CHICAGO — The American Egg Board announces the winners of its 2025 Eggcelerator Lab® Product Development Competition. The event, now in its second year, issues a challenge to undergraduate and graduate student food innovators to develop new food concepts that use eggs in unique ways.
Cornell University was selected as this year’s first-place team. Their product, Eggsential Cereal, is a shelf-stable cereal product that features crispy egg yolk pieces, chocolate, chia-coated chickpeas, and freeze-dried fruit.
This year’s product theme was to incorporate egg yolks into the items. The students were challenged to show the functionality, versatility, and flavor of egg yolks in a way that is beyond usual preparation.
“This competition is a strong example of how America’s egg farmers are investing in the future of eggs — not only be exploring new product opportunities, but by supporting the next generation of food and innovation leaders,” Nate Hedtke, AEB’s vice president of innovation and customer engagement, said. “These students brought fresh thinking, creativity, and technical skill to the challenge, showing just how much untapped potential exists for egg yolks in today’s evolving food landscape.”
The 2025 competition winners include:
- First place, $8,000: Cornell University, Eggsential Cereal. The team included Waritsara Khongkomolsakul, Sabrina Choi, and Yihong Deng.
- Second place, $5,000: North Carolina State University, Grab and Grow Custard. NCSU’s team were Catherine Merigliano, and Erin Pacifico. Their product is a high-protein custard featuring cinnamon and designed for on-the-snacking.
- Third place, $3,000: University of Tennessee, Midas Bites. The UT team were Ploy Wong, Elena Cota, and Luke Jackson. Their product of chocolate truffles were also wrapped in egg yolk threads.
“Eggs are a powerhouse in food formulation, delivering more than 20 functional benefits — from binding and emulsifying to aerating and adding color — that make them essential across the food industry,” AEB said.
Judges for this year’s competition were Natalie Shmulik, The Hatchery and ICNC chief strategy and incubation officer; Nikkita Randle, Twisted Eggroll founder; Jaime Mestan, Bell Flavors, director of culinary; and Nelson Serrano-Bahri, AEB director of innovation.
This competition, which seeks inventive uses for eggs in new products, is funded through AEB’s national check-off program and encourages students to reimagine egg usage.
“Finalists are selected from a national pool and work closely with food and culinary experts to refine their concepts through written proposals, presentations, and sensory testing,” AEB added. “By cultivating new ideas and supporting emerging talent, the competition reinforces the vital role eggs will continue to play in the future of food and agriculture.”
For more on the competition and AEB, visit www.IncredibleEgg.org.
