What crazy soy-based inventions did Purdue students come up with now?

Can soybeans really be this versatile?

The latest invent-something-with-soybeans-in-it contest from Purdue University and the Indiana Soybean Alliance has produced some of the most outlandish soy-based products yet.

Would you believe:

•Teeth whitener strips. (Well, soybeans are white. Sort of.)

•Air freshener. (What, you prefer mountain breeze to the dainty fragrance of freshly shelled soybeans?)

•Correction fluid. (Right, soybeans are white. We get it.)

•Glow sticks. (Soy candles re-engineered to be flameless!)

•Antifreeze/coolant. (Your brother-in-law the farmer always told you soybeans are cool.)

•Wine bottle stoppers. (Wait, we thought the uses of soybeans are unstoppable.)

The 13 new proposed soy inventions, all created by Purdue students, competed in the alliance’s 21st annual Soy Innovation Competition that awards a top price of $20,000 (and we presume that’s not soy-based coinage).

And this year’s winner is: Team Soy Sniffs, whose soy-based air freshener clearly smelled like a winner to the judges. The winning team consists of brothers Evan and Sean Anderson of Churubusco, Ind.; and Sara Richert of Oak Park, Ill.

“The Soy Sniffs team has created a unique product with real potential in the $8.5 billion global market for air fresheners and purification products,” said David Lowe, president of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and farmer from Dunkirk. “Every year, it’s difficult to judge among so many innovative ideas, and this year was no exception — it’s a testament to the ingenuity of our Purdue competitors and the versatility of the soybean.”

The $10,000 runner-up prize went to a team that invented a biodegradable flower pot. Team members are three students from Corydon, Ind.: Tyler Allen, Levi Jackson and Chelsea Sullivan.

The winners were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.

Call Star reporter Jeff Swiatek at (317)444-6483. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffSwiatek.