ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Dairy Research Institute®, established under the leadership of America’s dairy farmers, announced the winners of its second annual New Product Competition. This year’s competition challenged undergraduate and graduate student teams to develop a new dairy-based product for the morning meal occasion. The first-, second- and third-place winners were recognized during a ceremony at the 2013 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Joint Annual Meeting in Indianapolis on July 9, 2013. The winning entries leveraged essential consumer marketplace trends by highlighting the importance of overall convenience, functional health benefits and diverse flavor options to help overcome the breakfast barrier.
“Recent consumer research conducted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® indicates approximately 42 million people skip breakfast during a typical morning, primarily due to a busy schedule, or lack of time or interest in currently available breakfast options,” said Bill Graves, senior vice president, Dairy Research Institute. “The innovative products submitted by the top three winners take advantage of this tremendous opportunity for dairy and dairy-based foods within the morning meal market. These products feature the latest trends in product development and leverage dairy’s valuable nutrition profile while delivering a delicious breakfast option that meets consumers’ morning convenience needs and flavor preferences.”
In addition to developing a concept and formula for their new product submissions, student teams also identified the requirements to manufacture and market their dairy-based breakfast products. The judging panel — composed of experts from the dairy industry, dairy producers, media and members of the Dairy Research Institute — selected the winners based on the merits of a final report, presentation and the product itself.
“We have the best and brightest students gaining practical experience with dairy products and ingredients through the New Product Competition,” said Stephen Maddox, a California dairy producer and judge for the Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition. “It is exciting for the dairy industry that these future food scientists will take the skills developed through this competition into the marketplace. I look forward to seeing the innovative dairy foods and beverages they develop throughout their careers.”
Winners of the 2013 New Product Competition are:
First place: Mooofins, Pennsylvania State University
Mooofins are a dairy-based, quiche-like muffin developed for adults seeking a high-protein, on-the-go breakfast item. Flavors — including blueberry sausage, maple bacon Cheddar and bell pepper mushroom — build on the rich dairy notes, meeting an important consumer need for favorite tastes in dairy products. Mooofins are an excellent source of protein (15 g per serving) and an excellent source of calcium (250 mg per serving). They are packed with dairy, including cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, whey and nonfat dried milk, which all together make up 70 percent of total ingredients used in the formulation. Yogurt and whey protein concentrate replace eggs in the formulation to maintain a moist, delicate and fluffy product that consumers are sure to love.
Second place: DayBreakers, Iowa State University
DayBreakers put an American twist on gulabjamun, a fried Indian food providing a sweet morning option that is easy to prepare. Similar in appearance and flavor to French toast sticks, DayBreakers are an excellent source of dairy protein, containing 17 g of protein per serving, and are an excellent source of calcium, as well, with 310 mg per serving. Developed for the adult population trying to consume more protein in their diets, DayBreakers include milk protein concentrate with 80 percent protein (MPC 80) as well as nonfat dried milk (NFDM). DayBreakers are formulated gluten-free to appeal to the millions of Americans on a gluten-restricted diet.
Third place: Whey-Go, Ohio State University
A microwavable, easy-to-eat product made of a hearty egg, bacon and cheese scramble inside a crispy waffle crust, Whey-Go meets the needs of adults looking for a convenient breakfast option to satisfy their morning hunger. The combination of morning favorites is 51 percent dairy ingredients, including fat-free milk, low-fat American and Swiss cheeses, whey protein and unsalted butter. Whey-Go is an excellent source of protein with 23 g per serving, which includes 14 g of dairy protein from the fat-free milk, low-fat cheeses and whey protein isolate. Each serving also is an excellent source of calcium, providing 50 percent of the Daily Value, or 500 mg.
Three additional teams were selected as finalists:
- Early Qurd (University of Wisconsin-Madison) — A tart cherry- and vanilla-flavored low-fat soft cheese, building on the popularity of Greek yogurt.
- Miss Muffet Bars (Louisiana State) — A ready-to-eat, blueberry-flavored, creamy cottage cheese- and whey protein-filled bar coated in dark chocolate.
- Pleion (University of Wisconsin-Madison) — A Greek yogurt-based bar wrapped in a thin layer of chocolate and coated with lightly salted granola.
The winning teams will receive a combined $16,000 in cash prizes, including $8,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $3,000 for third place.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council also will highlight the competition and winners at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo, July 14-16 in Chicago.
This fall, the Dairy Research Institute plans to announce guidelines for the 2013-2014 competition, which will focus on meeting the needs of the large segment of aging Baby Boomers. In its inaugural year, the Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition tasked students with developing an innovative dairy beverage that leveraged Innovation Center consumer research on milk’s competitive beverage set.
To learn more about the Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition, including eligibility guidelines and judging criteria, visit USDairy.com/NewProductCompetition.
Dairy Research Institute® was established under the leadership of America's dairy farmers with a commitment to nutrition, product and sustainability research. The Dairy Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to strengthen the dairy industry’s access to and investment in the technical research required to drive innovation and demand for dairy products and ingredients globally. The Institute works with and through industry, academic, government and commercial partners to drive pre-competitive research in nutrition, products and sustainability on behalf of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, the National Dairy Council® and other partners. The Dairy Research Institute is primarily funded by the national dairy checkoff program managed by Dairy Management Inc.™
Source: Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy