Food for thought

The opportunity to put their industry knowledge to real-world application by addressing the environmental, health and ethical issues from lamb consumption - this was what motivated a team of College and Humanities and Science (CHS) students team to join the regional ProVeg Food Innovation Challenge (2024).

‘Baa-yonders’, an interdisciplinary team comprising Food Science and Technology students Joel Lee, Priscilla Audrey Tanujaya and Natalie Toh, and Claire Ngern Jiayi from NUS Business School, were motivated to join the competition, given its focus on product development for Asian consumers and the use of indigenous Asian ingredients.

Their proposal - plant-based lamb slices that recreate the meaty flavours and textures of lamb using plant-based products such as mung bean, konjac root flour, rice bran protein and duckweed - received the thumbs up from the judges, clinching third place in the competition which drew 1,350 students representing 151 universities in over 20 countries!

Team lead Joel says, “While the plant-based meat industry has seen rapid expansion, many of its products are getting repetitive. Lamb is a popular meat in Asia, but it remains underrepresented in the plant-based market.”

The team decided to focus on hotpot, a popular culinary tradition and communal activity  in Asia. To enhance the dining experience of ‘swishing around the pot’, their product, ‘Beyond Lamb’, was designed to change colour as it cooks. Beyond Lamb therefore fosters inclusive communal dining experiences which are also open to vegetarians and flexitarians seeking healthier, sustainable options.

Collectively, Joel, Natalie and Audrey brought their different interests and experiences in product formulation and ideas generation to the table, while Claire’s business and financial acumen and knowledge contributed to assessing the product’s market viability.

“Everyone in the team played to their strengths”, Joel says.

Their takeaways were manifold.  “The project taught us to integrate food science with sustainability and also provided valuable insights into business strategy, the cultural significance of ingredients and dining settings as well as the importance of aligning innovation with consumer preferences and cultural contexts,” Joel says.

In the future, the team hopes to create region-specific flavours, incorporate Beyond Lamb into Ready-to-Eat (RTE) kits and experiment with new textural properties to expand their offerings.