Newswise — Cornell food science students and the "cosmeceutical" TranquiliTea they developed will vie against the FruitZicle, Dream Pie Bars, Ediballs and two other student-developed products in the finals of the annual Student Food Product Development competition at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual meeting in New Orleans, June 28-July 1.

If they win, they will become the competition's first four-time champions and will break the deadlock with the Universities of Illinois and of Minnesota, which also have three wins and are competing again this year with Cornell.

TranquiliTea, with its slogan "Beautify From the Inside Out," was developed by 15 students on Cornell's Food Science Product Development Team. The cucumber-honeydew melon-flavored tea is only 75 calories per 375 milliliters (about 12.7 ounces) and "is a crisp-tasting functional tea positioned as a certified organic product that offers all of the exceptional health and beauty benefits of tea, honey, aloe vera and vitamin E," says the team's proposal. "This premium, ready-to-drink tea will contain high levels of antioxidants, promoting healthy skin and overall well-being."

The product is unique, says Lisa Tirino '08, a Cornell food science major and team co-leader, because it uses aloe vera as a functional ingredient, which is new to beverages sold in the United States. Other ingredients include organic green and white tea, vitamin E, organic sugar and honey, and natural flavorings.

In addition, Tirino adds, "Beauty foods are a trend that is up-and-coming in the food industry."

The plan is for the product to be packaged in long, slender frosted glass bottles made from at least 50 percent recycled glass with a corn polymer label and to be sold individually through gyms, health spas and high-end retailers.

Cornell students have been developing the tea since last September and have tested various formulations on about 70 tasters in focus groups of faculty, staff and students.

In February, the team submitted a short report to the IFT Student Association. (For purposes of unbiased judging, reports do not indicate the name of the submitting school.) The report covered product concept, market potential, formulation, packaging, production process and the product's safety and quality assurance. Cornell's three previous victories in the IFT championships were for Wrapidos, a cone-shaped, tortilla-style wrap (1998); Stir-Ins, a pencil-shaped cookie with heat-resistant chocolate and flavoring on the tip for dunking in coffee (1996); and Pizza Pop-Ups, a toaster-ready pizza (1995).

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