Professor Discusses College Students Selling 4 Steamed Buns for 30,000 Yuan: Students Conducted Over 100 Experiments for a Single Fermentation Temperature, Saving Trial-and-Error Costs for the Enterprise

For days, a team of college students from Wuhan Business School has developed four steamed buns that were acquired by a company for 30,000 yuan, sparking widespread attention.

On March 13, Professor Chang Fu, a culinary master, senior industry expert, and professor at Wuhan Business School’s Food Science and Technology College, told Jiupai News, “The reason why the ‘Four Seasons Fragrance’ health-preserving steamed buns stand out is definitely not just because of their ‘good looks’.”

Why are companies willing to pay 30,000 yuan to acquire this idea? He explained that 30,000 yuan is not just for a recipe, but for a “commercially viable solution” and a “potential product concept.” Moving an idea from the laboratory to production requires solving a series of issues such as cost control, process stability, and shelf life.

“The student team has already achieved a breakthrough from zero to one, proving its feasibility. For companies, this greatly shortens the cycle from R&D to market launch and reduces trial-and-error costs,” he said. “‘Four Seasons Fragrance’ itself has a strong storytelling and cultural attribute, which naturally carries dissemination value. This is very helpful for attracting young consumers.”

“‘Four Seasons Fragrance’ health-preserving steamed buns.” Photo / Provided by interviewee

“For a fermentation temperature, they conducted hundreds of experiments,” Chang Fu told reporters. Steamed buns are a traditional staple in China, but the student team did not stop at simply ‘steaming the buns thoroughly.’ They seized the dual needs of young people for ‘health’ and ‘appearance,’ achieving a youthful and functional expression of traditional food, and combining the concept of ‘medicine and food as one’ in traditional Chinese medicine with modern nutrition science.

For example, the spring lotus bun contains bugleweed root and mugwort; the summer lotus bun includes hops and chestnuts. These are carefully matched ingredients, not just piled together, but thoughtfully considered for their health benefits. This innovative development of traditional foods is a very important direction for the industry’s future.

“After adding Chinese medicinal materials, how do you prevent affecting fermentation stability? How to ensure complex shapes don’t deform during steaming? How to keep natural colors stable?” Chang Fu said. Many people may only see the exquisite appearance of the buns, but as a professional teacher, he sees a series of technical challenges behind them.

“Steaming buns with flour is not difficult,” he explained. “But once you embed other substances into the dough, such as ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine and food, it can interfere with gluten network formation, affecting fermentation. These seemingly small changes require very high process control.”

Students conducting experiments. Photo / Provided by interviewee

Solving these problems is not easy. The student team conducted parallel experiments over three weeks, repeatedly testing fermentation time, temperature, and humidity, ultimately overcoming the transition from “experience” to “data.” Ding Yichen’s team repeatedly tasted and asked dormitory aunties and classmates to serve as “tasters,” focusing on user-centered product refinement.

In Chang Fu’s view, the catering industry is currently undergoing a profound transformation—from “delicious” to “delicious and healthy,” and then to “delicious, healthy, and cultural.” It requires a large number of versatile talents who understand culinary techniques, food science, and market demand.

He believes that this steamed bun’s entry into the “light health” track is very accurate. It is neither medicine nor ordinary snack but a healthy staple that meets daily needs. If future marketing can incorporate feedback from young consumers to refine fillings and textures, and tell compelling stories about the seasons and health preservation, it has great potential to become a popular internet sensation.

Jiupai News Reporter Zeng Yiting

【Source: Jiupai News】

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【Source: Jiupai News】