By Blake Jackson
The Mizzou Dairy Products Evaluation Team achieved significant success at the National Dairy Products Evaluation contest on April 16 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Junior Sophia Sapp (Food Science and Nutrition) earned the top individual ranking, marking only the fourth time in the contest's history that Missouri has had the number one contestant. Notably, last year's top individual, Kevin Trieu, now a graduate student, placed first in All Products this year.
Sophia Sapp also received The Joe Larson Merit Award, recognizing her leadership potential, professionalism, and understanding of sensory techniques in dairy products.
The Mizzou team demonstrated strong performance, securing 2nd place in Cottage Cheese and Ice Cream, 4th in Milk, 3rd in Yogurt, and 4th in All Products.
Individually, Sophia Sapp excelled, taking 2nd in Cottage Cheese and Yogurt, 4th in Ice Cream, and 1st in All Products among undergraduates. Other undergraduate achievements included Norah Pierce (5th in Ice Cream) and Marina Firman (6th in Ice Cream and Milk).
Graduate student Mehdi Hajikhani placed 3rd in Butter, 1st in Cheddar Cheese, 2nd in Cottage Cheese and Milk, 3rd in Ice Cream, 4th in Yogurt, and 3rd in All Products. The team is coached by Rick Linhardt from the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.
Photo Credit: university-of-missouri
Categories: Missouri, Business, Education