Department of Food Science
From fermented nuts and a plant-based nutrition bar aimed at women to new techniques for cleaning fresh produce and making cold brew, the Food Science and Technology: Innovate for Tomorrow Challenge attracted a range of creative ideas that made the inaugural contest a “great success through incredible collaboration,” says Lili He, food science department head and professor.
The challenge was part of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy, which includes annual competitions designed to help students assess and strategize their innovative projects. The contests are open to current UMass students and graduates from the last decade.
The Food Science and Technology: Innovate for Tomorrow Challenge, co-hosted by UMass Dining, invited ideas for food science-related products and technology. The contest received 32 applications involving some 50 students from a range of academic programs – more than half came from the Department of Food Science, with the remaining entries submitted by students representing other College of Natural Science (CNS) departments or other colleges, including the Isenberg School of Management, College of Engineering, College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS).
Food product development and food-as-medicine products made up more than half of the ideas. Food technology was the third most popular category, followed by food packaging and novel foods for sustainability.
About 55% of the student innovators were undergrads, 40% were current graduate students and 5% were alumni. The projects were judged by a team of external experts, including: Charles D’Amour, executive chairman of Big Y Supermarkets; Noel Anderson, CNS Advisory Board member; Minqi Wang, doctoral alumna and founder and CEO of Ideation Foods; and Lindsey Christman, senior scientist at Ocean Spray.
The winners of the Food Science and Technology: Innovate for Tomorrow Challenge and their projects were: