Innovative Products to Enrich Nutrition

Claudia Villalobos

The creativity and talent of students in the Biochemical Engineering program were showcased through potentially marketable innovative food products presented during the LVIII edition of Expo IBQ, organized by the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (ENCB).

During the inauguration, the school's director, Isaac Juan Luna Romero, emphasized that over the 29 years of Expo IBQ, students have generated products focused on enriching nutrition, combining inventiveness with the application of knowledge imparted in classrooms by expert professors.

The foods created by eighth and ninth-semester students are not only a source of pride for them but also at the institutional level, as they all meet the innovative quality required in the market.

Por ello, el titular de la unidad académica exhortó a los jóvenes a emprender, ya que, sostuvo, cuentan con los conocimientos y poseen la capacidad para realizar importantes aportaciones a la población al introducir sus productos en la cadena de valor.

Therefore, the head of the academic unit encouraged young people to undertake entrepreneurial ventures since, he asserted, they have the knowledge and the capacity to make significant contributions to the population by introducing their products into the value chain.

Each food item is supported by theoretical research, the application of relevant official standards, and various tests to obtain the optimal formulation, conditions that guarantee the quality and safety of the products.

It is important to note that the ingredients are processed using careful methodologies to preserve the nutritional properties of the foods, most of which do not contain preservatives or, if required, have minimal additives.

In this edition, attendees at the LVIII IBQ had the opportunity to taste reduced-sugar melon, pumpkin, and sunflower seed nougat bars, lemon pie ice cream with added aloe vera, yogurt gummies enriched with sweet potato and beet, breakfast cereal made from corn, amaranth, and hibiscus flower waste. As part of the range of innovative products, there were also candies enhanced with medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory properties, ice cream enriched with aloe vera and nutritious fillings, burgers made with rice and lentils, fruit punch jams sweetened with agave honey, and purees for the elderly, among others.

Gaceta Politécnica #1771. (January 31st, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.