new way to enjoy coffee
The morning coffee routine
is primed to undergo a revolution, becoming tastier and virtually mess-free
in the process, thanks to a new food product invented by 11 food
science students in the College
Of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Their product, Mocha Royale, in
June won first place and a $1,000 prize in the Student Product Development
Competition at the 2002 Institute of Food
Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Anaheim, Calif. The
product is simple to use and convenient to store. A stick five inches
long contains mocha-flavored, real-dairy ingredients and chocolate in
what looks like a chocolate truffle at one end. Gently stirring the
confection in a cup of coffee allows the flavors to permeate the drink
smoothly and with no mess.
“Mocha Royale sweetens
and whitens, similarly to traditional creamers, but provides the coffeehouse
experience at home or work,” said Mary Carunchia Whetstine, a Raleigh
graduate student in food science and one of the team leaders. “We
are marketing it as an elegant and indulgent product.” The product
is also nutritionally similar to cream and sugar. Each Mocha Royale
contains 60 calories and three grams of fat, Whetstine says.
This year, 22 universities
entered the IFT Student Product Development Competition. Entries were
graded on originality, feasibility, product description, process description,
safety, shelf life and marketing.
The process started in a
fall semester graduate class, Food Research & Development and Ingredient
Technology. Students first looked at trends in consumer lifestyles and
consumption that might suggest new product ideas, says Dr. Tyre Lanier,
professor of food science and the instructor of the class. After data
collection, including focus groups, the team decided to design the rich,
chocolaty product.
Beside Whetstine, the N.C.
State team includes Brian Lloyd, Jon Firebaugh of Charlotte, Todd Katz
of Raleigh, Lacey McKlem of Cary, Mandy Flint of San Luis Obispo, Calif.,
Melody Milroy of Charlotte, Jacob Thompson of Mount Gilead, Nikki Young
of Oakland, Calif., Pablo Coronel of Quito, Ecuador and Tara Kurtz of
Rocky Mount.
—from
NCSU News Services
