I found the overall quality of supervision appropriate and sufficient. 🗸

7 I found this internship challenging but interesting for my future. 🗸

8 I was able to learn more and apply my practical knowledge. 🗸

9 I was able to give suggestions or ideas to my supervisors/managers. 🗸

I was given the opportunity to work independently with minimal 🗸

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supervision.
I have now a much better understanding of skills, systems & procedures in 🗸
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place and needed.
I have learned and now feel more confident about my skills and 🗸
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competencies
13 I felt my presence was appreciated by the staff & management. 🗸

14 I was treated with respect by management and fellow employees. 🗸

My superior was available and accessible when I had questions or 🗸

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concerns.
16 I felt well-integrated and welcomed in this working environment. 🗸

17 I have been treated fairly and was given relevant tasks to achieve. 🗸

I was satisfied with staff welfare (allowance, paid overtime, duty meals, 🗸
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uniforms, etc…)
19 This internship fulfilled my expectations 🗸

20 This experience gave me a realistic preview of my field of interest. 🗸

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4. Professional Study

Personal duties and responsibilities

During the course of my internship, daily tasks included making samples for coconut product
prototypes and soy sauce-based prototypes for Yuen Chun’s brand. I also conducted sensory
evaluation tests when necessary, and quality checks of Chinese herbs and spices.

One of the projects was preparing samples for a coconut milk prototype, the company
wanted to explore developing coconut milk with 13 percent fat level to match the flavour
profile and aroma of Kara's coconut milk, which has a 24 percent fat content, therefore one of
the projects involved creating samples for a prototype of that product. My senior asked many
flavour firms to provide coconut flavours with various profiles to fit the benchmarked profile.
While some flavours focused more on being nutty, aged, mature and tasting like coconut
meat, others had a younger coconut profile and aroma.I made samples to screen for suitable
flavours, and I added maltodextrin and a mouthfeel enhancer to the flavours that made the cut
in various ratios to enhance the mouthfeel and add body to compensate for the lack of fat
content.

I used to help prepare samples and conduct sensory tests for my seniors. I mainly
conducted a sensory evaluation test for coconut samples when there were customer
complaints, in a situation to see if the coconut profile from Rasaku’s brand was close enough
to OEM for a customer. Sometimes it was hard to decide what type of sensory test to conduct
and analyse the data depending on the objective. Eventually a senior made a point to create a
guideline and align the expectations of it with the whole team. I made my own templates of
sensory reports where I would insert the data in excel and the results would be analyzed
automatically which saved alot of time.

Chinese herbs are an agricultural product where profile fluctuates based on the region, the
season of harvest and weather conditions and different grading of the herbs.Throughout my
internship period, there would be a need for evaluating Chinese herbs prepared by QA/QC
team and whether to accept or reject a new batch of incoming raw herb samples from
suppliers.

My manager assigned me my own assignments, one of which was to benchmark a curry paste
in order to get me accustomed to the process of creating a product. A few weeks later, I
received some Sichuan mala powder project, which became my favourite project. In order to
expand the library of projects, I was also given the option to create my own Japanese soy
sauce. After conducting some market research, I eventually chose to create soba noodles
sauce, ponzu dipping sauce, and yakisoba noodle stir-fry sauce.

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Personal Project; Sichuan Mala Powder

Sichuan mala powder, soba noodle soup base, yakisoba stir-fry noodle sauce and yuzu ponzu
dipping sauce are some of the dishes I've been working on over the past 6 months. I enjoyed
developing the Sichuan Mala Powder the most, and it is intended to be used as a dry rub on
chicken or meat before baking it or steaming the meat.

I did a simple market study to understand the type of mala seasoning powders but
unfortunately, I could not find a benchmark to meet the criteria that were Halal and meant for
a dry rub marinade purpose. There were other mala seasoning powders that were used like
dry rubs, like HEXA’s Sichuan Mala Spice Mix. However, that was not the flavour profile we
wanted as it was leaning towards a BBQ profile whereas we wanted the characteristics of the
Sichuan peppercorn to be highlighted. There was also a salted chicken by Joy with a Mala
flavour as an additional SKU. Although the overall product had a lasting numbing sensation
and floral fragrance, it still wasn’t comparable because it had the addition of Chinese herbs.

I ordered Sichuan mala seasoning powders based on what’s the most popular selling from
shoppe and Lazada and tried them out in a saliva chicken dish. Through discussion and
alignment from a descriptive sensory evaluation as seen in figure2.0, I and came to decide
that the important characteristics of this product should have fragrant citrus & floral aroma
from the peppercorn, a sustained numbing sensation and a spicy sensation.

Figure 3.0 shows the samples used for the saliva chicken application to identify important
mala profiles to have in a product.

Then I researched the common ingredients used in Sichuan mala cooking and how the
different regions in Sichuan have different flavour profiles, mainly from Chongqing and
Chengdu. Where Chongqing has a lighter, more fragrant and refined flavour and Chengdu is

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full of umami and intense heat flavours. I learned about the different types of chilli peppers
used in Sichuan cooking. Each of these peppers has a different aroma, chilli profile and
intensity of spiciness and lasting sensations.

Once I had a better understanding of the ingredients used, I approached procurement to help
me source the ingredients. Initially, I asked them to source for;
1. Green Sichuan peppercorns ( generally better numbing sensation)
2. Red Sichuan peppercorns ( more aromatic and flavourful)
3. Sichuan Chilli Peppers ( Facing Heaven, Seven Star, Bullet Head and Yunaan)

Then I was told by the procurement team it’s not feasible to have involved too many new
ingredients. Sourcing a supplier with HACCP and HALAL certification for Chinese raw
ingredients was a challenge because Halal certification is not common amongst Chinese
suppliers for raw herbs and spices. The inconsistency of the supply chain and constantly
delayed lead times from overseas suppliers also posed a challenge. Therefore for the chilli
peppers, I was advised to use the existing chilli powder already in the inventory for better
usage of warehouse space and increase the MOQ order.

To overcome the challenge of lack of numbing sensation, I tried sourcing mala seasoning
powder to enhance the spice profile and depth of flavour. I was introduced to using a yeast
extract that could enhance the spice and spiciness of the seasoning which was surprising
because I always thought that yeast extract was used to enhance and deepened umami
flavours. I also made use of Sichuan pepper oleoresin to help enhance the numbing sensation
and Szechuan peppercorn aroma. I also found an aquaresin that provided spiciness, it gave
my seasoning addition spicy sensation without the profile of chilli pepper which was very
useful to adjust the spicy intensity.

Throughout formulating this product, I realized that I had to compromise between numbing &
spiciness profile and a strongly aromatic and spice profile. This made me realize why there
were Chongqing and Chengdu had different Sichuan profiles because they could only have
one or the other.

I worked towards the formulation in 2 different ways - one with an intensely spicy and
numbing sensation, and another with milder spiciness and numbness. When I was almost
close to finalizing my formulation, I arranged an internal sensory evaluation within the RnD,
NPD and Sales teams before conducting an external sensory evaluation.

With an external sensory evaluation with 21 panellists with a hedonic & preference test. The
result showed that the majority (78%) of panellists preferred the spicier and more numbing
version. With these results, the project was closed and kept as a library project. As per SOP, I
had to compile the following information for the new ingredients I used into a folder for
future reference;

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Quotation (Price, lead time Product Specification / Certificated of Analysis

and MOQ) Technical Data Sheet (COA)

Ingredient Composition Halal Certification / Halal Documents ( GMO/

Declaration Allergen Declaration and
Lab Reports)

Market Study Information

Competitors
For the Sichuan Mala Powder project, most of the samples I found were in paste form to stir
fry or hotpot soup base application as seen in figure 4.0. Most of the marination application
products were meant for a BBQ profile which did not fit the sensory profile of the product I
wanted to develop.

Figure 4.0 shows the mala products in the form of oil paste and seasoning powders from
different brands.
Market Trend
The aim of the project was to catch on to the spiciness trend as reported by Kalsec as seen in
figure 5.0.

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Figure 5.0 shows the pepper preferences enjoyed by Consumers in the USA reported by
Kalsec Inc

SWOT Analysis of the product

Strengths
- Will be a halal qualified product &
suitable for Malay consumers.
- First product meant by meat
marination application with only
Mala flavours.
Weakness
- The numbing sensation of the
Sichuan peppercorn is much weaker
in comparison to made-in-China
products.
- May need to order alot of new
ingredients and low MOQ order
initially may be expensive.

Opportunities
- Versatile product
- It can be used for marination,
simple marination, or can
add oil to make it into a chilli
paste
Threats
- The oleoresin in the Mala powder
may cause clumping and affect the
shelf life.

Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart helps to visualize the main tasks at hand during my internship period.

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Would you recommend this internship to other students or your friends?

I would recommend Linaco as an internship place. My superiors have provided me with a
very nurturing environment and have given me the opportunity to have projects of my own as
well as shadow them. Even though it's a small and growing team, my colleagues have been
accommodating towards me to teach me basic knowledge. Even though I was an intern, the
company included me in when they had Chinese New Year hampers or Hari Raya buffet
dinner and even in the company’s 20th anniversary lucky draw and even won a giveaway
prize!

What can be further improved to enhance the overall internship program?

I found it a challenge to work in an environment where I was given the freedom to develop
my products. It would have been helpful if there was a set of SOPs to follow or even work
instructions to use their equipment.

Critical learning that you have gained/learnt during your internship.

Communication
The Rnd team set up physical meetings with suppliers so they could introduce themselves and
any samples that would be useful for the team. As a result, when speaking with external
suppliers in person and via email, I had to be clear about what I needed and the ingredients
use and updating my own team on my progress monthly.

Time Management
Within my six months I only managed to create two products. I was very surprised to know
that my seniors have been managing between 20 to 30 projects each spaced out over six
months. Usually, they would spend one day or half a day on a project and then move on to the
next so everything almost progresses at the same time. In the future I’d also adopt this style
of planning.

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Beneficial Modules for my Internship

Food Packaging and labelling; This module helped me understand what I needed to do in
order to develop a product that would qualify for a healthier choice logo, for example, or
meet European Union (EU) regulations.

Sensory Evaluation; Sensory evaluation tests were carried out for various objectives. For
example, a preference or ranking test would be chosen to understand panellists' preference
between dry bakuteh samples. It was important to know how to analyze the data because it
was very subjective and open to interpretation.

Final Year Project; was the most relatable because I spent the most time formulating
product prototypes. I remember Dr.Chong required the domain leaders to do a briefing on the
day’s agenda and questioned the way we designed our RnD session was very helpful for me.
It made me try to know my products and decide what are the few variables I should test out
first.

Do you think your experience makes you ready to start a career in Rnd?
I think while I had my own projects to manage, there are still more technical aspects of RnD
like trial runs, using lab machinery and shelf-life studies that I have not experienced doing
yet.

Would you like to join this event company as permanent staff?

I would like to learn and understand how people set up SOPs and the reasonings behind
them. It's a small company that's growing fast, my supervisor has intentions to further
develop the structure of the RnD team. I'd like to continue as a permanent staff in this
company.

Please mark your overall experience during this internship out of “20”.
I'd rate my internship experience an 18/20. I felt that I was given a lot of freedom and time to
pursue understanding these projects at my own pace and time with frequent guidance from
my seniors.

5. Conclusion
I found myself thinking more realistically if I can achieve something due to limitations during
the ideation stage. I’ve also become a more resourceful individual and see the importance of
networking for connections in order to work efficiently. Overall after this internship
experience, I was glad to be able to help a junior with certain aspects of her FYP and think
feel that the transition period from being a student to a working adult has been very gradual
and I’ve been eased into it.

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6.Internship Evaluation Form by Supervisor

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7. Internship Marksheet
INT 60112 INTERNSHIP - MARKSHEET
ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS
1. Pre-Internship Briefing and Career Talks (10%)
1.1 Internship Briefing ___ /2
1.2 Career talk ___ /2
1.3 Career fair ___ /2
1.4 Internship readiness report ___ /4
Pre-Internship Training: TOTAL (Marks) (A) 0/10
2. Internship Period (50%)
Internship Evaluation Forms by Supervisors
2.1 Q 1-5 – total marks: ___ /25
2.2 Q 6-8 – total marks: ___ /15
2.3 Q 9-10 – total marks: ___ /10
Internship Period: TOTAL (Marks) (B) __ /50
3. Post-Internship Report (30%)
3.1.1 Internship Report - Self-reflection (part 3) ___ /10
3.2.2 Internship Report (part 1, 2, 4, 5) ___ /20
Post-Internship Report: TOTAL (Marks) (C)____ /30
4. e-Portfolio / LinkedIn profile (10%)
Q 1-5 – total marks: ___ /10
Post-Internship Report: TOTAL (Marks) (D)____ /10
GRAND TOTAL (A + B + C + D) ______ /100

NOTE TO MARKING LECTURERS:

Forms and Reports which are submitted late to the Divisional Office will be penalized as
follows:
Submitted one (1) day after deadline - deduct 5% from mark awarded
Submitted two (2) days after deadline - deduct 10% from mark awarded
Submitted three (3) days after deadline - deduct 15% from mark awarded
Submitted four (4) days after deadline - deduct 20% from mark awarded
Submitted five (5) days after deadline - ZERO (0) mark for the
assignment

ASSESSER’s NAME GRADED ON

and SIGNATURE (DATE)

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