Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition Winners Offer Innovative Ideas

Rosemont, Ill. — The Dairy Research Institute®, through the support of the dairy checkoff, announced the winners of the inaugural Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition during a special July 16 ceremony at the 2012 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Meeting in Phoenix. The competition is designed to help inspire dairy innovation by challenging college students to develop dairy-based products that meet consumer needs. This year, participants were tasked with creating a dairy beverage that included more than 51 percent of fresh milk, dry milk or other dairy ingredients.

“The estimated $37 billion beverage industry presents significant opportunities for dairy-based drinks,” said Bill Graves, senior vice president, Dairy Research Institute. “Generating ideas based on consumer needs and trends identified by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, students demonstrated innovative ways that dairy can help meet this demand. Their idea-sparking beverages were great-tasting and nutritious, delivering what consumers expect from dairy products. We congratulate all the students on the work they submitted, and encourage industry to consider these opportunities.”

The competition was open to undergraduate and graduate students who submitted entries as individuals or teams. Three winners were selected from 18 entries.
 

“Spurring product innovation, while at the same time identifying future leaders in the U.S. dairy industry is a win-win for dairy farmers,” said Bill Siebenborn, a Missouri dairy farmer and chairman of United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA). UDIA represents 18 state and regional dairy promotion organizations across the country, helping fund the dairy checkoff program, a primary funding source for the Dairy Research Institute. “By identifying innovative products that meet today’s consumer needs, we are helping contribute to the long-term viability of the U.S. dairy industry.”
 

The first-place team, receiving $8,000:

Oat-infused vanilla milk (Clemson University, SC) — Created with health-conscious adults in mind, the winning product, dubbed “tOATal Milk,” is an oat-infused vanilla milk enhanced with protein, probiotics, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and fiber. The entry caters to the growing sports performance beverage market and leverages the benefits of protein shakes and grain/nut milks while delivering the nutrition dairy provides. With 14g of protein and 4g of fiber per serving, this beverage has a light, sweet flavor profile. By combining the techniques used in the production of fluid milk and beer, the team was able to develop this product with only slight modifications to traditional dairy processing equipment.
 

The second-place team, receiving $5,000:

On-the-go mango drinkable Greek yogurt (Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia, Canada) — Greek yogurt sales have increased significantly in recent years. Building on that product’s popularity, “Mighty Mango” is an on-the-go drinkable yogurt that the students marketed for consumption post exercise. Targeted to health-conscious women, Mighty Mango contains nearly 10g of protein and fewer than 200 calories per serving. The students packaged the product in a biodegradable bottle to appeal to consumers’ desire for environmentally-friendly products and speculated that future flavors beyond mango could include “Powerful Pineapple,” “Brawny Berry,” “Toned Tangelo” or “Fierce Fig.”
 

The third-place team, receiving $3,000:

Caffeine-enhanced drinkable yogurt with antioxidants (University of Tennessee, Tenn.) — In the United States, energy drinks make up 62.6 percent of the functional beverage market.[1] With the average amount of caffeine found in one cup of coffee (100 mg) in a drinkable yogurt consistency, “Wired Berry,” taps into this growing market. Developed with teenagers and young adults in mind, the product is a healthy alternative that provides antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium and protein in addition to caffeine. Made with low-fat yogurt, the product is flavored with blueberry and strawberry purees and contains 190 calories per serving.

Three additional teams were selected as finalists, including:

• A premium, lactose free, ready-to-drink smoothie – Cornell University, “Dairy Dream Mango-Orange Smoothie”.
• A carbonated yogurt smoothie developed as a healthy alternative to soda – Kansas State University, “Yo-Fizz”.
• A fortified pomegranate chai milk beverage targeted to health-conscious consumers – University of Delaware, “PomMOOgranate”.
   

The judging panel, composed of experts from the dairy industry, media, suppliers and members of the Dairy Research Institute, selected the winners. In addition to the final product, the six finalists also were evaluated on the merits of a cover letter and preliminary report, a final report and webinar presentation.

To find out more about the products and teams, visit USDairy.com/DairyResearchInstitute.
 

Next year’s competition focus area: Morning Occasion

The Dairy Research Institute is committed to remaining on the cutting edge of dairy product innovation and will launch the second annual New Product Competition this fall with a focus on breakfast. Most Americans understand the importance of this eating occasion, but less than half regularly consume breakfast.[2] Individuals who skip breakfast due to a lack of time are a core target to grow sales. The 2012-2013 Dairy Research Institute New Product Competition will challenge students to incorporate dairy and dairy ingredients in a new way into “the most important meal of the day.” Visit USDairy.com/NewProductCompetition to learn more.

[1] Heckman MA, Shery K, Gonzalez De Mejia E. Energy Drinks: An Assessment of Their Market Size, Consumer Demographics, Ingredient Profile, Functionality, and Regulations in the United States. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Safety. 2010;9(3):303-317.

[2] MilkPEP, Breakfast at Home: $8.9 Billion Retail Opportunity, 2012.

Dairy Research Institute® was established under the leadership of America's dairy farmers with a commitment to nutrition, product and sustainability research. The Dairy Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to strengthen the dairy industry’s access to and investment in the technical research required to drive innovation and demand for dairy products and ingredients globally. The Institute works with and through industry, academic, government and commercial partners to drive pre-competitive research in nutrition, products and sustainability on behalf of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, the National Dairy Council® and other partners. The Dairy Research Institute is primarily funded by the national dairy checkoff program managed by Dairy Management Inc.™

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a forum for the dairy industry to work together to address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation and increase sales. The Innovation Center aligns the collective resources of the industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry. The Board of Directors for the Innovation Center includes dairy farmers and industry leaders representing key producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is staffed by Dairy Management Inc.™ Visit USDairy.com for more information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

Source: Dairy Research Institute