Unique flavours flow from student food and beverage competition

Posted by Josette Dunn on 15th November 2010

A healthy lupin snack and a sweet and salty ice cream have clinched the 2010 WA Department of Agriculture and Food Student Food and Beverage Product Development Awards.Western Australian Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman today congratulated the award recipients and participants for their creativity.

The annual awards form part of a link between the Department of Agriculture and Food’s food technology unit and Curtin University’s food science and technology program.

“The awards are in their second year and aim to recognise and encourage innovation in product development with Western Australian food ingredients,” Mr Redman said.

“It is fantastic to see these students pushing boundaries by matching new products and flavours to produce something quite unique.

“It is this sort of innovation and commitment from young people which will help WA’s food and agricultural industries survive and prosper into the future.”

The Minister presented the Undergraduate Award to Curtin University students Carly Penny, Pavan Moolraj, Poonam Shah and Smita Djapermal for their lupin and fruit slice.

“It’s described as an anytime snack when you’re on the run, which also meets today’s healthy market trends,” he said.

“It is also suitable for the allergen-free market as it contains no gluten, egg or dairy ingredients.”

The Postgraduate Award was presented to Jiayue Chu and Shilong Wang for their product, IH Marco Polo Ice Cream.

“It is a very creamy and smooth Chinese-style ice cream with an unusual sweet and salty flavour profile that is wrapped in seaweed to infuse its delicate flavour into the product,” Mr Redman said.

Other products developed included chia fettuccine, chocolate chia brownies, a banana snack, oven-baked cheesy potato balls, pumpkin moon cakes and macadamia rose shortbread.