Color-changing milk jelly, char siu apple pie, cheesy bolognese potato bowl, high-protein oat bars… Food aroma fills the air on the third floor of the cafeteria. But this isn't a campus food festival—it's a final exam around“food” for GTIIT second-year Biotechnology and Food Engineering students.

Sixteen dishes were lined up as judges moved from table to table, tasting and asking questions along the way. Team members stood by their creations, ready to pitch their "signature products."

Designed as a "taster" before students move on to upper-level food courses, the exam integrates food chemistry, product development, regulatory compliance, and marketing—with a particular focus on the scientific understanding of food chemistry principles underlying the formulation and preparation of the dish.

"The biggest innovation in our dish is that we didn't use any commercial emulsifiers or stabilizers," one student from the "Pro Ice Cream Cube" team explained enthusiastically. "Instead, we used dry ice for solidification, then rebalanced the formula—pushed the water content as low as possible, cranked up the protein and fat, so it feels way smoother on the tongue. We also threw in some yeast extract to cut through the richness and kill that bitter aftertaste you get from high-protein stuff."

Ditching traditional written exams, the students turned core concepts from course Food Chemistry—emulsification, gelation, Maillard reaction, phase transitions—into a diverse array of original dishes. Each group delivered their presentations entirely in English. It was more than just an assessment; it was an opportunity to think and act like entrepreneurs—developing, presenting, and persuading every step of the way.

"We work on their creativity and innovation spirit while taking what they have learned so far into something that is real, that you can feel, taste, and see. This gives them a completely different challenge, " said Associate Professor Yigal Achmon, the course instructor. "Usually in reports or in lab works, they know exactly what to do. Here they need to challenge themselves. They need to get their own ideas and their own way and to make it something real. The judging is by what they actually created."

The assessment also brought in professors from various disciplines, representatives from the Shantou Food Industry Promotion Association, experienced chefs, and senior students to serve as judges, evaluating from perspectives including theory, market viability, culinary technique, and taste. "The diverse panel of judges is giving the students a unique opportunity to showcase their diversity and their ability to handle all kinds of questions and situations. This is very important for their future."