Progress 11/15/06 to 11/14/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A number of three PhD fellows and one MS fellow were trained in the interdisciplinary area of food safety engineering and were trained to undertake industry, academic or regulatory positions serving the area of Food Safety. The financial support from the grant has been acknowledged for the scientific presentations that have resulted from the fellows' research activities. PARTICIPANTS: 1) Dr. Carmen I. Moraru, Cornell University - PD: responsible with overseeing and directing all aspects of the project; advised one NN fellow; served as a committee member for a second NN Fellow 2) Dr. Syed Rizvi, Cornell University - CoPD: helped with recruitment of the fellows; 3) Dr. Joseph Hotchckiss, Cornell University - CoPD: helped with recruitment of the fellows; 4) Dr. Olga Padilla-Zakour, Cornell University - Collaborator - advised one NN fellow 5) Dr. Kathryn Boor, Cornell University - Collaborator - advised one NN fellow 6) Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Cornell University - Collaborator - advised one NN fellow 7) Lillian Hsu - PhD Fellow 8) Meera Iyer - PhD Fellow 9) Daina Ringus - PhD Fellow 10) Matthew Stasiewicz - MS Fellow TARGET AUDIENCES: This training program was aimed at training future leaders in the area of Food Safety, by uniquely bridging Food Science, Microbiology and Food Engineering to generate outstandingly trained Ph.D. and M.S.-level scientists in engineering aspects of food safety. This will impact the trained professionals, their employers (food industry, academia or governmental agencies), and ultimately the consumer, due to the contributions of these professionals to the area of food safety. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
At the end of the grant period time (November 2011), the MS fellow (Matthew Stasiewicz) completed his MS degree and is currently pursuing a PhD degree (as an IGERT fellow), and one of the PhD fellows (Meera Iyer) graduated successfully. Two other PhD fellows (Daina Ringus and Lillian Hsu) are in the final stages of their PhD, and are currently supported through faculty grants. The course work for all fellows followed closely the curriculum for the NNF fellows included in the funded USDA proposal. All fellows have had an outstanding academic performance. All PhD fellows have completed summer internships: two in the food industry (Daina Ringus and Meera Iyer), and the third one (Lillian Hsu) at the Western Regional Research Center of USDA in Albany, California (performing food safety engineering research). The NNF program fostered improved interdisciplinary training in food safety and food science, and thus it made considerable contributions to the enhancement of graduate training in food safety and food science in general.
Publications
- Uesugi A. R., Hsu L., and Moraru C.I. 2009. Effect of Pulsed Light treatment on growth and resistance behavior of Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IAFP, Texas, July 2009
- Ringus D.L. and Moraru C.I. 2009. Inactivation of Listeria innocua by pulsed light treatment on various food packaging materials. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Iyer, M. 2009. What the Hindu Consumer in America Expects of the Food Industry. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Iyer, M., Sacks, G., Padilla-Zakour, O. 2009. Herbaceous Flavor Development in Concord Grape Juice. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Moraru C.I., Wiedmann M., and Boor K. 2009. Graduate Training in Food Safety Engineering and Microbiology at Cornell University. Abstract and presentation at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program and Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting, October 2009, Washington, DC
- Hsu L. and Moraru C.I. 2009. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric microbial inactivation and process non-uniformities in Pulsed Light treatment of liquids. Abstract and presentation at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program and Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting, October 2009, Washington, DC
- Hsu L. and Moraru C.I. 2011. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric inactivation of food borne microorganisms in liquid substrates by Pulsed Light treatment. Journal of Food Engineering 105 (3): 569-576
- Sana Mujahid, Daina Ringus, and Courtenay Simmons. 2010. Food Safety in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters - Reducing Foodborne Disease Risk Through Implementation of Food Safety Standards. The Current 13:2.
- Uesugi A., Hsu L. and Moraru C.I. 2011. Effect of Pulsed Light treatment on the growth and resistance behavior of Listeria monocytogenes 10403S, Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli. Submitted
- Uesugi A., Hsu L., Worobo, R. and Moraru C.I. 2011. Gene expression analysis for Listeria monocytogenes following exposure to pulsed light and continuous ultraviolet light treatments. Submitted
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Progress 11/15/09 to 11/14/10
Outputs
The training program in Food Safety Engineering at Cornell University focuses on training graduate students with knowledge and skills at the interface between food & biological engineering and food microbiology & safety. The need for this program was triggered by recent changes in the food processing industry, which is currently adopting non-traditional processing methods for microbial inactivation. This created new employment opportunities for specialists able to apply sound engineering principles to design efficient microbial inactivation treatments or detection methods. The current program is providing 4 fellows (3PhD and 1MS) with multidisciplinary training opportunities offered by faculty with expertise in the fields of food science, food and biological engineering, microbiology, and veterinary medicine. The program also includes career building opportunities through internships in industry, government or regulatory agencies, participation at technical meetings, networking with prominent members of the food industry, participation in career fairs, career advise and job search support from professional career officers. PRODUCTS: By the end of the program, 3PhD fellows and 1MS fellow will be trained in the interdisciplinary area of food safety engineering and will be prepared to undertake industry, academic or regulatory positions serving the general area of Food Safety. OUTCOMES: The MS fellow has already completed his program, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Food Safety at Cornell University. All PhD fellows are making significant progress in their program: all fellows have passed their qualifying exam (a Graduate Field requirement), one of the fellows also passed her exam to candidacy (A exam), and the other two will complete their A-exams by December 2010. The course work for all fellows is following closely the curriculum for the NNF fellows included in the funded USDA proposal. All fellows have had an outstanding academic performance. All PhD fellows have completed summer internships: two in the food industry (Daina Ringus and Meera Iyer), and the third one (Lillian Hsu) at the Western Regional Research Center of USDA in Albany, California (doing food safety engineering research). DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: A presentation about the project was made at the NNF_MSP Meeting at USDA in October 2009. The objectives and progress of the project were publicly communicated to the Industrial Advisory Council of the Cornell Institute for Food Science. An advertising brochure was created for the project and information about the project is also posted online. The financial support from the grant has been acknowledged for the scientific presentations that have so far resulted as a direct result of the fellows' research activities. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We intend to capitalize on the accomplishments and successes of the current program and expand our efforts in the area of Food Safety Engineering training, both at the graduate and undergraduate level. New funding opportunities and strategic partnerships will be pursued in order to accomplish this goal.
Impacts
This NNF program is expected to make considerable contributions to the enhancement of food safety and food science education and graduate training. Along with similar initiatives, this program is meant to foster improved interdisciplinary training in food safety and food science.
Publications
- Alongi, K., Iyer. M. (NN Fellow). 2010. The Effect of Various Processing Parameters on the Development of Color and Flavor in Concord Grape Juice. Viticulture 2010; Rochester, NY. February 19th, 2010. Oral Presentation.
- Stasiewicz, M.J. (NN Fellow), T.M. Bergholz and M. Wiedmann. 2010. Characterization of the Listeria monocytogenes Transcriptional Response to Synergistic Growth Inhibition by Potassium Lactate and Sodium Diacetate. Oral Presentation. Pathogen, Sanitation and Seafood Technical Session of the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA.
- Regenstein, J.M., Clay, E., Chaudry, M. and Iyer, M. (NN Fellow). 2010. Religious Perspectives and Food Safety. Microbial Safety of Foods from Around the World. Muthukumarasamy, P. and Juneja,V.K. (editors). Submitted for publication.
- Hsu L. (NN Fellow) and Moraru C.I. 2010. Quantifying and mapping the spatial distribution of fluence inside a Pulsed Light treatment chamber and various liquid substrates. Journal of Food Engineering (in press).
- Hsu L. (NN Fellow) and Moraru C.I. 2010. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric inactivation of food borne microorganisms in liquid substrates by Pulsed Light treatment. Under review. Journal of Food Engineering
- Iyer, M.M. (NN Fellow), Sacks, G.L., Padilla-Zakour, O.I. 2010. Impact of Harvesting and Processing Conditions on Green Leaf Volatile Development and Phenolics in Concord Grape Juice. Journal of Food Science. 75 (3): 297-304.
- Stasiewicz, M.J. (NN Fellow), M. Wiedmann, and T.M. Bergholz. 2010. The combination of lactate and diacetate synergistically reduces cold growth across Listeria monocytogenes lineages. Journal of Food Protection.
- Hsu L. (NN Fellow) and Moraru C.I. 2010. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric inactivation of food-borne pathogens by Pulsed Light. Annual Meeting of IAFP, Anaheim, CA, August 2010
- Ringus, D.L. (NN Fellow) Ivy R., Wiedmann M., and Boor K. J. 2010. Stress-Induced transcription of SigB- And CtsR-regulated genes in persistent and non-persistent L. monocytogenes food processing isolates, ASM General Meeting, 2010, Poster and Student Oral Presentation, Food Microbiology Division
- Iyer, M. (NN Fellow). 2010. Shelf Life Evaluation of Natural Antimicrobials for Concord Grape Juice. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. July 18th, 2010. Poster.
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Progress 11/15/08 to 11/14/09
Outputs
The training program in Food Safety Engineering at Cornell University focuses on training graduate students with knowledge and skills at the interface between food & biological engineering and food microbiology & safety. The need for this program was triggered by recent changes in the food processing industry, which is currently adopting non-traditional processing methods for microbial inactivation. This created new employment opportunities for specialists able to apply sound engineering principles to design efficient microbial inactivation treatments or detection methods. The current program is providing 4 fellows (3PhD and 1MS) with multidisciplinary training opportunities offered by faculty with expertise in the fields of food science, food and biological engineering, microbiology, and veterinary medicine. The program also includes career building opportunities through internships in industry, government or regulatory agencies, participation at technical meetings, networking with prominent members of the food industry, participation in career fairs, career advise and job search support from professional career officers. PRODUCTS: By the end of the program, 3PhD fellows and 1MS fellow will be trained in the interdisciplinary area of food safety engineering and will be prepared to undertake industry, academic or regulatory positions serving the general area of Food Safety. OUTCOMES: All fellows are making significant progress in their program. The MS fellow is close to completing his degree, all PhD fellows have passed their qualifying exam (a Graduate Field requirement), and one of the fellows also passed her exam to candidacy (A exam). The course work for all fellows is following closely the curriculum for the NNF fellows included in the funded USDA proposal. All fellows have had an outstanding academic performance. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The objectives and progress of the project were publicly communicated to the Industrial Advisory Council of the Cornell Institute for Food Science. An advertising brochure was created for the project and information about the project is also posted online. The financial support from the grant has been acknowledged for the scientific presentations that have so far resulted as a direct result of the fellows' research activities. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Current efforts are being made for identifying appropriate internships for the fellows. One of the PhD fellows has already secured an internship with the food company General Mills, and another PhD fellow is working on obtaining an internship at one of the USDA labs.
Impacts
This NNF program is expected to make considerable contributions to the enhancement of food safety and food science education and graduate training. Along with similar initiatives, this program is meant to foster improved interdisciplinary training in food safety and food science.
Publications
- Uesugi A. R., Hsu L. (NN fellow), and Moraru C.I. (NN grant PI). 2009. Effect of Pulsed Light treatment on growth and resistance behavior of Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IAFP, Texas, July 2009
- Hsu L. (NN fellow), Sauer A., Uesugi A.R. and Moraru C.I. (NN grant PI). 2009. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric inactivation of foodborne pathogens by pulsed-light treatment. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Ringus D.L. (NN fellow) and Moraru C.I. (NN grant PI). 2009. Inactivation of Listeria innocua by pulsed light treatment on various food packaging materials. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Iyer, M. (NN fellow) 2009. What the Hindu Consumer in America Expects of the Food Industry. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Iyer, M. (NN fellow), Sacks, G., Padilla-Zakour, O. (NN grant collaborator) 2009. Herbaceous Flavor Development in Concord Grape Juice. Abstract in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of IFT, Anaheim, CA, June 2009
- Moraru C. I. (NN grant PI), Wiedmann M. (NN grant collaborator), and Boor K. (NN grant collaborator). 2009. Graduate Training in Food Safety Engineering and Microbiology at Cornell University. Abstract and presentation at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program and Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting, October 2009, Washington, DC
- Hsu L. (NN fellow) and Moraru C.I. (NN grant PI). 2009. A numerical approach for predicting volumetric microbial inactivation and process non-uniformities in Pulsed Light treatment of liquids. Abstract and presentation at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program and Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting, October 2009, Washington, DC
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Progress 11/15/07 to 11/14/08
Outputs
The MS and PhD training program in Food Safety Engineering addresses the National Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (TESA) 5 (Food Science) and focuses on training graduate students with knowledge and skills at the interface between food & biological engineering and food microbiology & safety. The need for this program was triggered by recent changes in the food processing industry, which is currently adopting non-traditional processing methods for microbial inactivation. This created new employment opportunities for specialists able to apply sound engineering principles to design efficient microbial inactivation treatments or detection methods. The current program is providing 4 fellows (3PhD and 1MS) with multidisciplinary training opportunities offered by faculty with expertise in the fields of food science, food and biological engineering, microbiology, and veterinary medicine. The program also includes career building opportunities through internships in industry, government or regulatory agencies, participation at technical meetings, networking with prominent members of the food industry, participation in career fairs, career advise and job search support from professional career officers. In the past year, the recruitment into the program was completed. 3 PhD fellows and 1 MS fellow are currently funded through the program. Mentoring meetings have been scheduled each semester with the fellows and the faculty members involved in the Food Safety Engineering initiative. PRODUCTS: By the end of the program, 3PhD fellows and 1MS fellow will be trained in the interdisciplinary area of food safety engineering and will be prepared to undertake industry, academic or regulatory positions serving the general area of Food Safety. OUTCOMES: Two of the PhD students are in their second year, and the third one already completed a semester. All PhD students have taken and passed their qualifying exam (Q exam), which satisfies the requirements of the Field of Food Science and Technology. The MS semester completed two semesters at Cornell. The course work for all fellows is following closely the curriculum for the NNF fellows included in the funded USDA proposal. All fellows have had an outstanding academic performance, which has been recognized by commendation letters from the Filed of Food Science and Technology. They have also made significant progress with their research. The first PhD fellow recruited into the program, Lillian Hsu, has won second place in the Graduate Student Research Paper Competition of the Nonthermal Division at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting in July 2008. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The objectives and progress of the project were publicly communicated to the Industrial Advisory Council of the Cornell Institute for Food Science. An advertising brochure was created for the project and information about the project is also posted online. The financial support from the grant has been acknowledged for the scientific presentations that have so far resulted as a direct result of the fellows' research activities. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Efforts will be made to enhance the interaction among the four fellows. Another important area is identifying appropriate internships for the fellows, particularly for the PhD fellows.
Impacts
This NNF program is expected to make considerable contributions to the enhancement of food safety and food science education and graduate training. Along with similar initiatives, this program is meant to foster improved interdisciplinary training in food safety and food science.
Publications
- Hsu L. (NN fellow), Sauer A. and Moraru C.I. (NN grant PI). 2008. Effect of spatial distribution of fluence on the in depth inactivation of E. coli by Pulsed Light in liquid substrates. Annual Meeting of IFT, New Orleans, July 2008
- Uesugi A. R., Hsu L. (NN fellow), and Moraru C. I. (NN grant PI). 2008. A closer look at Pulsed Light treatment: Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli survivor growth and resistance behavior in the plateau region of inactivation curves. Annual Meeting of IFT, New Orleans, July 2008
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Progress 11/15/06 to 11/14/07
Outputs
The MS and PhD training program in Food Safety Engineering addresses the National Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (TESA) 5 (Food Science) and focuses on training graduate students with knowledge and skills at the interface between food & biological engineering and food microbiology & safety. The need for this program was triggered by recent changes in the food processing industry, which is currently adopting non-traditional processing methods for microbial inactivation. This created new employment opportunities for specialists able to apply sound engineering principles to design efficient microbial inactivation treatments or detection methods. The current program is designed to provide 4 fellows (3PhD and 1MS) with multidisciplinary training opportunities offered by faculty with expertise in the fields of food science, food and biological engineering, microbiology, and veterinary medicine. The program also includes career building opportunities through internships in
industry, government or regulatory agencies, participation at technical meetings, networking with prominent members of the food industry, participation in career fairs, career advise and job search support from professional career officers. So far, the recruitment into the program is on schedule, following the timeline included in the proposal. A PhD student was already enrolled in the program in its first year, and 1 MS fellow has been recruited and has confirmed that he will join the program in January 2008.
PRODUCTS: By the end of the program, 3PhD fellows and 1MS fellow will be trained in the interdisciplinary area of food safety engineering.
OUTCOMES: The current PhD fellow, Lillian Hsu (MS, University of Pennsylvania), has made excellent progress in her course work, achieving a GPA of 3.9/4.0 after taking a total of 9 letter grade credit hours. Her course work is following closely the curriculum for the NNF fellows included in the funded USDA proposal. Her PhD Chair has been already selected and the rest of the Committee is currently being finalized. In order to foster a close collaboration with external agencies, one of the external members of the Committee is a Lead Scientist from the USDA - ARS Food Safety Intervention Technologies Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The objectives and progress of the project were publicly communicated as a poster and an oral presentation that gave an overview of the National Needs Graduate Fellowship Programs in Food Science at Cornell University, which were both presented at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting held in Washington, DC. An advertising and recruiting brochure for the project, as well as an online posting were also created.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Active efforts are made to ensure successful recruitment for the remaining 2 PhD positions. These efforts consist in online advertising, mailings and email communication with various relevant undergraduate and graduate programs in the country, a special attention being given to those institutions with a large number of students from underrepresented minorities.
Impacts
This NNF program is expected to make considerable contributions to overall improvements in food safety and food science graduate training. Along with similar initiatives, this program is meant to foster improved interdisciplinary training in food safety and food science.
Publications
- Moraru, C.I., Wiedmann, M. and Boor, K. 2007. National Needs Graduate Fellowships in Food Science at Cornell University. Presentation at the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program and Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) Project Directors and Beneficiaries Meeting, October 16-17, 2007, Washington, DC.
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