Third year Food Technology students recently showcased their skills at the New Food Product Launch.

The event, which is held annually, is the highlight of the three-year diploma course.

It sees students presenting food products that they developed to representatives from major food manufacturing companies in South Africa .

The 2008 event was held on 26 November 2008 at the Bellville Campus and proved to be a huge success. The quality of the products and the packaging was of such a standard that one could easily mistake it for products displayed in any retail outlet.

A total of 15 new products were on display. The products included frozen deserts, frozen meals, fermented beverages, snacks, biscuits, sauces, dips and candy.

Head of the Food Technology Department, Dr Jessy van Wyk said each year third year students are tasked with developing a product from scratch.

Dr van Wyk said the aim of the task is to ensure that students have the skills necessary to hit the ground running when they enter the industry.

During the process of developing a product, students are required to utilise all the skills they acquired during the three year course.

At the start of the project students are divided into groups of five and have to conceptualise an idea for a product.

Dr van Wyk said they then go on to develop a formulation for the product that meets commercial production standards.

“This gives them an opportunity to become familiar with commercial ingredients,” she said.

Students must also adhere to food legislation, provide suitable packaging and appropriate labeling.They also have to produce a scientific report on the product and calculate what price the product can be sold for. Guest speaker at the event, Jeff Austin from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), applauded the students work.

“You did a tremendous job in thinking up these products and developing them,” he said.

Austin, whose role includes ensuring that all products exported from Africa to the United States adhere to various regulations, emphasised the role food technologists play in ensuring products adhere to various food legislation.

“It’s great to create a product, but if you cannot enter it into the market then it’s useless,” he said.

He said unsafe food does not only pose a threat for the consumer, but also for the agriculture sector.

Austin said students who will go out into the market place must adhere to the food regulations when producing products.

The event concluded with the presentation of awards to groups who produced excellent products. The awards were sponsored by food manufactures.

• The Tongaat Hulett Starch prize for the most potential product in terms of marketability was awarded to Chicken Roulade (chicken and vegetable spirals).
• The Orley Foods prize for the most innovative product was awarded to Blushing Berry (mixed berry dessert topping).
• The Kimix prize for suitability for the target market was awarded to Cinneach (peach and cinnamon crunchie).
• The group D Lish Ice (chocolate frozen dessert) walked away with three prizes: the Freddy Hirsh prize for the product with the most consumer appeal, the AgriFood Technology Station prize for the best product from a technical point of view and the SAAFoST prize for the overall best product.

By Candes Keating

Photograph: (clockwise) Peach and cinnamon crunchies, De-Lite-Full brownies, a member of the The D Lish Ice group, Blushing Berry, chilli-flavoured fish Viennas.

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The Department of Food Technology again successfully hosted the New Food Product Launch at the Bellville campus on 25 November 2009.

Both final year and BTech students participated in the event by showcasing what they have been working on for the past six months.

Since July 2009, the students have been developing their new products. Their work has covered a range of aspects, including food production, sensory evaluation, chemistry, microbiology, labeling, packaging, food safety and costs.

The first part of the programme involved a session where students’ products were assessed by industry assessors, who later allocated marks to their work.

The assessment took place in the afternoon, prior to the second part of the event that took off in the evening.

The new food product launch is an annual event for the department, but according to Joseline Felix-Minnaar, a Food Chemistry lecturer, every year, the event keeps on getting better.

The students were divided into 14 groups. The new products comprised the following: Goji berry drinking yoghurt, Savoury muffin premix, Energy³ crunch, Seafood pasta, Sorghum-based shake, Fruit and nut sandwich snack bar and Flavoured energy drink cubes.

Other products included Carob-coated fruit-flavoured jellies, Sorghum-based pasta with sauce, High energy smoothie, Soy-based jelly layered with muesli, Beetroot soup on the go, Peanut and apricot microwave muffin premix and a Fruit-based energy drink.

The students were required to develop products that can serve as a nutritious meal or snack that provides sustained energy for people leading active lifestyles.

DVC: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo welcomed the guests which included representatives from the industry.

Dr Nhlapo said: “As a country, we have made constructive strides in support of research and innovation in line with the best in the world.

“As CPUT, we have recently interrogated our strategic plan and direction in order to reposition and ground ourselves in our context if we aspire to be a blue chip organisation. We aspire to be the hot bed of innovation and fully address the three arenas of innovation competence, which include leadership, education and application.”

The programme also involved public judging and voting. Attendees were required to go around food stalls to taste and they later voted for the product that they thought was best done.

Dr Helgo Schomer, an ex-lecturer at the University of Cape Town, a psychologist and a radio personality was a guest speaker.

Dr Schomer highlighted things that make people want to eat more.

“Smoking will kill your brain cells, while eating your breakfast every day is the best. Eating good food, having a good sleep, maintaining the correct weight and laughing as often as possible are the best principles in life,” he said.

The students were later awarded with prizes ranging from R2000 to R3000. Sorgo pocketed R3000 for the most potential product in terms of marketability, while Soylicious walked away with the R2500 prize for the packaging most fit for purpose.

Energy³ was awarded a R2000 prize for coming up with the most innovative product.

The best product in terms of marketability, innovation and technical level R2500 prize went to Energy³ and Peanut Power Muffin. At the same time, Soylicious and Peanut Power Muffin were voted as the most popular products from the consumer’s point of view.

According to Dr Maricel Keyser, a Food Microbiology lecturer, putting together the event was a great exercise for them.

“As a department, we worked well together. It was really a team effort,” she said.

By Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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