Cornell students will go up against five other teams in the finals of the annual Student Food Product Development competition during the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) annual meeting in New Orleans, June 28-July 1.
The cucumber-honeydew melon-flavored functional tea contains 75 calories per 375 milliliters (about 12.7 ounces), along with high levels of antioxidants intended to promote healthy skin and overall well-being. With the emergence of popular “beauty foods,” this certified organic tea could make a splash with consumers.
Alongside the key functional ingredient, aloe vera, the product contains organic green and white tea, vitamin E, organic sugar and honey and natural flavorings.
Students intended their product to be packaged in long, slender glass bottles made from at least 50% recycled glass with a corn polymer label. They also envisioned selling the tea individually through gyms, health spas and high-end retailers.
The team submitted a report to the IFT Student Association in February, detailing product concept, market potential, formulation, packaging, production process and the product's safety and quality assurance.
According to the team's proposal, the product "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."