Second place in innovation competition

Two budding food technologists from Fulda have achieved great success with a new caffeine-, protein- and vegetable-rich snack development that utilises by-products from beverage production: Anne Anton and Annabelle Lauterbach, both 21 years old, have taken a second place course in the Trophelia Germany 2026 innovation competition.

Trophelia is one of the most prestigious German competitions for food innovations from universities and is organised by FEI, the Research Association of the German Food Industry. The competition is looking for the best ideas for innovative food products that are not only convincing from a nutritional point of view, but also from an ecological perspective.

Ecological added value
The Fulda team's product is called "Snicks" - a combination of the words "snack" and "sticks". The recipe is based on soya flour, gluten and carrots. If you eat one portion - which corresponds to a pack of seven sticks - you will consume approximately one organic carrot with carrot greens and other vegetables such as onions and leeks. That's two handfuls of vegetables per portion. One pack covers two of the five vegetable portions recommended by the German Nutrition Society (DGE) as a daily portion.

The product is of particular ecological value thanks to the use of guayusa pomace, a caffeine-containing vegetable by-product that is produced during beverage production and is usually disposed of. After extraction, the pomace still contains so much caffeine that a caffeine-containing solution can be produced in a second extraction step, which is integrated into the sticks. This extends the life cycle of the tea leaf.

Nutrient-rich snack
"Snicks" is intended as a snack for nutrition-conscious consumers. The snack contains no added sugar and is designed to provide plenty of plant-based protein and fibre. As an alternative to heavily sweetened energy drinks or the usual cup of coffee, it is intended to provide a gentle energy boost without making you jittery.

Ingredients from the region
When making the product, the students focussed on using ingredients produced as locally as possible. A regional organic beverage producer provided the guayusa pomace. Although the organic carrots for the prototype came from the supermarket, they could also have been supplied by a regional producer. "It's not just important to us to develop a plant-based product. We also want to strengthen the region and use regional raw materials and value chains," emphasise the two prizewinners.

Thinking through to market maturity
"Snicks" was developed as part of the "New products for the future" module in the food technology department. The task for the students was to develop a new type of food that is both sustainable and marketable. "It's not just about the degree of innovation, but also that the product is actually feasible," says Professor Dr Philipp Seibert, who supervised the development. This is why steps such as creating a market analysis, a marketing strategy and a packaging design were also part of the process.

It was the first time that Fulda food technology students had taken part in the competition since Seibert took over the professorship for plant-based food technology in 2022. "The fact that we came second is a great confirmation of the innovative strength we have here in the region with our students," he emphasises.

Recipe with potential
Work still needs to be done on the shelf life of the product. As a fresh product, however, "Snicks" is already conceivable. However, the team is dependent on practical placement partners to actually bring the innovation to market. "As a university, we can't act as producers ourselves. We provide ideas that we can only implement together with food manufacturers," explains Professor Seibert. In any case, the recipe also offers sufficient potential for other product variants that could be produced in the future.