Food Safety and Quality
The Food Safety and Quality team consists of faculty with expertise in microbial, chemical and sensory analysis of foods and in novel food safety intervention strategies. The focus of the team’s research, teaching, extension and outreach efforts is to innovate and promote effective farm-to-fork measures for ensuring the microbial and chemical safety, nutritional content, desirable sensory attributes and overall quality of foods. Our overall goal is to innovate and promote effective farm-to-fork measures for ensuring the microbial and chemical safety, nutritional content and desirable sensory attributes of foods.
Objectives
- To achieve national and international recognition for our group’s expertise, activities and resources.
- To effectively engage federal and industry stakeholders in a sustainable cycle of funding, discovery and change (knowledge, action, condition).
- To recruit and train the next generation of academic and industry leaders in food safety and food quality.
Research Projects
- Developing and evaluating vaccines, probiotics, and treatments to enhance food safety and mitigate antibiotic resistance (Mellata)
- Developing effective antimicrobial intervention strategies based on natural and/or value-added antimicrobials (Brehm-Stecher, Mendonça)
- Determining the prevalence and control points for mitigation of food safety concerns from farm to consumer (Shaw)
- Evaluating the impact of intervention strategies on the safety and quality of foods and beverages (Wilson, Boylston)
- Determining the effects of thermal processing conditions on safety and quality of nuts, oilseeds, and legumes (Shi)
Unique or Key Facilities Related to the SAE
- High Pressure Processing (HPP) equipment
- BSL-2 meat processing line
- Flow cytometry and image analysis equipment
- Three Bioscreen C Microbiology Reader instruments, one capable of anaerobic work
- Greenhouses, growth chambers and research farms
Faculty Interests
Terri Boylston, PhD: Food and flavor chemistry, applications of probiotics to dairy foods
Byron Brehm-Stecher, PhD: Rapid detection of pathogens, development of antimicrobial systems
Melha Mellata, PhD: Antibiotic resistance, microbiome; zoonotic potential of bacteria; vaccines, and probiotics
Aubrey Mendonca, PhD: Discovery and application of natural and value-added antimicrobials, high pressure processing; influence of environmental stress and microbial physiological state on resistance of human enteric pathogens to food processes
Joey Talbert, PhD: Bio-based detection systems; biotechnology; nanotechnology; synthetic biology; enzymes; bioconjugation
Keith Vorst, PhD: Polymer and bioplastic food packaging, biological and chemical safety of food contact surfaces. Visit Polymer and Food Protection website.
Need More Information?
Byron Brehm-Stecher
3344 Food Sciences Building
536 Farm House Lane
Ames, IA 50011-1054