Food science students snack on success

Winnipeg, MB – A group of 11 graduate students from the University of Manitoba have won an international prize at the Product Development Competition, an annual competition hosted by the American Association of Cereal Chemists International.

The group developed a nutritious snack food that resembles a stick pretzel and is made from flour from pulse crops such as beans, peas and lentils. The team, comprised of students originally from around the world, wanted to make an international impact with their snack, called Globix.

After making the shortlist, for the final round of the competition the University of Manitoba team beat out five US teams to win the $3,000 first-place prize. Beyond the testability and viability of Globix, judges also took into consideration team enthusiasm, presentation, packaging and the marketing plan.

The team was lead by Alex Anton. His teammate, Caroline Rosa, also won a 2007-2008 AACC International Foundation Award for her work using grain parts to make snack foods higher in fibre, protein and antioxidants. Other team members are Fernando Luciano, Daiva Daugelaite, Lili Zhang, Arshala Madapathage Dona, An Da, Lini Qiao, Heather Maskus, Nikolay Repin and Blanca Gomez Guerrero.