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College of Life Sciences

BYU students place at Food Product Development Competition

Students created a low-fat ice cream that contains bone-healthy ingredients

This article originally appeared in BYU News on August 18, 2010.

Students from Brigham Young University placed second in the Food Product Development Competition held in Sun Valley, Idaho, with their newest invention, Bone Appétit.

Christine Shearer, Trenton Horner, Trent Adams and Eric Engstrom from BYU’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science and Andy Hicken from the BYU industrial design program created the low-fat ice cream that contains bone-healthy ingredients, including extra calcium, vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.

This ice cream for the health-conscious, which comes in peach, chocolate and caramel, is designed to help those with osteoporosis, a problem that affects 84 percent of postmenopausal women according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

The competition, hosted annually by the Idaho Milk Processors Association and the United Dairymen of Idaho, pits some of the best schools in the United States against each other to design new dairy products.

This year, Utah State University took first place with Yogonnaise, mayonnaise made from yogurt. Cornell University took third place with Moo-Rangs, a shelf-stable meringue cookie made from milk protein fractions.

“It was a close competition this year,” said BYU adviser Michael Dunn, who is chair of the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science. “The judges said that the point spread was very close.”

BYU has placed first in the competition the last two years.

“It’s an exciting way for students to get involved in real-world applications of the things they’ve learned in the classroom,” said Dunn. “It’s getting us recognized from many major companies. We even had some people approach us about producing our product. Other companies were very interested in hiring our students. It’s just great to have the recognition for their hard work.”

For more information, contact Michael Dunn at (801) 422-6670.