St. Paul, Minn. (October 12, 2006) – Low-calorie, high-fiber puffed snacks, heart-shaped cakes that are good for your heart, and a ready-to-eat whole grain meal, took the top awards during the sixth annual AACC International Student Division Product Development Competition. The competition was held during the World Grains Summit, September 17-20, 2006 in San Francisco, Calif.

Nine teams applied in the competition to develop a new, original food product consisting of one cereal product as the main ingredient. Each team prepared a report discussing product description, target market, and processing/packaging procedures. Out of the nine original teams, five were selected to present their products to the judges at the World Grains Summit, which took the place of the AACC International annual meeting. Each finalist team created a poster describing formulation, shelf life, marketing aspects, processing, packaging, and other relevant information regarding the product. Teams delivered a 10-minute oral presentation for the judges and provided servings of the product at a tasting session.

The first place prize of $2,500 went to team “Banana Nut Crunch” from Purdue University. Team member Orane Blake designed a high-fiber, reduced-calorie puffed snack product that was produced by utilizing a unique fiber ingredient developed by the student.

The second place prize of $1,500 went to team “Essential Grain” from Texas A&M University. Team members David Guajardo, Novie Alviola, Vilma Ruth Calderon, Ana Paola, and Cardenas Hinojosa designed a ready-to-eat whole grain meal made with whole brown glutinous rice, specialty sorghum (Sumac), and barley that was cooked in reduced-fat milk and flavored with condensed milk and natural spices.

The third place of $750 went to team “Lovables” from Kansas State University. Team members Ramakanth Jonnala, Shifeng Ruan, Shiva Garimella, Emily Bonwell, Hyma Gajula, JuHyun Yoo, Danqiu Ren, and Sterling Morrow designed a sponge-like snack cake made with stone ground whole wheat flour cream, filled with different fruit flavors, and baked into a heart shape.

Teams “Homestyle Wafel Melt” from Texas A&M and “Smart Dippers” from Rutgers also competed in the competition. Each finalist team received a $300 travel award.