11 Mar 2005

Healthy Bread Product Wins UCC Food Innovation Prize

An innovative new bread product, low in carbohydrates and particularly appropriate for the Atkins Diet, was awarded 1st prize (the UCC Food Innovation Trophy) at UCC's Faculty of Food Science and Technology New Food Product Development Showcase.

The Showcase is an annual exhibition of new food products developed by students from the BSc Food Technology and BSc Food Business degree programmes at UCC as part of their final year research projects.

The winning entry 'Gift' is produced from a range of low glycemic index (GI) ingredients, including prebiotic substances which are known to have many health benefits.

Students Fiona Gaffney (Portlaoise, Co. Laois), Susan Healy (Ballincollig, Co. Cork), Louise Hodnett (Bantry, Co. Cork), Alan Humphreys (Farranastig, Co. Cork), Grace O'Brien (Youghal, Co. Cork), Joanne O'Callaghan (Crookstown, Co. Cork), Sinead O'Connell (Tralee, Co. Kerry), Shane O' Sullivan (Castlemartyr, Co. Cork), and Garret Sheehan (Douglas, Cork), who had been working on this project for the past 5 months, celebrated their win at a reception in the UCC Staff Restaurant which was sponsored by Beamish and Crawford. 

The trophy was presented by Dr Tim Roche of the Biotransfer Unit at UCC, one of the judges, who praised the winners for their originality and product design, and emphasised that such innovation and creativity are cornerstones of the future development of the food industry; he added that all products on display exhibited great potential. 

'Gift' also won the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) Award for Best Functionality. The APC is a multidisciplinary research centre funded by Science Foundation Ireland and Industry, which was launched in November 2003. The scientific focus of the APC is to study how gastrointestinal (GI) bacteria interact with the human host to either maintain or improve health or to cause disease. The research is motivated by the mounting evidence that implicates GI flora in conditions such as sporadic colon cancer and inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.  Interest is also stimulated by evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of probiotic bacteria in these conditions and in the prevention of GI infections both in humans and animals.

The Showcase Event, sponsored by Limerick County Enterprise Board and the UCC/Food Industry Partnership Board, was attended by many visitors from the food industry and other invited guests, as well as staff and students of UCC, who tasted and viewed the selection of products. 

Mr Michael Cantwell, representing the Limerick County Enterprise Board, advised the students of the opportunities that exist for future development and commercialisation of food products by young food entrepreneurs.

This year the products came from the dairy, meat, beverage, fish and bakery sectors. 

Second prize went to the product 'Hooked on Fish', a new and healthy convenient meal based on fish.  This team consisted of Lisa Cotter (Mitchelstown, Co. Cork), Erica Curran (Tramore, Co. Waterford), Jack Donoghue (Craklin, Co. Carlow), Elizabeth Kenny (Navan, Co. Meath), Patricia Leamy (Co. Waterford), William O'Connell (Ballymacoda, Co. Cork), Brian O'Cuinneagain (Clarecastle, Co. Clare), Sandra O'Donovan (Ballinhassig, Co. Cork) and Lydia Sweeney (Model Farm Road, Cork).

Third prize went to Shane Casey (Rathcormac, Co. Cork), Mairead Everett (Waterville, Co. Kerry), Alan Gleeson (Bishopstown, Cork), Michelle Goggin (Millstreet, Co. Cork), Frances Hunt (Newcastle West, Co. Limerick), William Kent (Togher, Cork), Orla Murphy (Ballincollig, Co. Cork), Patrick O'Connor (Midleton, Co. Cork), Kate Walsh (Midleton, Co. Cork) and Lorraine Walsh (Blackrock, Cork) for 'Solas', a unique type of stout brewed in such a way as to have significantly reduced calorie content, without losing body or flavour.

Finally, Mr Ger Foley of the AIB Bank on College Road presented a special award for the best product packaging, which was won by 'Gourmet Cheese Croquettes', which was developed by Zuberi Bira (Tanzania), John Burke (Magazine Road, Cork), Corinne Hyde (Glanmire, Cork), Tadgh Lane (Kildorrery, Co. Cork), Gerard Murphy (Victoria Cross, Cork), Nora O'Shea (Ballymacoda, Co. Cork), Lucy Pope (Bishopstown, Cork), Kieran Stone (Newmarket, Co. Cork) and Carmel Wright (Kinsale, Co. Cork).

029MMcS