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Story by Kay Norton

Students in the South ��ֱ���� State University Department of Dairy and Food Science brought home significant honors in two recent national collegiate competitions. 

SDSU’s Dairy Quiz Bowl Team took second place at the annual American Dairy Science Association meeting in Kentucky in June. The four-member team played a total of five rounds starting with a bye round, beating Virginia Tech once and Purdue twice, and finally placing second to Penn State. Each collegiate team of an undergraduate student division chapter is eligible to participate in the Dairy Quiz Bowl, sponsored by the American Dairy Science Association Foundation. 

“This is a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate their knowledge about dairy production, processing and American Dairy Science Association history,” said Londa Nwadike, the David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head for the Department of Dairy and Food Science. “Our students represented our university and our department admirably, and we are very proud of their accomplishment.”  

The team brought home a plaque and a share of the contest prize money and were given points on the Chapter ��ֱ���� scorecard. Hayley Daubert, a senior dairy manufacturing major from Bridgewater, Virginia, coached the team to a strong second-place finish. Other team members were Wyatt Zehr, senior dairy manufacturing major from Pontiac, Illinois; Dillion Sparrgrove, junior dairy production major from West Union, Iowa; and Logan Guilette, sophomore dairy production major from Casco, Wisconsin. 

The Dairy New Product Development Team, coached by Prafulla Salunke, assistant professor in the Department of Dairy and Food Science, received the second-place Gold Dairy Innovator ��ֱ���� ($7,000) at the Dairy Management Inc. national-level new product competition this year. Each student and the program received $1,750. 

“The new product competition provides an opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their innovative ideas and encourages students to develop new dairy-based products aligned with current industry trends and consumer insights, focusing on health and wellness,” Nwadike explained. 

This year the competition specifically focused on three criteria, encouraging students to develop innovative dairy-based products that address heart health, metabolic health and weight management needs. The product must contain more than 51% dairy ingredients by weight of the finished product and be a good source of dairy protein. It also must meet food labeling and regulatory criteria as specified by the Code of Federal Regulations. The team introduced BalanceBloom Delight, described in the competition as “a wholesome dairy-based fermented pudding naturally flavored with strawberry, cinnamon and peach.” 

The South ��ֱ���� State University team began working on the concept for BalanceBloom Delight in October 2024, preparing and submitting a preliminary report that was evaluated based on six criteria: innovativeness of the concept, consumer and marketplace insights, product description, use of more than 51% dairy ingredients, marketing strategy and shelf-life evaluation. 

BalanceBloom Delight contains more than 70% high-quality dairy ingredients, including ultra-filtered milk and milk casein isolate, and is enriched with functional ingredients like β-glucan, finger millet, probiotics and natural sweeteners to support heart health, digestion and weight management. Each 140-gram serving provides 1.8 grams of fat, 12.1grams of protein, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 1gram of dietary fiber, 309 milligrams of calcium and 240 milligrams of potassium. The product team touted it as a “smart choice for health-conscious individuals and GLP-1 users (individuals receiving treatment for Type 2 diabetes and obesity) seeking indulgence with purpose.” 

Based on the Phase 1 evaluation, the top six teams were selected to advance to the final phase. For Phase 2, the team submitted a detailed final report, delivered a webinar presentation and sent actual product samples for grading by judges. Team members included Zeel Modi, dairy manufacturing doctoral student from Ahmedabad, India; Caitlin Swanson, 2025 dairy manufacturing bachelor’s degree graduate from Huron; and Sadie Streff, senior food science and biochemistry major from Clark. 

BalanceBloom Delight is available to be marketed by dairy industry representatives. The prize money comes from Dairy Checkoff funds, with the intent of promoting more dairy product sales.