Mac Food Science students on a winning streak
For the second consecutive year, Macdonald Food Science teams have won big, Two teams — Rephyll and Fitamin Multimeal — took first place in their categories at the annual New Product Development Competitions, held as part of the 2016 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Conference.
Background: Both products were selected out of 14 hands-on projects that were developed as part the Food Product Development course offered by the Department of Food Science. Course instructor Professor Salwa Karboune uses a skills-building project in which the students have to develop a food product, from the generation of ideas to formulation and optimization. This type of hands-on practical experience challenge the students and provides them with the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have acquired. Professionals from food industry are also invited to attend the students’ formal presentations of their projects.
Both teams of this year were very committed and worked hard under Professor Karboune's supervision to achieve these results. Their professionalism, their commitment and their mature attitude towards their work and their environment was very impressive.
REPHYLL Rephyll is an innovative and market-oriented plant-based meat analog that serves this expanding group of flexitarians by providing a value-added burger unique in its ability to replicate the psychological experience of cooking beef, changing color from pink to brown after a brief high-temp sear. Rephyll aims to delight consumers with the organoleptic properties of meat, both in its rich flavor and its distinct texture. The cravings of meat-lovers are satisfied without the guilt of the environmental, human health, and animal welfare impacts of red meat production and consumption. Many consumers struggle to reach their daily vegetable requirements, due to a lack of time or motivation to cook more complicated, but healthy, dishes. Rephyll provides its consumers with 65% day’s vegetable requirements in a single serving.
FITAMIN MULTIMEAL Fitamin Mutimeal is a ready-to-eat stew, developed to provide many nutrients, especially calcium, for pregnant women in Yemen. Eggshell powder was incorporated to boost the calcium content, due to its high calcium content and great bioavailability. Calcium deficiency during pregnancy is not only a leading cause of maternal death, but it also leads to nutritional rickets, with 56% of Yemeni children affected. For a complete nutritional profile, a portion of stew can be combined with flour to make flatbread. Alternatively, it can be eaten on potatoes or rice to provide a more complete intake of proteins and carbohydrates. The product is nutrient dense (hence fitamin: Arabic for vitamin), competing with multivitamins for its nutritional advantages with Daily Values (DV) of 130% calcium, 150% vitamin A, 70% iodide, 35% vitamin D, and 70% zinc per serving of stew; these nutrients are commonly deficient amongst Yemenites, particularly in pregnant women and children. The flavor of the product was inspired by Saltah, a national Yemeni stew. Traditional spices common in Yemen provide a familiar flavor profile for the Yemeni people.
