"We have between three and four tonnes of it a week, so there is plenty to work with," production manager Chris O'Leary said this week.
For the next six months, four Kavanagh College pupils will be combining science, mathematics and technology skills to try to dream up a concept for, and possibly a recipe for, a food product using the grain.
The alcohol-free grain was an excellent cattle food, but Mr O'Leary said he was not aware whether it was used as a human food ingredient in New Zealand or overseas.
"We haven't done much research. We are hoping that is something the kids will do as part of the project."
The year 10 Kavanagh pupils - Charlotte Steel, Annabelle Weston, Caitlin Spence and Ike Saunders - are among seven teams from five Dunedin schools which have entered the inaugural Otago Food Science Challenge.
All are working with Dunedin manufacturing companies on product or marketing ideas.
Queen's High School has entered two teams. One will be designing a new label for a West's Cordial chocolate drink and testing its market appeal, while the other will develop a pesto in a squeeze bottle for Pasta D'Oro.
Columba College has also entered two teams. One will be working with breakfast product manufacturer Harraway and Sons and the other with the Gourmet Ice Cream Company.
The King's High School team will work with Speight's Brewery to develop a non-alcoholic breakfast drink, while the Logan Park High School team will attempt to create "a pie that women want" for Marlow Pies.
Started in Auckland and Palmerston North in 2008, the challenge aims to introduce secondary school pupils to the options and careers available in food science. In most cases, pupils can use their projects to gain NCEA science credits.
University of Otago's food science department head Prof Phil Bremer said he was impressed with the support Dunedin food manufacturers had given the challenge.
"I think we have about 10 companies here and eight of them are taking part."
He hoped the challenge would encourage pupils to consider tertiary food science qualifications, a wide-ranging discipline which included chemistry, biology, microbiology, engineering and marketing.
Major food producers and processors such as wineries, dairy companies and meat processors in New Zealand and overseas were "crying out" for qualified scientists and the career prospects were good, he said.
"If you have a qualification the world is your oyster."
An Otago winner would be selected in September, he said.
