University students have bubbled up an idea that could earn national success.
Darryl Holliday, Alisa Todd and Adriana Soto, food science graduate students, have concocted their own brand of bubble tea, a Thai drink that combines tea, fruit and tapioca pearls, for a nationwide competition hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists.
The Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition was open to members of IFT’s Student Association at universities in North America.
The LSU team is now one of three finalists after beating six other schools, including Cornell University and Oregon State University. LSU faces off against Rutgers University and Texas Tech University on March 23 in Chicago.
The team’s trip to Chicago is paid for as part of their prize as finalists, Soto said, as well as admittance to the IFT’s annual Wellness Conference, a $900 fee for most attendees.
The first-place team will receive $3,500, second place $2,500 and third place $1,500, Todd said.
The competition challenged teams to create a product that followed the Food and Drug Administration’s dietary guidelines, according to the IFT website. The food product had to be low in saturated fat, free of trans fat, high in potassium and had to incorporate canola oil.
Soto said the team considered many products, including cake batter and cereal, but they decided on bubble tea because the drink is trendy in many northern cities and universities.
“Bubble tea is not available in stores,” Soto said.
Holliday said he and his wife travel to Florida to get the tea because it is not a retail product. Part of the team’s inspiration was the rarity of bubble tea in the Baton Rouge area.
Holliday said he only knows of one Baton Rouge business that serves it — Paradise Smoothie.
The team’s development of its unique beverage was a two-month process, Holliday said. University students were used in a sensory study to test an earlier version of the tea.
“We cut back on certain ingredients and made it sweeter for the American palate,” Holliday said.
The team’s final product was named Ze-Ti — a play on “zen tea” — alluding to the zen and heart-healthy lifestyle the competition promotes, Todd said.
The tea is created by mixing an industrialized green tea powder, coconut water and erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol, Holliday said. The tea is then pasteurized and sealed in a plastic cup to remain fresh.
A paste composed of mango, citric acid and a blend of two gums is mixed with tapioca pearls to top off the drink, Holliday said, and a large straw is used to break the seal on the cup, allowing the tea and paste to mix.
Holliday said local businesses such as Paradise Smoothie have supported the team’s effort. The Solo Cup Company has also backed the project, providing the plastic cups used for the tea.
“Our bubble tea has been good for LSU,” Soto said.
The team members said they have enjoyed local recognition and hope the final results will garner national attention.
No business offers have been made yet, Soto said, but the team is open to marketing its product. Holliday said the team’s trip to Chicago could open the doors to networking across the country.
 
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Contact Brian Sibille at [email protected]