With support from faculty, students in the Department of Food Science and Technology<\/a> and the <\/a>Texas A&M Food Science Club<\/a>, the university\u2019s chapter of the The collection includes Aggie Gold<\/a>, a mustard-based BBQ sauce, along with a classic tomato-based variety called Game Day. A third flavor, Old Army, and a student-developed maroon lemonade are nearing release as well.<\/p>\n These products are made, bottled and sold by students who are learning the nuts and bolts of the food industry in real time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not just learning food science; we are applying it,\u201d said junior Marcus Waskom \u201927. \u201cWe develop the recipes, run the processing line and sell the final product.\u201d<\/p>\n A classroom that runs like a plant<\/p>\n The operation centers around the department\u2019s high acid hot-fill processing line. Installed in 2019, the system gives students direct experience with equipment similar to what they will encounter in commercial plants. The line was fully certified and ready for use in early 2020, though COVID delayed the launch. Building future food innovators<\/p>\n Discover the high-impact opportunities that prepare Food Science and Technology students through immersive learning, real-time production and collaborative projects to lead the food science industry.<\/p>\n \u201cSome lessons cannot be replicated on a stovetop,\u201d said Susanne Talcott, Ph.D.<\/a>, molecular researcher and professor in the department. \u201cWe know how Aggieland looks and feels and now we are exploring how Aggieland tastes.\u201d<\/p>\n She and Stephen Talcott, Ph.D.<\/a>, professor of food chemistry, advise the students.<\/p>\n To get the students started, the Talcotts made sure their food processing equipment was technically sound and put regulatory food safety procedures in place to have a fully approved commercial operation.<\/p>\n They also brought in additional faculty from the Department of Food Science and Technology to advise students on food production operations, including Rebecca Creasy Buckley, Ph.D.<\/a>, an instructional associate professor, who assisted with food product development.<\/p>\n Matt Taylor, Ph.D<\/a>., assistant professor of food microbiology and Alejandro Castillo, Ph.D.,<\/a> associate professor in food science, helped students with food safety testing and product monitoring. Both Taylor and Castillo have faculty appointments in the Department of Animal Science<\/a> and Department of Food Science and Technology.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want students to run a pilot plant where they operate real equipment and create a product they can sell,\u201d Stephen Talcott said.<\/p>\n Students produce the sauces and lemonade through various food science courses and the Food Science Club. They manage every stage of production: formulation, ingredient procurement, processing, bottling, labeling and compliance with food safety standards.<\/p>\n The hands-on learning comes with lessons they cannot get from lectures alone. In one instance, during an early batch, students forgot to pre-suspend their spices before adding them to a batch already loaded with ketchup and tomato paste.<\/p>\n Opening the powder mill released what Susanne Talcott described as a \u201cmushroom cloud of paprika, onion powder and chili.\u201d Everyone left sneezing, but no one forgot the lesson.<\/p>\n \u201cThat mistake only happens once,\u201d she said. \u201cScale brings challenges you never see in class.\u201d<\/p>\n From trial batches to finished products<\/p>\n Development starts in the Heep Building, where students meet twice a week to test flavors and troubleshoot. They scale successful recipes to full production in the pilot plant.<\/p>\n Currently, they are learning how heat, pH and storage conditions affect color and stability as they work to perfect a naturally colored maroon lemonade without artificial additives. The challenge is to create a color that lasts.<\/p>\n Junior Dane Handke \u201927 said the process builds real industry skills.<\/p>\n \u201cYou learn how to respond when something goes wrong, how to adjust a formula and how to maintain quality,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is the closest thing to working in a plant without being in one.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Bottles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251121FSTC_Lemondade_Production-day_BBQ-Sauce_HH-39.jpg\")
<\/a>Aggie Gold and Game Day BBQ sauces, developed and bottled by Texas A&M food science students. (Hannah Harrison\/Texas A&M AgriLife) <\/p>\n![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251121FSTC_Lemondade_Production-day_BBQ-Sauce_HH-34.jpg\")
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\nWith the assistance of faculty advisers, Texas A&M food science and technology students produce, bottle and label Aggie-made sauces and lemonade using industry-grade equipment in the Department of Food Science and Technology\u2019s pilot processing plant, gaining hands-on experience that mirrors commercial food production. (Hannah Harrison\/Texas A&M AgriLife) <\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251121FSTC_Lemondade_Production-day_BBQ-Sauce_HH-17.jpg\")
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