Nanyang Polytechnic’s egg-shell yoghurt drink and bite-sized frozen yoghurt with Asian flavours were hits at the World Dairy Innovation Awards.

It is not a concoction from the fictional world of Willy Wonka but an actual beverage by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) students, which even made it to the finals of the 12^th World Dairy Innovation Awards on June 20^th.

The Fleuryo High Calcium Yoghurt Drink. (Photo: Nanyang Polytechnic)

The Fleuryo High Calcium Yoghurt Drink was a finalist in the Best Dairy Drink and Best Dairy Product from Asia categories. The unusual drink is the brainchild of students Ong Han Xuan, Chong Ke Ann, Tang Hwee Peng, and Nur Syafiqah Bte Zakaria from NYP’s Food Science and Nutrition department.

Made with ingredients such as heat-treated egg shells, yoghurt, earl grey tea and chia seeds, a serving of Fleuryo is said to meet the recommended daily intake of calcium for adults aged 19 to 50 years old, according to the press release from NYP.

So what does it taste like? Imagine a flavour profile similar to Thai milk tea, with chewy bits of chia seeds for texture – something the team wanted to replicate to appeal to the bubble tea-loving crowd.

Egg shells were used because they are calcium rich. Instead of sugar, the students used monk fruit extract, which is 300 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories.

It is supposed to offer a convenient drink that is low in fat, high in protein, and has live yoghurt cultures, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and calcium, according to the NYP press release.

BEST DAIRY SNACK

Along with the Fleuryo High Calcium Yoghurt Drink, the Aloha Bliss Frozen Yoghurt was the only other student submission to qualify for the finals – and went on to win Best Dairy Snack.

The NYP student team, comprising Regine Lee, Liu Teng Hui, Tricia Kuai, Chang Wee Ling from the Food Science & Nutrition department, and Phoebe Ng Zi Yin from the Visual Communication department, created Aloha Bliss Frozen Yoghurt’s three bite-sized treats with familiar Asian tastes and textures, such as chrysanthemum, wolfberries, yam, coconut and chia seeds.

The two creations took the Diploma in Food Science & Nutrition students four months to research and develop. Both dairy inventions are not available commercially yet./.

VNF/CNA