Four Cal Poly Pomona food science and technology students took second place at a national collegiate baking product development competition.
Jessica Reed, Annie Sheldon, Keerthana Dadi, and Lisa Kwong will each receive a $1,500 scholarship for their efforts in the American Society of Baking (ASB) Product Development Competition.
The contest, which was held on Feb. 17-19 at the ASB’s annual BakingTECH conference in Chicago, challenged participants to create a new innovative bakery food product that employs honey for its functional properties beyond flavor. The National Honey Board sponsored the event.
Students had to define and demonstrate the functional role that honey plays in the product, such as improved texture or shelf life. Their products must have at least two textures, include a grain or pseudo-grain flour, and have a minimum shelf life of 14 days.
The Cal Poly Pomona quartet created “Sticky Honey Pudding,” a date and honey-based pudding cake with chopped pecans, topped and infused with a caramelized honey sauce.
The Cal Poly Pomona apiary program supplied the team with honey, which provided sweetness, moistness, color, and density to the confection. Chopped pecans added a crunchy texture and buttery flavor.
Teams had to submit a preliminary proposal. “Sticky Honey Pudding” was one of three proposals selected as finalists and invited to BakingTECH.
The finalists were required to
- submit a final written proposal
- create a 30-60-second promotional video to serve as an introduction to their on-stage presentation at BakingTECH
- deliver a 10-minute team presentation with slides
- display their entry at a poster session
- and create five samples of the product for tasting and scoring.
A Kansas State team won the competition, while a Cornell University team placed third.
The goal of the ASB Product Development Competition is to facilitate the development of innovative bakery products for the wholesale manufacturing industry among post-secondary education students who seek to have a career in the commercial or industrial bakery manufacturing industry.
