CHICAGO (July 16, 2025) — The American Egg Board’s (AEB) Eggcelerator Lab®, the egg industry’s premier innovation center, has announced the winners of its 2025 Student Innovation Competition. This year’s challenge pushed participants to explore new and novel uses for egg yolk in food product development, moving beyond traditional applications to unlock new potential in functionality, format and flavor.

Cornell University students Waritsara Khongkomolsakul, Sabrina Choi and Yihong Deng took first place with Eggsential Cereal, a globally inspired, shelf-stable product featuring crispy egg yolk pieces, chocolate, chia-coated chickpeas and freeze-dried fruit. Second place went to North Carolina State University’s Grab and Grow Custard and third place to the University of Tennessee’s Midas Bites. All winners took home cash prizes.

“Eggsential Cereal was chosen as the winner because it exemplifies how egg yolks can break out of the traditional mold of breakfast foods,” said Nelson Serrano-Bahri, Director of Innovation at the American Egg Board. “The team’s innovative use of egg yolk as a key ingredient, paired with chocolate, chia and freeze-dried fruits, highlights the versatility and potential of egg yolks in a dry format adaptable for snacking. Moreover, their approach pushes the boundaries of product development by combining global flavors with a clean label, creating a cereal that’s both novel and ready for commercialization.”

Competition Overview
Designed to inspire and cultivate creativity among undergraduate and graduate students, the Eggcelerator Lab® Student Innovation Competition invites teams to develop market-ready food concepts leveraging the functional power of eggs as ingredients. This year, the spotlight was on egg yolks, challenging students to innovate in ways that demonstrate their versatility beyond the kitchen staples like mayo.

From a broad field of entries, seven finalist teams were selected to advance. These teams worked closely with subject matter experts, refined their concepts and participated in an intensive final round that included written proposals, oral presentations and sensory testing.

Winners Announced

  • First Place ($8,000): Eggsential Cereal
    • Cornell University
    • Team: Waritsara Khongkomolsakul, Sabrina Choi, Yihong Deng
    • A globally inspired egg-yolk-based cereal that features crispy egg yolk pieces blended with chocolate and chia-covered chickpeas and freeze-dried strawberries and bananas.
  • Second Place ($5,000): Grab and Grow Custard
    • North Carolina State University
    • Team: Catherine Merigliano, Erin Pacifico
    • A portable, high-protein cinnamon custard snack designed for grab-and-go convenience.
  • Third Place ($3,000): Midas Bites
    • University of Tennessee
    • Team: Ploy Wong, Elena Cota, Luke Jackson
    • Globally inspired chocolate truffles in three flavors – Spiced Dark Chocolate, Mandarin Orange Milk Chocolate and Lavender London Fog White Chocolate – wrapped in delicate golden egg yolk threads.


Judging Panel
The competition was evaluated by an expert panel of industry leaders in culinary innovation and food product development:

  • Natalie Shmulik, Chief Strategy & Incubation Officer, The Hatchery and ICNC
  • Nikkita Randle, Founder, Twisted Eggroll
  • Jaime Mestan, Director of Culinary, Bell Flavors
  • Nelson Serrano-Bahri, Director of Innovation, American Egg Board

2026 Competition Theme Announced
The Eggcelerator Lab® is excited to announce that next year’s competition will challenge students to develop innovative egg-based beverages, including ready-to-drink and dry mix formats. The call for entries will open in July 2025 with winners announced at IFT FIRST 2026.

About the Eggcelerator Lab®
The Eggcelerator Lab® is the innovation center for the U.S. egg industry, delivering new egg-based ideas to market. Powered by proprietary consumer insights and technical expertise, the Lab supports companies through every step of the product development journey using its signature O.V.V.O.™ innovation process.

About the American Egg Board (AEB)
The American Egg Board is the national marketing organization of the U.S. egg industry. Home of the Incredible Egg, AEB’s mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. Headquartered in Chicago, IL. For more, visit IncredibleEgg.org.