TEA-tums. Gracilaria. Sea Grapes Powder. Crispy Sprouted Mongo. These are only some of the 20 innovative food products developed from local raw materials in the Department of Science and Technology-Food Innovation Centers (DOST–FICs) in every region in the country.
The products vied for the highly coveted Most Innovative Products and Industry Choice Awards in a simple awarding ceremony led by Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) Director Dr. Maria Patricia V. Azanza.
The DOST initiated the establishment of FICs nationwide as support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help them move up the value chain and improve their productivity to help them keep up with global market trends.
The FICs serve as hub for food-product development and innovation in the regions nationwide. The food-product concepts are transformed from locally abundant raw materials using the DOST-developed food-processing equipment—water retort, vacuum fryer, freeze dryer and spray dryer.
The ITDI led in developing the competence of FIC managers and technical personnel in product development and innovation, and equipment operation and maintenance through trainings. This included important aspects of food processing, such as food safety, packaging and nutrition labeling, and product costing and marketing.
“After equipping and building the competence of our FIC personnel, we would now assess and choose the most innovative of their developed food prototypes,” Azanza said in her opening message. Before the awarding ceremony, a preliminary screening was conducted in September where five food products per equipment were selected.
The chosen products were judged based on innovativeness (new product, modification); market viability (why consumers will buy, competitive price); consumer acceptability (taste, aroma, healthy); and soundness of process (considered food contaminants and adulterants, lower production cost).
Overall, DOST-FIC Cagayan Valley came out as the run-away winner, bagging two of the top awards, two of the second best and one of the Industry Choice awardees. The region also had the most number of qualifying products, seven in all, that bagged P100,000 cash prize.
Science Undersecretary Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara, for Research and Development, led the DOST officials who graced the awarding ceremony. Also present was Executive Director Dr. Carlos Primo David of Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).
Guevara said, “Commercializing these products poses the biggest challenge now and our judges who mostly come from the industry sector can surely help.” She also congratulated all the awardees and encouraged them to keep on creating and developing more products that Filipinos can claim their own and be proud of.
The judges from the industry and academe were David of PCIEERD; Chancellor Dr. Ma. Veritas Luna of Center for Culinary Arts; Division Dean Dr. Ligaya T. Braganza of Facility of Food Science and Technology, Hospitality and Tourism Management-Philippine Women’s University; President Alberto Cariso Jr. of Philippine Association of Food Technologists Inc.; Vice President and General Manager Rex Agarrado of Canned Meat-Century Pacific Inc.; Regina Francisco, director for operation, EchoStore; and Hannah Margaret Rabaja, Food-Drug Regulation officer II-Food and Drug Administration.
Top products
Awarded with a cash prize of P100,000 each, the following were named as the Most Innovative Products per equipment category:
Tea-Tums (water retort, National Capital Region [NCR], Diliman, Quezon City)
Tea-tums is a flavorful ready-to-drink blend of lemongrass and calamansi extracts infused with turmeric and ginger. It can be marketed as a health drink.
It was pasteurized to the optimum time and temperature to ensure the quality of the drink throughout storage.
Graciliaria (freeze dryer, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao)
Gracilaria is a seaweed that is abundant in Cagayan and claimed to be free from heavy metals, such as lead and mercury. It can be processed as seaweed chips.
Target consumers for the product are lactating mothers, restaurants, the health-conscious and households, and the flavoring umami industry, among others.
Sea Grapes Powder (spray dryer, Zamboanga Peninsula)
Sea-grapes powder is a light-green powder produced by spray-drying the extract of sea grapes, or lato, with maltodextrin as carrier material.
It has a natural salty, peppery taste. As an intermediate product, sea-grapes powder can be used as condiment or fortificant or flavoring in gourmet foods and food products, like chips, fries, noodles and fruit drinks.
Crispy Sprouted Mongo (Vacuum fryer, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao)
Crispy-sprouted mongo is vacuum-fried blanched togue that has approximately 72 percent less moisture. It is seasoned with garlic powder and salt, and packed in PET bottle. The product is light-weight and shelf-stable.
Sprouted mongo has higher nutrient content than ordinary mongo. Hence, the product can be served as a healthy snack that can provide the needed protein of growing schoolchildren, increase the immune system of lactating and pregnant women, and can even be an energy source for everyone.
Runners-up
Besides the top innovative products, the runners-up or second best products were, likewise, recognized, based on the same equipment category.
Each of the four runners-up were given P50,000 cash prize. They are Uved, (water retort, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao); Arius, (freeze dryer, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao); Bukolyte (spray dryer, Davao region, Davao); and Crunchy Mayahini (vacuum fryer, Eastern Visayas, Tacloban).
Two products emerged as Judges’ Choices from the four Most Innovative Products. With P25,000 cash prize each, the winners were Cagayan Valley’s Crispy Sprouted Mongo and Zamboanga Peninsula’s Sea Grapes Powder. The products stood out based on their newness in the market, potential consumer appeal, rational manufacturing feasibility and competitive price.
Finalists
A total of 20 finalists vied for the awards. Five products competed per equipment category. They are water-retort products: Inasal Sauce, Mongo Filling, Uved (Cagayan Valley); Sardine Roll (Zamboanga Peninsula); Tea-Tums (NCR);
Freeze dried products: Arius, Blue Pea, Gracilaria (Cagayan Valley); Durian Kisses, Roselle (Cagayan Valley);
Spray dried products: Young Coconut, Pomelo Pectin (Davao region); Kamias (NCR); Lato (Davao Peninsula); Lemongrass (Northern Mindanao);
Vacuum fried products: Barinday (Eastern Visayas); Instant Sinabawang Isda, Marang (Northern Mindanao); Mixed Chips (Davao region); and Crispy Sprouted Monggo (Cagayan Valley).
The eight operating regional FICs participated in the event, namely, Cagayan Valley, Cagayan State University-Carig Campus; NCR, University of the Philippines-Diliman; Mimaropa, Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology; Western Visayas, Guimaras State College-Mosqueda Campus; Eastern Viasyas, Eastern Visayas State University; Zamboaanga Peninsula, Zamboanga State College of Marine Science and Technology; Northern Mindanao, Mindanao University of Science and Technology; and Davao region, Philippine Women’s College of Davao.
