IFT NEWS
IFT builds global connections
Over the past several months, delegations from several countries visited the IFT headquarters office to learn more about the United States food industry and how IFT and other associations work.
• Bulgaria. On September 7, 2004, Bulgarian representatives of government agencies, trade associations, and media visited the IFT offices to discuss how biotechnology and food safety are regulated in the U.S. and the role of industry associations in the drafting and passing of food safety and biotech regulations. The visit was organized by the International Visitors Center of Chicago.
Attending from Bulgaria were Antoaneta Bojinova, Executive Director, Union of the Processors of Fruits and Vegetables; Kostadin Nikolov Chorbadzhiyski, Chairman, Association of Meat Processors; Iliyan Radev Kostov, Director, Veterinary Public Health and Border Control, National Veterinary Service, Ministry of Agriculture; Neliya Dimitrova Mikushinska-Vandeva, State Expert, Health, Prophylactics, and State Sanitary Control Directorate, Ministry of Health; Galina Georgieva Shtarbeva, Anchor/Chief Reporter on Business, Agriculture, and Finance, Nova Television; Tihomir Genov Tonchev, Head, Agricultural Dept., 24 Hours Daily Newspaper; and Maria Entchevitch, Interpreter.
• France. On October 29, 2004, a delegation from the French region of Brittany visited the IFT offices to discuss the region’s importance as a food supplier and processor and learn how technology is transfered from academic researchers to industry in the U.S. The visit was organized by the French Trade Commission of Chicago and the Scientific Dept. of the French Embassy.
The visitors were Christian de Chateauvieux, International Project Manager, Brittany Region; Annie Audic, General Manager, Brittany Innovation and Technology Transfer Center; Emilie Sauvee, Deputy Scientific Attache, Consulate General of France in Chicago; and Gaetan Guibert, Food Ingredients and Nutraceuticals Attache, French Trade Commission of Chicago.
Brittany was the first agricultural and food industry region in France. Agriculture is the main sector, but there are also many food ingredients from the sea. There are more than 600 companies, with 6,000 workers, in the agriculture and food-related industry in Brittany.
• China. A delegation from the People’s Republic of China visited the IFT offices on October, 21, 2004. The delegation was invited by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to visit farms to learn about the marketing of organic foods in the U.S.
The visitors included Li Xianjun, Vice Director, China Organic Food Certification Center; Ang Fang, Vice Director, Senior Agronomist, Fujian Province Green Food Development Center; Qiao Yanchun, Director, Policy Research Division, Agricultural Committee of Heilongjiang Province; Tang Zhen Ru, Director, Vice Research Fellow, Heilongjiang Countryside Labor Force Transfer Service Center; Song Hua, Director of Planning & Finance Department, China Green Food Development Center; and Xu Meng, translator, Center of International Cooperation Service, Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. China.
Organic farming is developing rapidly in China, increasing 30% per year. The visitors explained how China is developing and certifying foods as “organic” and “green.” Organic food cannot contain any synthetic chemicals in food production. Green foods can use certain chemicals in very limited amounts. The organic food produced is mainly for export at present. The Center for Green Food Development has 42 branch organizations in 30 provinces.
IFT Executive Vice President Barbara Byrd Keenan said that IFT and the Chinese group would find ways to continue to work together in the future.
Register for continuing education courses
Accelerate your career with proven food science training by registering for IFT’s spring 2005 continuing education courses.
Six courses will cover topics such as emulsion technology, flavor interactions, ultrasonic processing, fats and oils, labeling requirements, and sanitation and GMP compliance. These are intensive technology overviews which also provide participants with important practical ideas on applying the information to their work. Instructors are chosen from academia and industry for their proven expertise and teaching ability.
For more information, contact Luci Landberg, IFT Professional Development Dept., 525 W. Van Buren, Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60607 (phone 312-782-8424, e-mail [email protected]) or visit www.ift.org.
Thomson indexes
Comprehensive Reviews
Thomson Scientific has chosen IFT’s online journal, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, for coverage in its line of products and services.
Beginning with V3(1) 2004, the publication will be indexed and abstracted in Thomson’s Current Contents®/Agriculture, Biology, and Environmental Science; Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch®); and Index to Scientific Reviews®.
In the future, Thomson may evaluate and include the publication in additional Thomson Scientific products.
LETTERS
The best coverage of the Annual Meeting
Congratulations on the September 2004 issue of Food Technology. As usual, my annual New Year’s resolution to keep up with journals and other regular publications during the year fell far short of being accomplished. As a result, time has been spent during the holiday season catching up on this reading.
The September issue of Food Technology and its coverage of the “Highlights of IFT’s 2004 Annual Meeting + Food Expo” is outstanding. This is the best, most complete, yet succinct, comprehensive coverage of an IFT Annual Meeting in my memory banks. The pictures and text made reading this issue both a pleasure and rewarding. It was an enjoyable experience, particularly since it is impossible for one to try to “cover” a current Annual Meeting and Expo. A much better view of the many facets of the meeting was obtained after reading this issue.
As an IFT member who attended the meeting in Las Vegas, thanks very much. Please convey my appreciation to those responsible for this excellent coverage and outstanding issue.
—David R. Lineback, IFT Fellow and Past President; Director, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, University of Maryland, College Park
BOOKS RECEIVED
Ginger: The Genus Zingiber. P.N. Ravindran and K. Nirmal Babu, eds. CRC Press LLC1. ISBN: 0-415-32468-8.
Inulin-Type Fructans: Functional Food Ingredients. CRC Series in Modern Nutrition. Marcel Roberfroid. CRC Press LLC1. ISBN: 0-8493-0059-2.
Kosher Food Production. Zushe Yosef Blech. Blackwell Publishing Professional2. ISBN: 0-8138-2570-9.
New Food Product Development: From Concept to Marketplace. Gordon W. Fuller. CRC Press LLC1. ISBN: 0-8493-1673-1.
Novel Food Processing Technologies. Gustavo V. Barbosa-Cánovas, María S. Tapia, and M. Pilar Cano, eds. CRC Press LLC1. ISBN: 0-8247-5333-X.
Proceedings 1st National Conference: Shelf-life of Packaged Foods. Luciano Piergiovanni and Sara Limbo, eds. Chiriotti Editori-Pinerolo3. ISSN: 1120-1770.
Starch in Food: Structure, Function and Applications. Ann-Charlotte Eliasson, ed. CRC Press LLC1. ISBN: 0-8493-2555-2.
1 CRC Press LLC. Call 800-272-7737 in the U.S. or 561-994-0555 in Canada, or visit www.crcpress.com. 2Blackwell Publishing Professional. Call 800-862-6657 or 515-292-0155, or visit www.blackwellprofessional.com. 3Chiriotti Editori-Pinerolo. Call +39 0121794480 or e-mail [email protected].
EDUCATION NEWS
Swartzel named director of leadership institute
Kenneth Swartzel, former head of North Carolina State University’s Dept. of Food Science, has been named Director of the Food Systems Leadership Institute. He will guide the institute in its preparation of future land-grant and state university leaders for the challenges within the food industry. Swartzel is a Fellow and Professional Member of IFT.
Penn State receives $25,000 dairy research grant
Penn State University recently received a $25,000 grant from the National Center of Excellence in Foods and Nutrition Research (NutriCore NorthEast). The funds will be used for development of a method for identification and discrimination of probiotic bifidobacteria in dairy products.
The research will identify and categorize the various types of good bacteria in active yogurt cultures and evaluate which best survive temperature extremes. These findings can lead to allowing frozen or freeze-dried items to have the same health benefits as refrigerated live yogurt cultures. Bob Roberts, Associate Professor of Food Science and Professional Member of IFT, will lead the research team.
Park and Weiss join Massachusetts faculty
Yoenhwa Park and Jochen Weiss recently joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts.
Park, an Assistant Professor at the university and the first F.J. Francis Endowed Chair for Bioactive Food Components, will conduct research on biological activities and mechanisms for functional foods. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University and her Ph.D. degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin.
Weiss, an Assistant Professor of Food Biophysics and Nanotechnology at the university, teaches and conducts research in the areas of food engineering and processing. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Karlsruhe and his Ph.D. degree in food science from the University of Massachusetts. He is a Professional Member of IFT. He is active in service and outreach to the university, professional organizations, and the public.
SECTION & DIVISION NEWS
Noyes speaks on wine evaluation at Oklahoma Section meeting
Bob Noyes, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, California Polytechnic State University, was featured as the IFT Distinguished Lecturer at a recent meeting of the Oklahoma IFT Section.
Noyes presented a seminar on the sensory attributes of wine and the evaluation method called the 5S system: see, swirl, smell, sip, and savor. Attendees of the meeting were given the chance to practice evaluating wine using the 5S system. Noyes also explained the descriptive vocabulary and the methods used to identify important wine characteristics.
Candidates sought for 2005 Harold Macy Award
The Minnesota Section of IFT is seeking nominations from IFT members for the 2005 Harold Macy Food Science and Technology Award.
The award, established in 1981, is given annually to recognize an outstanding example of food technology transfer or cooperation between scientists or technologists in any two of the following settings: academic, government, and private industry. The purpose of the award is to advance the profession and practice of food technology and to honor Harold Macy, former Dean Emeritus of the University of Minnesota and a Founding Member of IFT.
The award consists of a $2000 honorarium and travel expenses, and the awardee will be invited to address the Minnesota Section at the annual Macy Award meeting, to be held in Minneapolis.
The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2005. To request nomination forms and for more information, contact Purnendu C. Vasavada, Chair of the Macy Award Committee, Animal and Food Science Dept., Univ. of Wisconsin-River Falls, 410 S. 3rd St., River Falls, WI 54022 (phone 715-425-3150, fax 715-425-3785, e-mail [email protected]).
St. Louis Section golf tournament proceeds earmarked for scholarships
The St. Louis IFT Section recently held its annual golf tournament, with all proceeds going toward scholarship funds for the University of Missouri. Sponsors included Astaris LLC, Baron Spices, Custom Industries, Elite Spice, Newly Weds Foods, Nestle Purina Analytical Laboratories, St. Louis Food Ingredients, Tate & Lyle, G.S. Robins, VWR International, Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Solae Co., I.T. Bauman, ADM, Butter Buds, Cargill Inc., Church & Dwight, Gilster Mary Lee, Kerry Ingredients, Mastertaste, Midwest Dairy Association, National Starch, Sara Lee Bakery Group, Chicago Sweeteners, G.S. Robbins, Sethness Greenleaf, Nestle Purina Pet Care, 8th Continent, QA Products Inc., TIC Gums, Dairy House, Ottens Flavors, Gunther Salt, Flavorsof North America, McCormick Spices, and Flavor Savor.
Correction
The article “Identifying Food Science & Technology Research Needs” (December 2004, pp. 32–34) was a summary of a report prepared by the IFT Task Force on Research Needs in Food Science and Technology. Dennis R. Heldman, Principal, Heldman Associates, San Marcos, Calif., was listed as the author of the article because he was the chair of the task force and the article was a summary of the report.
It should be noted, however, that the various sections of the article (as well as those of the entire report) were written by him and the other members of the task force, and credit should also go to them.
The members of the task force are Al S. Clausi, IFT Past President, Retired Senior Vice President, General Foods Corp.; Jozef L. Kokini, Professor II, Chair and Director, Dept. of Food Science and CAFT, Rutgers University; Theodore P. Labuza, IFT Past President, Morse Alumni Distinguished Professor of Food Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota; Syed S.H. Rizvi, International Professor of Food Science, Cornell University; and Kenneth L. Swartzel, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science, North Carolina State University.
by KAREN BANASIAK
Assistant Editor
[email protected]