Utah State University Achieves Threepeat Win at Ocean Spray Product Development Competition

Utah State University's food science student team triumphed once again, taking top honors in the annual Ocean Spray Student Product Development Competition for the third consecutive year.

Responding to this year's competition emphasis on sustainability, students demonstrated their inventiveness with Cran Pop, a product featuring cranberry byproducts and environmentally friendly packaging. The students, now collectively known as Team Cran Pop, have previously brought their complementary skills together and been highly successful in several other product development competitions. The many hours invested in developing Cran Pop ultimately resulted in winning this year’s $3,000 prize.

Melissa Marsh, team captain for the past three years, shared the intricate process behind Cran Pop’s creation.

"We began working on Cran Pop in November of 2022 and diligently met two or three times a week to continuously improve our product," Marsh explains. "The theme this year was sustainability, and we were asked to focus on all parts of sustainability — upcycling waste, packaging, transportation and consumer usage."

Cran Pop’s primary ingredient is cranberry press cake, a mix of cranberry skin, pulp and seeds that are left over when the berries are pressed for juice. The students tried various methods of using the press cake and finally found the right combination of processing and baking. The result is a crunchy, savory snack with a popcorn-like texture. Cran Pop contains no added sugar, no cholesterol, is low fat, is considered a good source of fiber, and contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

The team explored many potential flavors, and decided on two to refine for the competition: sea salt and cheesy chive. One of the key challenges the team faced was achieving the perfect texture and flavor balance for Cran Pop. Team member Chandler Stafford shed light on part of the process.

"We overcame these challenges by revisiting the fundamentals of how we created our product,” Stafford said. “We switched from cooking Cran Pop in an air fryer to a conventional oven. The methods resolved our flavor and texture challenges and allowed for more consistency between batches," Stafford said.

The product's development journey encapsulates the blend of creativity, scientific understanding, and problem-solving abilities that characterize food scientists. Both Marsh and Stafford credit their food science education for their repeated triumphs in the competition, highlighting how their varied backgrounds contributed to the team's dynamic. Also contributing to the win were team members Nathan Pougher and Mackenzie Taylor.

"My education in food science served me well in this competition as it gave me the necessary knowledge and experience I needed to help create a market-worthy product that is safe, nutritious and sustainable," Stafford said.

Marsh echoed this sentiment, underlining the relevance of their food science background.

“Having a background in food microbiology allowed us to ensure Cran Pop was safe and shelf-stable without the use of artificial preservatives,” Marsh said. “Food chemistry knowledge helped us understand how the addition of oil in the formulation could impact the shelf-life due to oxidation.”

Their achievement underscores that a food science degree is very different from culinary school. It equips students with chemistry, microbiology, physics, and engineering knowledge and abilities necessary for innovation, developing industry trends and meeting consumer needs.

"Victories like this reflect the excellent education provided by Utah State’s food science program,” Stafford said. “I hope that other students in the program will be inspired by this event and pursue their own ambitions in all areas of food science and product development."

For more information about Utah State University’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences, visit the website at https://caas.usu.edu/ndfs/.