麻豆社

Three student teams from the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) take top honours at IFT FIRST in Chicago, with product ideas built for global impact.聽

Three student teams from AES proved they belong among the next generation of food innovators, earning top honours at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Student Association competitions, held July 6, 2026, in Chicago as part of IFT FIRST, one of the largest international congresses in food science and technology.聽

Across three competitive product development challenges, the teams combined scientific聽expertise,聽creativity聽and entrepreneurial thinking to tackle real-world challenges in nutrition, sustainability and food innovation, from a snack that supports children's emotional wellbeing, to a dessert-inspired food product, to a sustainable food security solution.聽

Opportunities like this are made possible in part through the Student Experience Enhancement Fund (SEEF), administered by AES's Office for Experiential Learning and Community Outreach (OELCO), which supports students pursuing hands-on learning experiences such as competitions and conferences.聽

First Place for Mood Monsters聽

In the Smart Snacks for Kids Product Development Competition, the team of Zixuan Han, Daphne Bernardo, Yousif Hujaij and Asha King took first place with Mood Monsters, an interactive, nutritious snack designed to help children recognize and express their emotions while building healthy eating habits.聽

"Mood Monsters is an interactive, chickpea-based snack designed to help children navigate their emotions through a fun and wholesome eating experience. We intentionally built this product around plant-based protein, prioritizing valorized ingredients and an all-natural formulation," said Daphne Bernardo.聽

"Bringing this concept to life required us to integrate product formulation, nutrition, food safety, sensory science, packaging, manufacturing feasibility, and consumer research into one innovative product. ... I love that food product development sits at the intersection of science, creativity, and real-world impact," noted Zixuan Han.聽

Second Place for Mangoodle聽

In the Mars Product Development Competition, the team of Blanche Babin, Jacqueline Lau, Zachary Aubin, Cole Arnold, Samuel Uline, Lorelai Vela Cardoso, Cynthia S. and Catherine K. earned second place with Mangoodle, a dessert instant ramen product inspired by mango sticky rice, a popular Southeast Asian dessert.聽

"Mangoodle is a mango sticky rice-inspired dessert instant ramen, featuring ube-vanilla noodles, a mango-coconut broth, and crunchy toppings," said Jacqueline Lau.聽

Cole Arnold, who worked alongside Jacqueline, credited faculty support throughout the process. "I would like to thank all the professors from the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry who helped guide us on our product development journey," he said. "We are all so proud to have represented 麻豆社 so strongly on an international stage!"聽

Second Place for Fufu Lafi聽

In the Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition, the team of Deniz Cinar, Sabrina Cohen, Farida Khedr and Hoang Nam Vo placed second with Fufu Lafi, a sustainable food solution built around local resources and circular economy principles.聽

The team upcycled tomato pulp into fufu, a widely eaten staple food, to boost its nutritional value without changing eating habits or adding cost. "We didn't want to create something that felt foreign," said Deniz. "The product needed to be accessible, affordable, and suited to the local context."聽

"It's my first real, hands-on experience in a food lab," said Deniz. "It really confirmed that I'm on the right academic path."聽

Training at 麻豆社, built for global impact聽

The IFT Student Association competitions challenge teams to navigate every stage of food product development, from concept and R&D through to commercialization:聽hands-on training that defines the undergraduate experience at 麻豆社's Macdonald Campus.聽

Whether the focus was childhood nutrition, product innovation or food security, all three teams point to the same strength: students trained at 麻豆社 who can turn a scientific idea into a product with the potential to make a difference anywhere in the world.