Bugusu leads post-harvest lab; IFTSA members compete on Amazing Race

Bugusu to lead African post-harvest lab

Betty Bugusu has been named director of the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post-Harvest Handling, a five-year, $5 million program that will conduct research to reduce post-harvest waste and increase food security in Africa. 

According to Bugusu, who is also the project director and managing director of the International Food Technology Center at Purdue University, the lab will officially launch in mid-August in Senegal. Once on the ground, researchers will work to create scalable processes that touch on several areas of focus to prevent loss in developing countries. Working within local communities, for example, the team intends to discover which products are most appealing and most feasible to bring to local markets. Team members also plan to concentrate on storage technologies to prevent pest infestations and alleviate issues with humidity. 

“Post-harvest is an area that has been underinvested in for a long time. A lot of agricultural development programs only focus on production,” said Bugusu, an IFT professional member and former staff member. “We are very excited to be part of this agriculture development agenda for the United States, and we think we will be able to show and prove the importance of post-harvest work, including with food processing, and how it can contribute to food security.”

IFTSA members DeJong and Warren join The Amazing Race
IFTSA president-elect designate Amy DeJong (far left) and IFTSA member Maya Warren, graduate students at University of Wisconsin–Madison, will try to beat 10 other teams to the finish line as they travel around the globe on the next season of The Amazing Race. The last pair standing will take home $1 million.

“They’re both characters, so I don’t think it was difficult for them to show that they’d be an entertaining duo, and also smart,” said their adviser, food science professor Rich Hartel. The pair has proudly shown their food science background, calling themselves “Doctor Candy” and “Doctor Ice Cream” in their audition video, a reference to their respective research. 

The race, which kicked off at the end of May in New York City, concluded in June, though the duo has had to keep the results secret until the winners are revealed. The season will air this fall on Fridays on CBS. View the CBS video introducing DeJong and Warren.

Huff-Lonergan, Huffman named AMSA Fellows
Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan and Randall Huffman have been named Fellows by the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and were honored at an awards banquet during the AMSA 67th Reciprocal Meat Conference on June 17 in Madison, Wis. There they were both presented with the 2014 AMSA Signal Service Award, which was established in 1956 and is given in recognition of devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry and to the association. 

Huff-Lonergan, a professor at Iowa State University and an IFT member, consistently uses creative, cutting-edge research techniques in her work. She focuses on elucidating biochemical mechanisms in muscle that ultimately influence fresh meat quality, and she has created a renowned, independently funded program that results in practical applications for the industry. Huff-Lonergan has previously served on the board of directors of AMSA and is currently on the board of directors of the American Society of Animal Science. 

Huffman, senior vice president of operations and chief food safety officer at Maple Leaf Foods Inc., leads the operations functions at the company, including food safety, manufacturing, corporate engineering, quality assurance, process technology, and Six Sigma continuous improvement programs. He held the office of president for AMSA in 2010–2011, and under his leadership, AMSA broadened its reach internationally. Huffman has received the Achievement and Extension-Industry Service awards from AMSA, and he is a member of IFT. 

Gold Medal Products hires Donovan
Anna Donovan recently joined the Food Products Division at Gold Medal Products Co. as a food applications technologist. In this role, she will help explore and create new products, flavors, and extensions of current concession food lines. Donovan, an IFT member and president of the Ohio Valley Section of IFT, brings 10 years of research and development experience in the beverage industry from her time at WILD Flavors. 

Potts awarded Edlong scholarship
Hayley Potts, a rising senior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, has been awarded the Edlong Dairy Technologies Scholarship, which is given through the Institute of Food Technologists’ Feeding Tomorrow foundation to students pursuing a degree in food science with a focus on dairy flavors or dairy science. 

“Hayley’s passion for dairy foods processing and research, interest in food science and technology, and leadership in numerous career-related extracurricular activities made her an obvious choice for this year’s scholarship,” said Edlong Dairy Technologies CEO Laurette Rondenet-Smith. 

Potts currently works as an undergraduate research assistant in Virginia Tech’s Food Science & Technology department, where she assists with research on facereader reactions to food products and consumer acceptance of food products based on their emotional responses. She previously assisted in an undergraduate research project that studied consumer reactions to oxidized off flavors in fluid milk.

Section & Division meetings
Lewis & Clark
Sept. 16–17: Suppliers’ night and golf scramble. Walla Walla, Wash. Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/lewis-clark-ift-suppliers-night-and-golf-scramble-tickets-11884682405.

Rocky Mountain

Sept. 16: Golf outing. Golden, Colo. Visit http://rmift.com/suppliers_2011.asp.

Sept. 17: Suppliers’ night. Denver, Colo. Visit http://rmift.com/suppliers_2011.asp.

In Memoriam
IFT notes the passing of the following members: James K.C. Chan, Donald A. Corlett Jr., and Joe Peterkes