Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Susan Duncan, Dairy and Sensory Evaluation

Bill Eigel,                Food Biochemistry

Joe Marcy:               Food Processing

Merle Pierson: Food Microbiology

 Sean O’Keefe: Food Chemistry

Susan Sumner:   Food Safety

Walter Hartman:    Dairy Plant Manager whartman@vt.edu

Kim Waterman:  Dairy Chemistry    Kwater@vt.edu

Brian Yaun: Microbiology byaun@vt.edu           Phone: (540) 231-8697

Updates at Virginia Tech

Dairy Processors’ Occupational Safety Session and VA Dairy Quality Control Conference

The OSHA Session and 16^th Annual Dairy Quality Control Conference were held on September 9^th and 10^th at The German Club Manor in Blacksburg.  Speakers addressed a broad range of topics currently of interest to the dairy industry, including -- improvement of fluid milk shelf-life, building demand for dairy through research, milk marketing methods, and an update on the pathogen Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. After the program adjourned, conference participants enjoyed the traditional boiled shrimp and barbeque dinner.  Thanks to all who attended and to all who participated in the program. 

HOT TOPICS AND DAIRY ISSUES

Control of Food Safety Hazards in Juice Products Through Application

of HACCP Principles

 The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition seeks Public Comments within 60 days of the date of publication in the Federal Register, which occurred on September 12, on a draft guidance document entitled “Guidance for Industry: Juice HACCP Hazards and Controls Guidance” (first edition), which supports and complements the FDA regulation that requires a processor of juice to evaluate its operations using Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and, if necessary, to develop and implement HACCP systems for its operations. The draft guidance represents FDA’s views on potential hazards in juice products and how to control them, and it is designed to assist juice processors in the development of HACCP plans ... Under the HACCP regulations in part 120 (21 CFR part 120), juice processors are required to evaluate their operations using HACCP principles and, if necessary, to develop and implement HACCP systems for their operations. Under § 120.9, juice products are adulterated under section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 342) if a processor or importer fails to have and implement a HACCP plan when one is necessary, or otherwise fails to meet any of the requirements of the regulations. The primary purpose of the draft guidance is: (1) To help processors and importers of juice products identify the likelihood that a food safety hazard may occur in their product, and (2) to guide them in the preparation of appropriate HACCP plans for those hazards that are reasonably likely to occur ..." - A paper copy of the draft guidance is available from, and questions about it may be directed to FDA's Michael Kashtock, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at 301 436 2022; fax: 301 436 2651; e-mail: MKashtoc@cfsan.fda.gov - An electronic copy of the draft is posted at http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/02d-0333-gdl0001.doc

Milk, Pregnancy, Cancer May Be Tied

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 — Pregnancy may lower a woman’s risk of cancer but drinking milk could raise it, researchers reported on Tuesday. Both factors, as well as the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), affect levels of a hormone that may influence the development of some cancers, a team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston found.

 Higher levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1, have been associated with increased risk of colon, lung and breast cancer.

        The finding could explain why women who have had children have a lower risk of cancer — something doctors have noticed but been unable to explain, Dr. Michelle Holmes, who led the study, said.

  Pregnancy, HRT and milk drinking all affect levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1, a hormone linked to an increased risk of cancer, Holmes and colleagues report in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, which is published by the American  Association for Cancer Research.

“This is the first study to report that the more pregnancies a woman had, the lower was her blood level of IGF-1,” Holmes said.  “Pregnancy is known to protect against several cancers such as breast and colon cancer. It is possible that the mechanism of this protection could be through lowering IGF-1 levels.”

 Women who had four or more pregnancies had IGF-1 levels that were on average 15 percent lower than in women who had never been pregnant, the researchers found.

Milk consumption appears to be the key. Using data from a large, long-term study of more than 1,000 nurses who record their diets carefully and who are then watched for changes in health, Holmes’ team also found that those who drank the most milk had higher levels of IGF-1.

 IGF-1 is important to the growth and function of many organs, but higher levels have been associated with an increased risk of prostate, colon, lung and breast cancer.

 “We concluded that greater milk consumption was associated with higher levels of IGF-1,” said Holmes. “This association raises the possibility that diet could increase cancer risk by increasing levels of IGF-1 in the blood stream. However, more research must be done to determine whether milk consumption itself is directly linked to cancer risk.”

USDA Amends MilkPEP Provisions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has amended the federal Fluid Milk Promotion Order, which authorizes the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), in order to conform to the changes mandated by the 2002 farm bill.  The amendments took effect on August 1.

USDA amendments to MilkPEP will:

1.  Raise the threshold for milk processors’ participation in MilkPEP from 500,000 pounds to 3 million pounds of monthly fluid milk sales.  In addition, fluid milk products that are delivered directly to consumers by home delivery will not count toward the new 3 million-pound threshold.

According to USDA, there are currently about 225 fluid milk processors subject to the provisions in the Fluid Milk Promotion Order.  The implementation of this rule will reduce that number to 60.

2.  Modify the definition of a “fluid milk product” to be the same as the term’s definition under the Federal Milk Marketing Orders.  The changes will have minimal impact.  In the future, assessments will be required on eggnog, which was not specified previously and any other products that would otherwise be Class-I are exempt if they exceed 9% milk fat.

MilkPEP is financed by a 20cent/cwt assessment on all fluid milk products processed and marketed in consumer-type packages by fluid milk processors above the exemption level in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.