Results of the Citri-Fi 125 Student Innovation Contest

Citri-Fi 125, a natural, non-GMO citrus fibre is one of the most recent additions to the Citri-Fi portfolio. To find new uses for this natural citrus fibre, Fiberstar launched a global innovation contest targeting University students. Over 25 applicants, globally, submitted a proposal in how to use the Citri-Fi 125. 

A panel of judges ranked the students’ applications based on originality of concept, justification/market need, ingredient commercial feasibility, technical feasibility and quality of their report. A total of $25,000 was awarded amongst the six winning proposals.

1st Place: Citrus Fibre as an Effective Fat Blocker in Fried Seafood:
Oregon State University Seafood Research and Education Centre, U.S. 
Dr. Jae Park, Kaitlin Junes and Angela Hunt

• Citri-Fi 125 used in a coating formulation to reduce oil pick-up not only provides potential cost savings to processors due to reduced oil usage, but this also provides manufacturers opportunities to reduce fat and calories. The study also showed yield improvement due to increased pick-up and reduced cooking losses.

2nd Place: Reduced Fat Instant Laksa Paste
Surya University, Indonesia
Sylviana, Meutia Wafa' Khairunnisa Hakim, Amelia Adinda and Bryan Raharja

• Citri-Fi 125 is used to reduce the amount of coconut milk used in Laksa paste to provide potential cost savings and fat reduction. Citri-Fi 125 provides emulsification stabilization and improved mouth-feel to simulate the texture of the full-fat version. This may be applicable to other coconut milks pastes, spreads, beverages and soups found not only in Asia, but also in other parts of the world due to the growing use of coconut.

3rd Place: Citri-Crunch Healthy Savoury Extruded Pork Snack
Washington State University, U.S.
Ryan Kowalski, Bon-Jae Gu, Maria Dian Pratiwi Masli, Siyuan Wang and Hongchao Zhang

• Citri-Fi 125 helped reduce the oil uptake and improved the flavour by enhancing the umami flavour of monosodium glutamate when reducing the sodium. This not only aligns with the market’s need for healthier snacks, but also offers snack manufacturers cost savings opportunities in less oil usage.

4th Place: Chicken Sausage with Reduced Oil & Improve Sensory
Sri Lanka University, Sri Lanka
Miss A.M. Aruni Shanika

• Citri-Fi 125 provided emulsification stabilization and texturizing to help reduce the oil by at least 30% while maintaining a full-fat mouth-feel. This provides cost savings and health benefits due to the fat/caloric reduction.

5th Place: Calcium Fortification to Increase Viscosity and Enhance Gelling Properties
University of Guelph, Canada
Lisa Indris

• Incorporating calcium with Citri-Fi 125 in liquid food formats improves the viscosity and provides improved stabilization. This enhanced feature opens doors in the natural dairy category where stabilization and mouthfeel are desired and needed.

6th Place: Natural Colour Stabilizer in Berry Yammee Topping
Cornell University, U.S.
Fiona Harnischfeger, Sofía Lara, Victoria Chen, Katrina Cariño, Ana Chang, Sierra Jamir and Shiyu Cai
Citri-Fi 125 stabilizes natural colours during shelf-life to prevent phase separation and colour bleeding. This benefit is crucial for consumer acceptance when using vibrant natural colours to indicate freshness.