The 6th Jiangnan University (JU) Student Dairy Innovation Competition called: "Tasty U.S. Dairy Cup," was successfully concluded/completed after months of work from May to the end of October. The annual competition has become an integral part of the USDEC-JU partnership and was very helpful in deepening students' understanding of the characteristics of U.S. dairy ingredients, especially dairy proteins and dairy permeate, and their performance in different formulations.

Theme for the 6th "Tasty U.S. Dairy Cup" was "Dairy Ingredients Bring 'New Productive Forces' for Innovative Quality Foods".  The inspiration came from "New Productive Forces" slogan repeatedly used and adopted by many industries in China. It was adapted and expanded on it by marrying the rise in consumer demand for a "better and quality upgrade " as a key factor influencing shopping decisions.

The competition provided the opportunity to stimulate the creative potential of JU's students in using dairy ingredients in a variety of foods and beverages, teaching the students about the variety, benefits, and functionality of U.S. dairy ingredients in the food system and giving them the opportunity to realize their innovation idea with hands-on time in the lab. This is a key activity in support of USDEC's development goals as these students, the future of the food workforce, are preparing to start successful careers.

In total, twenty-seventeams handed in their proposals for the preliminary competition. Their innovations covered product categories such as candies, biscuits, processed cheese, ice cream, yogurt, pastry, salad dressing, sauces, etc. Thirteen proposals for innovation made it through and entered the final competition, which were tasted and voted on by students on campus and reviewed by seasoned judges invited from the food industry on Oct. 26, 2024.

The competition waswell acknowledged in the university, especially in the school of food science and technology. It was rated best by the school leaders and continues to attract more and more attention throughout the years. The total votes for online review have increased by 21.4% compared to last year.

Below is a visual recap of how the competition unfolded:

The results of the competition are in! Here are the prize-winning products.

First Place: 

Keshig cheese compressed biscuit - contains WPC80, WPI, whey permeate, and milk powder. The total protein level is 17.3% in the final product

Second place:

1. "Chinese Mulberry Brew", a functional fermented beverage - contains WPC80

2. "Jellygoo" - Creamy Mushroom Sauce - contains WPC80, whey permeate, and milk permeate. The total protein level is 7.3% in the final product.

Third Place:

1. Earth Salad Dressing - contains WPC80 and whey permeate. The total protein level is 9.5% in final product.
2. Kazi Kazi Crunch-Dipped Crispy Milk Biscuit - contains WPC80, MPC, milk permeate and milk powder. 
3. "Purenjoy" Ice Cream - contains WPC80, MPC and milk powder

The Most Creative Prize

Lime Green - Snow Hibiscus Soft Cheese

Best Taste:

Guoran moo moo candy

The Most Potential Prize

Rushan - Yunnan Style cheese

Best Promotion:

1. Macaron
2. Seasonal Flavored Crispy Cakes
3. Earth Salad Dressing

Winners and Judges:

Public Tasting:

Final Presentation Venue:

Learn more about the 2023 JU Student Competition.

For questions and additional information, please contact Suzanna Stohr (sstohr@usdec.org)