Snack with apple pomace wins Fulda University of Applied Sciences ideas competition

Elena Heid and Lisanne May, two students from the Department of Food Technology, have won this year's Fulda University of Applied Sciences ideas competition. They received 1,000 euros in prize money for their idea called "Kräckster". They developed the wafer-thin and crispy baked snack, which contains upcycled apple pomace as well as valuable ingredients such as oat flakes, sunflower seeds, linseed and sesame, as part of their university studies.

"Kräckster" does not contain any additives or flavour enhancers and is made exclusively from regional ingredients. "The two meet current consumer wishes and food trends such as sustainability, regionality and the naturalness of the raw materials and additionally counteract food waste," says Claudia Steinhauer from Fulda University of Applied Sciences, member of the jury.

Apple pomace is a waste product from apple juice production. 25 per cent of apples cannot be pressed. In times of increasing crop failures and scarcity of resources, it is "not justifiable to use the pomace as animal feed or for biogas plants when it can also be used for human nutrition," write the two prizewinners in their sketch.

The students see their target group primarily as consumers who consciously value a sustainable and ecological offer in a growing snack market.

App that provides an overview of the entertainment offer

Marcel Otto, a student from the department of applied computer science, took second place, worth 750 euros, with the "MovieVoice" app, a comparison platform for films and series. In addition to the latest news, it provides a comprehensive lexicon with automatic voice actor recognition, a practical streaming overview that provides the user with suggestions from several streaming services simultaneously and a supported cinema search. This allows users to find the best cinema at the best price. The idea was born while watching films with friends.

Platform for election candidates

The third prize, worth 500 euros, went to an interdisciplinary team from the departments of applied computer science and business sciences for their idea "Win Tomorrow", a special platform for election candidates. The platform uses comprised tools to support the planning of political speeches and campaigns, for example tailored to regional requirements. The aim is to address voters in a more targeted manner and optimise election campaign costs.

A total of seven teams presented their ideas on Monday of this week (5 February) at the award ceremony in the Fulda University Transfer Centre. As always, the audience was able to award their own prize in a live vote. It went to the "Win Tomorrow" team. They can look forward to a sightseeing flight over the Wasserkuppe.

Fulda University of Applied Sciences organises the ideas competition once a year. The aim is to encourage students to think about start-ups. In addition to the product idea, the submitted project outlines must also be convincing in terms of their benefits and provide initial approaches for marketing and sales.

The winners at a glance

Jury prizes:
1. Kräckster - snack made from upcycled apple pomace and valuable grains and seeds (Elena Heid, Lisanne May, Department of Food Technology, €1,000 prize money)

2nd MovieVoice - App for the world of film and series (Marcel Otto, Department of Applied Computer Science, 750 euros prize money)

3. Win Tomorrow - platform for candidates preparing for political speeches (Abbas Abbas, Shinu Donney, Usama Tahir from the Department of Applied Computer Science and Rebecca Rosa from the Department of Business, 500 euros prize money)

Audience Award:
Win Tomorrow - platform for candidates preparing for political speeches (Abbas Abbas, Shinu Donney, Usama Tahir from the Department of Applied Computer Science and Rebecca Rosa from the Department of Business, prize: sightseeing flight over the Wasserkuppe)

Other ideas that were presented:
Escape the Canteen - Escaperoom to raise awareness of food waste - Stefanie Baumgart, Jana Böhmert, Luisa Kulla,Sophie Ritter, Department of Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences

Unlock Me - card game for the specialisation of human relationships - Tracy Mangel, Department of Business

Coappy - Digitisation of communities in an app - Mehmet Pektezel, Department of Applied Computer Science

EcoTrack - Software for automated sustainability tracking - Leon Achterling, Joshua Paechnatz, Kilian Blume, Nico Keller, Department of Business