A group of students from the Da Nang University of Science and Technology (DUT) has developed a isoflavone-enriched pennywort milk project with a desire to help local farmers expand consumption markets and raise the level of locally-built plant in domestic and international markets.

A LAUREL member conducting a survey on a pennywort growing area in Thua Thien Hue Province

Da Nang student startup team, called LAUREL, consists of Dinh Thi Bich Phuong (the Faculty of Food Technology), Nguyen Bao Long (the Faculty of Industrial Management), Le Chanh Chi Tai (the Faculty of Biotechnology) and Nguyen Thi Xuan Nhi (the Faculty of Chemical Engineering).

Sharing the reason for the development of the project, Dinh Thi Bich Phuong said some of LAUREL members hailed from Quang Tho Commune, Quang Dien District, Thua Thien Hue Province, where hundreds of farmers depend directly on pennywort growing for their livelihood. However, over the past years, the pennywort growers in Quang Tho Commune have been struggling with the situation of bumper crops resulting in low prices, and seeing high prices only after poor crops. Especially in 2020, the cultivation and sale of this plant were severely affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

Stemming from that fact, Da Nang student startup team members together came up with the idea of producing isoflavone-enriched pennywort milk. The main ingredients of this nutritious product are pennywort, soybeans and cashew nuts.

Thanks to its good idea, innovative business model, and positive environmental impacts, the LAUREL-developed pennywort milk project won the top prize in the Hult Prize at DUT competition last month.

Of special note, this project has advanced to the finals of the 2021 Hult Prize Southeast Asia Regional which is slated to take place in April.

The LAUREL team won the top prize in the Hult Prize at DUT competition for their isoflavone-enriched pennywort milk project

First held in 2009, the Hult Prize, referred to as the "Nobel Prize for students" by media outlets worldwide, is the world’s largest social impact competition. Run in partnership with the United Nations, student teams come together to compete to solve a pressing social issue by developing a scalable, sustainable social enterprise.

Within the framework of the Hult Prize, the Hult Prize on Campus programme has been organised universities across Viet Nam since last year. The programme allows student leaders on campus to organise their own, localised version of the Hult Prize, using a turn-key tool kit.

As part of the Hult Prize on Campus programme, the so-called Hult Prize at DUT competition was held for the first time at the Da Nang University of Science and Technology between November 2020 and January 2021.

By XUAN SON – Translated by M.D