Wicklow student wins innovation award for her quinoa granola
L-R Stephen Walshe, Sligo Local Enterprise Office, Sinead Conway, BA Sc 4 student, St. Angela’s College, Robert Hosey, Group Technical Manager at Aurivo.
Final year student Sinead Conway from Wicklow has won the Best Overall New Food Product and Presentation at St Angela’s College, Sligo’s Innovation in New Food Product Development Day for their undergraduate programme, BA Sc (Nutrition, Food and Business Management).
Sinead wanted to develop a cereal product that was tasty and satisfying, but also healthy and sugar free, as many cereals available on the market today are high in sugar. Sinead created a Puffed Quinoa Granola that is high in fibre, high in protein, high in vitamin B, but also gluten free and low in sugar. The product comes in three flavours – Coconut and Goji Berry, Mixed Fruit & Nut and Cocoa & Hazelnut – and is called ‘Puffed Co’ Quinoa Granola.
The award and prize was sponsored by Aurivo, whose Group Technical Manager, Robert Hosey, was judging on the day alongside Stephen Walshe, Sligo Local Enterprise Office.
The Food Innovation and New Product Development module studied in year four of the BA Sc (Nutrition, Food and Business Management) degree programme focusses on developing innovative, healthy, value-added food products over a 10-week period in the food laboratories in St. Angela’s College.
Roisín Lydon, Lecturer and Programme Co-ordinator, said: “Innovation is important now more than ever to meet the ever-growing demands of today’s health-conscious consumer.”
Ronan McArt, Joint Programme Co-ordinator of the Programme, added: “This module develops students’ autonomous ability to think creatively, reflect and carry out evidence-based research in order to design and develop innovative, healthy food products.”
