SoyShield wins soy competition

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A team of students from Purdue University earned $20,000 for creating SoyShield — an alternative to plastic wrap designed to be used in laboratories to seal chemical containers.

SoyShield is a 100% biodegradable, highly elastic, self-adhesive lab-grade and food-grade film.

Claire Eckhardt, Nicholas Emge and Leah Hartzell were honored for their invention at the 31st annual Student Soybean Innovation Competition.

“In the home consumer market, there is a great need for elastic films to seal food,” Eckhardt said.

“Additionally, the permeable and compostable nature of SoyShield makes it much less of a choking hazard for children in the home compared to non-permeable plastic counterparts currently on the market.”

“Participating in this competition has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Hartzell added. “Co-creating SoyShield has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the business and marketing aspects of a project rather than solely focusing on technical skills.

“Being able to see our vision come to life in the lab and then working with my teammates to continually improve our prototype was such a gratifying process.”

Other Winners

Team SoySleek earned second place for their soy-based shampoo bar.

Each ingredient was chosen to produce healthy, shiny hair that maintains the hair’s natural oils and color. The bar is concentrated with cleansing, longevity and eco-friendly properties.

The SoySleek team members are Riya Miglani, Shreya Prakash and Angelus Vanhappilly.

Team PuraSoy earned third place for creating a multipurpose pad.

PuraSoy is a 100% soy-based, dry, multipurpose pad product made with two soy-based ingredients. It is gentle on a variety of surfaces including skin, face, glassware and dishes.

The PuraSoy team members are Jocelyn Erickson and Jessica Parks.

The Dr. Rodolfo Pinal People’s Choice Award was given to Team SoyCare, who created soybean-based diapers that provide a cost-effective, highly biodegradable and renewable product.

About The Competition

The Student Soybean Innovation Competition is a partnership between the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Purdue.

“The goal of the competition is to highlight the versatility of soybeans while addressing a need in agriculture or the general public,” said Denise Scarborough, farmer and ISA board chair.

“ISA looks forward to working with Purdue students each year and seeing what unique products they create. The products made by these students can expand opportunities and markets for all Indiana soybean growers.”

Learn more at bit.ly/soycompetition.