ACES students make final four of snack competition

Snow White might not have had much luck with apples, but four University students have found a way to give apples a better name

A team of four ACES students was recently chosen for the final four of the joint Disney Consumer Products and Institute of Food Technologists Student Association product development competition, "Nutritious Food for Kids." Their snack "Snow White's Apple Puffs" will compete for first place July 19 in Chicago

Food science seniors Lydia Anderson, Jessica DeMarke and Michael Just, as well as Jenna McFarland, a December 2009 graduate are in the competition. The product started as a senior project in September for their Food Science and Human Nutrition Class class

"The greatest part of being part of the Disney competition is that everyone knows Disney," DeMarke said

Creating the snack requires an extruder, which uses heat and pressure to create the final product. Extrusion is getting more popular as an alternative to fried food, which people are shying away from, Anderson said

The snack is all-natural and relatively low in sugar, and due to the extrusion process, it doesn't spoil easily, Anderson said

"(The) product is gluten-free, which is a big trend right now," she said

"Gluten-free" means that the snack is free of gluten containing cereals such as wheat, barley and rye; it instead contains rice

The team also chose to incorporate an apple into their snack based on a contest rule that they needed either a vegetable or fruit ingredient

"We've actually made our product so that there will be a whole serving of apple in a 28-gram packet or one-ounce packet," DeMarke said

The competition is an example of the trend of "hidden nutrition," Anderson said, in which moms know the healthy ingredients are there, but the kids do not

As people are becoming increasingly aware of childhood obesity, manufacturers are putting those kinds of snacks out there, Anderson added

If they win, there is a chance that something similar to their product could one day show up on the shelves

However, it could be improbable for them to mass-produce their product, as it might be too costly

Though the product may never make it to market, the students say they will gain recognition from the competition

"Even if we don't win, the kind of exposure is great," Just said

The project helped Anderson confirm her desire to pursue a career in food science

"It was good to use everything I've learned in food science," she said

McFarland, who is currently looking for a job, said the competition should help her job search. Need to know more about healthy snack ideas for kids ?

"It's a tremendous resume builder. To make it to this level makes trying to find a job a little easier," she said