Rapid pathogen detection methods based on advances in molecular and analytical technologies are providing better accuracy, sensitivity, reproducibility, and speed than traditional methods. To bring scientists up to date on these technologies and their potential effect on food safety and public health, the Illinois Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) and the Food Research Institute (FRI) held a symposium on rapid methods in food safety microbiology in September 2014. Neil H. Mermelstein with Food Technology covered the symposium in the magazine's December 2014 issue.
link Full ArticleThe National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), on which FRI Affiliated Faculty member Stacey Schultz-Cherry participated, has moved closer to finalizing its recommendations on control strategies to reduce foodborne norovirus infections. The draft document can be viewed here.
link Full ArticleIt’s all hands — and tongues and eyes and noses — on deck for the Food Microbiology: Looking at Dinner Through a Microscope program this Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Brown County Central Library.
Adam Borger, outreach program manager for FRI, will be joined by Schreiber Foods research microbiologist Erin Headley for an interactive program designed for kids that will cover the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to food microbes.
link Full ArticleRapid methods in food safety microbiology were the topics of discussion at a recent one-day symposium cosponsored by the Institute for Food Safety and Health (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the Food Research Institute (University of Wisconsin–Madison) on September 18, 2014, in Burr Ridge, Illinois. Meeting attendees included representatives from the FDA, USDA, CDC, and numerous academic institutions, with over 25 companies specializing in foods or analytical methods used in their testing represented.
link Full ArticleThe Kikkoman Foods Foundation has donated $50,000 to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs for student scholarships in the name of former Gov. Patrick Lucey.
The donation to establish the Patrick J. Lucey Memorial Scholarship Fund was announced Sept. 14 at a memorial service in the Wisconsin Capitol for Lucey, who died this year at the age of 96.Longtime FRI team member Dr. Ronald Weiss passed away on Sept. 20, 2014 following a valiant one-year battle with bone marrow cancer.
Dr. Weiss joined the Food Research Institute (FRI) as Research Program Manager in 1995. He acted as the liaison between FRI faculty and staff and the university scientific community and FRI’s corporate sponsors, and was an invaluable contributor to the research, service, and education missions of the FRI program.
link Full ArticleFormer FRI Director Mike Pariza will be honored with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Distinguished Service Award at the annual Honorary Recognition Banquet and Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 16 in Varsity Hall, Union South. More information can be found here.
link Full ArticleNicole Baker, a senior Animal Sciences major who participated in the FRI Summer Undergraduate Research Program this year, was featured in eCALS for her research project, sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors.
link Full ArticleThe FRI Summer Undergraduate Research Scholars will be presenting their research on Thursday, July 31 at 9 a.m. in Room 6201 of the Microbial Sciences Building. Those interested in viewing the presentations may attend in person or via webinar. To register for the online webinar, click here. A schedule of the presentations is available here.
On July 8, nine FRI Summer Undergraduate Research Program participants toured Sargento's cheese processing facility, as well as the original Johnsonville plant. Students were given a real-life perspective of what it's like to apply food safety knowledge in the industry. Read more here.
link Full ArticleOn June 19, 10 UW–Madison undergraduate students participating in the 2014 FRI Summer Undergraduate Research Program visited two prominent Wisconsin food companies: Kerry Ingredients and Kikkoman. "The field trips to food companies are a great way to emphasize the importance of microbiology in food production," said Adam Borger, outreach program manager for FRI. Read more here.
link Full ArticleOrganizations like the Food Research Institute are vital to advancing the latest in food safety research, according to an op-ed, which spotlighted the FRI 2014 Annual Spring Meeting, by Dan Engeljohn of the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service. "Without question, our national food safety net is stronger because of institutions like UW," the article said. Read more here.
link Full ArticleFRI Director Chuck Czuprynski announces the First Annual UW-Madison Dairy Research Symposium, a forum for UW-Madison investigators whose research involves dairy animals or products (in the broadest sense) to meet and learn about the efforts of others. The goal is to make people aware of the breadth and depth of dairy-related research on campus and facilitate interactions that result in new collaborative projects, funding opportunities, and discoveries.
The event will be held the afternoon of May 29 from 1:30-4:30 in Room 1520 Microbial Sciences.
Presentation themes: Dairy cow production and health; Dairy product development and safety; Dairy sustainability issues; Impact of dairy products on human nutrition and health; Economic and policy issues for dairy production and dairy products. For more information, contact Chuck Czuprynski at
email
or (608) 262-8102.
On April 2, 2014, FRI Outreach Program Manager Adam Borger (email) visited Kerry Ingredients in Beloit, WI to discuss microbiological safety, spoilage, shelf-life and specifications with approximately 50 members of the Kerry research and development team. "Few things in life are more boring than listening to someone talk about microbiological specifications and shelf-life," said Borger. "But these topics are incredibly important to all food manufacturers and can have a drastic economic impact for a company if not properly addressed." Thankfully, the folks at Kerry Ingredients provided a very welcoming and appreciative audience. Organized by Sylvia Min (Kerry Ingredients R&D) and Vivien Sheehan (Kerry Ingredients R&D Manager, Fermented Ingredients), the session addressed the thought process behind product development to help ensure formulations are microbiologically safe throughout production and storage as well as performing basic evaluations to establish a reliable shelf-life to combat spoilage. "The response has been very positive" wrote Sheehan, and Borger agrees. "It was a fun time, honestly. The R&D associates at Kerry were very engaged and asked a lot of good questions afterward." Kerry Ingredients, located in Beloit, WI, is a sponsor of the Food Research Institute and also a strong supporter of the University of Wisconsin. "This is one benefit of sponsoring the Food Research Institute and I am happy to help," stated Borger. "Frankly, I wish more sponsors would take advantage of this type of benefit."
FRI Executive Committee member Nancy Keller, professor, Med. Micro. & Immunol., whose research is on the genetic regulation of metabolism and fungal development, focusing on the virulence of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, has been appointed the "Robert L. Metzenberg and Kenneth B. Raper Professor of Mycology" Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation named professorship in 2014. (CALS News).
link Full ArticleFRI researcher Sabine Pellett, of Eric Johnson's lab, shares the saga of the sausage toxin, botulinum (from Clostridium botulinum) and the conversion of one of the most deadly poisons known to humanity into a prescription drug whose good works go far beyond the treatment of vanity. (Wednesday Nite @ the Lab).
link Full ArticleFRI Executive Committee member Andy Milkowski, adjunct professor, animal sciences, received the American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation's Scientific Achievement Award during the International Production & Processing Expo, in Atlanta, January 2014 (American Meat Institute).
link Full ArticleJeri Barak, associate professor, plant pathology, joined FRI as a Food Pathogens and Toxins Cluster faculty. Jeri studies bacterial colonization of plants with a focus on food safety of fresh produce.
FRI Executive Committee member Laura Knoll presents research on studying the host/pathogen interactions of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The Knoll laboratory studies the natural ability of microbial proteins to stimulate immune responses, has purified microbial proteins that have immunotherapeutic activity against bacterial infections, and will be testing these immunostimulatory proteins as treatments for a broad range of infections and cancers. (Wednesday Nite @ the Lab).
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