Advanced Technologies in Food Engineering is a “Capstone Course” of BFE. Professor Harold Corke, the course instructor, introduced that it integrates all students’ previous learning and provides them with the experience of working at a professional level to understand and apply novel technologies to product development. “It is simultaneously a course about New Product Development, about innovation, idea generation, trends and technologies for the future; about Sensory Science; and about understanding some processes and processing. Students’ ideas should be original.” Prof. Corke also noted that students will be able to conduct a much broader range of products next year via a more fully equipped Pilot Plant with a wide range of modern processing equipment.

A total of 14 posters, completed by 70 students in 14 groups, were displayed at this event. The students used what they had learned in class to modernize traditional products.

Yu Yiran, Li Linglong, Yang Yuexin, Du Hange and Huang Chenwei's project "Popping You Gan" adopts freeze-drying technology to create an easy-to-save snack based on “You Gan”, a fruit popular in Chaoshan, with a sweet aftertaste, crispy texture and rich nutrition. They also design their mascot “Super You Gan”.

Liu Jing, Wang Heji, Hong Siqi, Yang Zeyu and Zhang Linyi's product is an alcoholic jelly. “We put small liquid drops of red wine into the apple juice jelly. It tastes like jelly, but also has a particular and wonderful mouthfeel of alcoholic beverage bursting with juice." Considering young customers, alcoholic beverages can also be replaced with apple cider vinegar or the like.

To help people with difficulty swallowing, Chen Meier, Zhang Yi, Du Zewen, Cui Bowen and Huang Qingyi developed a nutrient-rich thickening juice. The product has increased viscosity and can provide vitamins, protein and micronutrients to reach the daily need of the elderly. Zhang Yi said, “I improved my teamwork skills during the month of creating the product. I've also broadened my extracurricular knowledge by reading a lot of literature.”

Li Ni, Chen Jinao, Su Zezhao, Li Jiayu and Chen Shiqi’s idea is to integrate the popular snack – Maltesers with the culinary medicinal ingredients, having a creative concept of health preservation and making traditional Chinese medicine snack-like and lightweight. “I used to consider it extremely difficult to conduct a product, but actually it’s not. You need to have a good idea, then gather relevant information and equip with the knowledge to get the idea off the ground,” said Chen Jinao.

“I think our students did a great job. They have quite a short time to do it, but come out with high quality,” said Prof. Corke, “Different from presentations in class, the poster presentation is a little bit less technical or scientific – it’s supposed to inform a more general audience and should be more attractive.”

“The products are very nice and tasty. They did a good job!” said Dr. Efrat Barak, teacher of BFE. Dr. Sara Rodriguez Martinez is also impressed, “Students are based on traditional products and make a twist. I think they are very interesting.”

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs