Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

UPDATES AT VIRGINIA TECH

FFA C areer Development Event

The Department of Food Science and Technology hosted the FFA Food Science and Technology Career Development Event on October 2 nd . Teams of four from 4 Virginia high schools participated in Food Science learning activities related to the food industry.

Teams took an objective test designed to evaluate each member's understanding of the basic principles of food science.

Teams then received a marketing scenario describing a need for a new or redesigned product. This year's challenge was to develop a frozen or refrigerated dessert dough that was convenient and economical for small private caterers to use for their novel desserts. Teams developed a product formulation, package design, nutrition label, identified production and packaging equipment needed, and addressed potential quality control and assurance issues.

Students also participated in sensory testing, food safety/sanitation problem identification, and they had to handle a consumer complaint letter addressed to a food processing company.

Central High School from Shenandoah County won 2 nd place in the competition, and Augusta County 's Fort Defiance High School took 1 st place. This team will go on to compete in the 80 th Annual National FFA Convention that will be held in Indianapolis , IN on October 24-27. The group will be among more than 50,000 FFA members and guests to visit Conseco Fieldhouse, the RCA Dome, the Indianapolis Convention Center and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. They will attend general sessions with motivational speakers, special guests, and FFA members from around the nation will be recognized for their outstanding achievements. Other highlights will include the career show, leadership development workshops for students and advisors, and the National Days of Service. Congratulations on your achievement Fort Defiance !

HOT TOPICS AND DAIRY ISSUES

Some Bacteria Improve Food Safety

The number one priority for all food processors is food safety. To ensure the safety of processed foods, manufacturers have worked to eliminate or reduce microorganisms in ingredients, the processing environment and in finished products. Beneficial bacteria can also be used as a means to inhibit or eliminate pathogens. The utilization of bacteria as a means to control pathogens is called bioprotection.

One of the best examples of how beneficial bacteria work is in fermented foods. Dairy products (cheese, yogurt or sour cream), fermented sausages and vegetable products (olives, pickles) have a very good health record. Bioprotection controls pathogens and, at the same time, enhances food quality by delaying the growth of spoilage bacteria. The incorporation of microorganisms or their by-products adds an additional hurdle to foods, which can further protect the product from pathogens and/or spoilage.

Bioprotective cultures work by competing with and inhibiting indigenous microflora. They compete for nutrients, remove oxygen (thereby lowering the redox potential of the food), and they grow well under normal conditions of distribution and storage. These cultures also can produce substances that inhibit pathogen growth, such as organic acids and bacteriocins. Since the main bioprotective organisms are lactic acid bacteria, the main acid produced is lactic acid.

Perhaps the most well-known application of bioprotection is in the meat industry. Lactobacilli and Pediococci are used to ensure proper fermentation and safe production of fermented products. The latter also may be used as an adjunct culture for controlling Listeria sp. in existing products. These organisms may also be used in non-fermented products, such as bacon, to inhibit spoilage organisms. The end result is improved shelf-life. In one research study, fermented sausages were inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes , and bioprotective cultures were added. Listeria numbers were significantly reduced in the product (2-3 log reduction), and pathogen growth was prevented by the bacteriocins that were produced.

Bioprotective cultures offer many advantages, but there are also some drawbacks. They require an extra processing step, which can increase costs. They are also application-specific, and the regulatory status is not clearly defined. What may be the biggest obstacle is that the addition of bioprotective cultures will raise the total microbial counts, which can create issues with customer specifications. However, they are a natural means of ensuring human health.

D airy Farmers Continue to Struggle

The cattle barns on the Smith Brothers farm in Washington State are empty. South King County 's iconic family dairy farm still delivers milk to porches daily, but its products no longer come from cows it owns. The 87-year-old dairy sold its herd last year when new federal regulations made it too expensive to both run a dairy farm and process milk.

Technically, Smith Brothers is no longer a dairy farm. The milk processed at the Kent dairy is trucked in from a dozen or so farms around the state. But business is growing, proof that fresh farm milk and door-to-door service are more than enough to keep the family business alive.

The farm was hit hard when the federal government passed a law last year that regulated milk prices for producer-handler dairies like Smith Brothers, dairies that have their own herds and also pasteurize and package milk. The new rule meant that Smith Brothers had to pay money into a pool to buy milk it was getting directly from its own cows. That cost the dairy $1 million more a year.

The family made the tough decision to sell the herd because it was the only way the dairy could survive. It's been a year since Smith Brothers joined the milk-pricing pool. It now buys milk from the Northwest Dairy Association, a co-op of local dairy farmers who own Darigold.

The raw milk is the same, but it's handled differently. Smith Brothers milk tastes better because it's pasteurized the old-fashioned way (HTST pasteurization). Most commercial dairies use ultra pasteurization, a method that heats the milk to a higher temperature, giving it a longer shelf life but a different taste.

Tully's Coffee has used Smith Brothers milk "forever," said Tully's spokeswoman Ali Hummels. Local milk was a priority for the Seattle-based chain. Tully's gets the milk through a Smith Brothers wholesale distributor. "The fact that it's locally produced is very important," Hummels said. Such long-standing customers have kept the farm in business.

Although the change in federal regulations cost the dairy its herd, the farm is doing well. Now that milk prices are regulated, there's less risk, and business is stable; orders are growing about 5 percent a year. Independent delivery companies deliver Smith Brothers products to more than 40,000 homes from North Bend to Olympia to Mount Vernon . Smith Brothers also provides the milk for the Kent School District .