Headshot of Cecilia Azar
Author: Cecilia Azar | Major: Food, Human Nutrition, and Health | Semester: Spring 2023
My name is Cecilia Azar, and I am graduating from the University of Arkansas’ Dale Bumper’s Honors College with a degree in Food, Human Nutrition, and Health this May. Mrs. Nancy Buckley was my mentor for my honors thesis project, where we developed a non-alcoholic beverage product marketed toward college students. I began my research in the fall semester of 2021 and completed it during the 2023 spring grant term.
My thesis was a part-research, part-creative project titled, Student Preferences on the Development of a Non-Alcoholic Beverage Product to Alleviate the Negative Impact of Alcohol on College Campuses. The goal of my project was to develop a product that would offer students a non-alcoholic option primarily in social college settings. This product is intended for all students, whether they choose to completely abstain from alcohol, are under the legal drinking age, or are looking to lower their alcohol intake. A survey sent out to University of Arkansas students revealed that 59.7 percent of students have felt peer pressured to drink alcohol and 77.6 percent of students have witnessed or become victim to a negative consequence of alcohol during college. My research proved that there is not only a desire for such a product on college campuses, but also that students believe it could reduce the negative impact of alcohol among their peers.
I knew I wanted my project to be related to cooking in some way or another, as recipe and product development have always interested me. After considering several ideas, I settled on this topic because of the sudden rise in the no-alcohol and low-alcohol beverage industry over recent years and because of the positive influence it could leave in college environments. I believe raising alcohol awareness and reducing the negative impact of alcohol on college campuses—especially on one as big as the University of Arkansas where Greek life, sports, and party culture are so prominent—are extremely vital to student success. Mrs. Buckley is a professor who I worked most closely with while obtaining my degree. She has been incredibly supportive of both my education and my career aspirations. I knew she would support my thesis topic and offer incredible insight on recipe development for this project, which is why I chose her to be my mentor.
This project was undoubtedly a learning experience. Originally, it was strictly a creative project; I planned to work with the Arkansas Food Innovation Center to fully develop the product and hold a student-based taste-testing session to receive feedback. By the time I presented my proposal in the fall of 2022, my committee supportively mentioned that it was quite ambitious for the time I had left. Through trial and error of recipe testing, I learned that developing a beverage product different enough to stand apart from juice, soda, or other non-alcoholic options already on the market was going to be more difficult than I initially intended. Ultimately, I ended up forming a recipe that I believe serves its purpose and is unique compared to competing products, as well as developed a virtual prototype of the product. I focused on analyzing the survey more in depth to create a product that would be most in line with student preferences instead of putting my time into completely developing a 3D prototype. Through this, I learned how important it is to take constructive criticism from your committee and adapt your plan when necessary.
No other students or faculty helped me in creating the recipes and prototype, but I could not have completed this project without the help of the professors who sent the survey out to their classes and students who filled out the survey. My committee and mentor helped me continuously throughout my research, the development of the survey, and the written thesis. I spent one day at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center learning about beverage development, which was extremely beneficial to my research, but I did not travel elsewhere.
As for my next move, I will be starting an 8-month long culinary program this September and will be pursuing a career in food media and culinary production post-graduation. In the future, I would love to fully develop this beverage product with the foundation I’ve created through this project.