Technion students shine in global competition to develop healthy, sustainable food products
Students from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering won top prizes in the European Union-supported Food Solutions Project, a global competition to develop healthy and sustainable food products based only on natural ingredients that meet real-world nutritional and sustainability challenges faced by the food industry.
Experts and mentors from top European universities supervised the students’ progress, together with leading companies Nestle, Danone-Nutricia, Döhler, IMDEA and Puratos.
Mentored by faculty members and with the support of senior industry representatives, the three winning groups developed their products from ideation to presentation, including market research, conducting a business feasibility study, addressing regulatory and marketing issues, performing shelf-life analysis, and planning the commercial manufacturing process.
Vegan ‘labneh’ cheese wins top accolade
Students Maayan Ben-David, Liora Bernstein, Carolina Lejterer, and Gil Raphael, won first place in the challenge for their oat-based product Bioat, a vegan “labneh” cheese spread based on fermenting the oat ingredient and dietary fiber. The team also came in first in the crowd-favorite category.
Three winning groups developed their products from ideation to presentation.
Team members Dor Abu Hazira, Shlomit Hakim, Hadar Kochavi, Victoria Skortov, and Linor Rochlin won first place in the Food Products Challenge for the Elderly for their product CRACKEAT, a soy-based, creamy treat with a crisp cookie on top that is high in protein and fiber-rich, sugar-free, and low in saturated fat.
Shahar Hefner, Nova Neumann, Christine Oviad, and Dana Raz came in third place in the Food Products Challenge for the Elderly. The team developed a unique, nutritional brownie-like cake bar called Lite Delight based solely on natural ingredients and tailored to the needs and desires of the senior population.
The judges praised Bioat, CRACKEAT, and Lite Delight for their quality, and congratulated the teams on their professionalism and attention to detail on their packaging and branding.