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, won first place and a $1,000 prize in the Student Product Development Competition at the 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.
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