By Frances Batara, StratCom Correspondent

Mr. Johnmel Valerozo, a faculty member of the MMSU Department of Food Science and Technology, clinched the 1st prize in a pitch competition during the Asian Institute Technology (AIT) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Summer School held from August 29 to 30  at the AIT Entrepreneurship Center, Pathum Thani, Thailand. 

With the theme, “Health and Wellness, Innovations for Impact,” the event serves as a platform for crafting and presenting scalable solutions aligned with the United Nations’ SDG on good health and well-being. 

Mr. Valerozo presented their proposal on plant-based probiotic milk that targets a healthy gut and mind. Mr. Ranjit Singh, a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Food Engineering and Bioprocess Technology at AIT, joined him. Dr. Anil Kumar Anal, chair of the Food Innovation Nutrition and Health Academic Program, served as their mentor. 

He expressed his gratitude upon receiving the award, “I feel thrilled and blessed. I'm excited about the opportunity to see our product move toward commercialization and positively impact young people's health.”

Mr. Valerozo is pursuing the degree of Master of Science in Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Health at AIT. 
The group will be awarded 1,500 euros as a cash incentive. They will represent AIT for this year’s SDG Olympiad, a global competition focusing on team-based projects and challenge-based innovations, particularly on environment and health, from September 25 to 26 in Paris, France.