FST Students Shine in Competitions
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Two groups of Cal Poly Pomona food science and technology students won honors during recent regional and national product development competitions.
The team of Grace Murtidjaja, Tony Truong, Sebastian Valadez, Vanessa Valdes, and Manyi Yu Liang won third place in the Institute of Food Technologists’ Student Association (IFTSA) Smart Snacks for Kids Competition.
The competition, which was held July 19-23, challenged students to develop a fun and nutritious food or beverage product for kids and/or teens. They had to abide by the USDA “Guide to Smart Snacks in School” recommendations.
The students created “Little Sprouts”: a 100-percent, plant-based alternative to sugary chocolate popsicles, it is made with raw agave nectar for low-glycemic sweetness and avocado for good fats and fiber. Children can either consume it as a frozen pop or melted into a glass as a milkshake. It comes with a biodegradable bamboo straw in place of a popsicle stick.
The team was awarded $500 for third place. It also took second place in the Southern California Institute of Food Technologists Section competition in March, for which the students received $1,200.
Meanwhile, the team of Karena Almanza, Benji Ho, Brittany Ly, Anabel Ortega, and Adrianne Wong won honorable mention at the IFTSA and MARS Product Development Competition.
The competition requires student teams to develop a new food idea and carry the concept through marketing and production, like a commercial product development team would in the real world. It challenges students to apply the skills and knowledge they have gained and employ organization, teamwork, creativity and scientific skills.
The team created Tofu Bliss Chocolate Pudding: a creamy tofu-based pudding that is made with organic and sustainably-sourced ingredients. It is a vegan alternative to milk-based pudding. The students in this group chose silken tofu, which is made from soy milk. Soy milk has a significantly smaller environmental impact than dairy milk.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the competitions was held virtually, with students making presentations of their product concepts.
The Cal Poly Pomona students came up with their product ideas in the Fall 2020 semester while taking the FST 4290L, the Food Product Development Lab.
Although COVID-19 safety guidelines preventing most labs from meeting in person, the students developed these products as conceptual exercises from their homes.
They used the spring semester to develop their concepts further, write the proposals, and create the presentations. The Tofu Bliss team even sent a product prototype to the judges for the MARS competition.
Associate Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science was the faculty advisor to the students.