Labuza to serve on FDA committee; Getting to know P. Michael Davidson

IFT Board nominations are open
IFT encourages members to nominate themselves or a colleague for IFT president-elect or the IFT Board of Directors. Visit the Candidate Guide at bit.lyIFT_2016_candidate_guide to learn more about board responsibilities and the nomination process. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. Please take this opportunity to play a key role in the future of IFT. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Dockins, staff liaison for the Nominations & Elections Committee, at [email protected].

Sastry receives Food Engineering Award
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers named Sudhir K. Sastry winner of the 2015 International Food Engineering Award, which recognizes food engineering professionals from all parts of the world who have made significant engineering contributions in research, development, or design of food processes significant to the food industry and in outstanding leadership, management, or education to advance the food engineering profession.

Sastry, an IFT Fellow and professional member, is a professor in the Dept. of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on electrothermal processing of foods, and he developed the first mathematical model for aseptic processing of foods containing particulates that considered all major factors that influence the process. He is also an expert in ohmic heating of foods. University and industry laboratories around the world have used ohmic heaters designed in his lab, and he established a 54-kilowatt ohmic pilot plant at Ohio State. His research in this area includes a 2013 NASA grant to develop dual-purpose packaging for a planned mission to Mars that can heat food and then be repurposed to sterilize biological waste.

Sastry has authored or coauthored many peer-reviewed journal articles and technical publications, and he wrote the first book to detail the methodology needed for FDA approval regarding the aseptic processing of particulate foods.

Colorado State names Belk meat science chair
Keith Belk was named the new Ken and Myra Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science at Colorado State University. Belk is a leading authority on red meat safety and quality, live animal development, and international trade.

During his tenure at Colorado State, Belk has authored more than 187 refereed scientific publications and has delivered more than 440 addresses, guest lectures, or professional presentations around the world. An IFT member, Belk is past president of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and an AMSA Fellow. He received the AMSA Achievement Award in 1998 and AMSA Signal Service Award in 2013.

Robertson wins Riester-Davis Award
Gordon Robertson received the 2015 Riester-Davis Award, which is given by the Packaging Division. This award honors the division’s two founders and recognizes lifetime achievement in food packaging. Robertson received his award during the Food Engineering, Food Packaging, and Nonthermal Processing Divisions reception at IFT15.

Robertson, an IFT professional member, was foundation professor of packaging technology at Massey University in New Zealand before joining Tetra Pak. Since 2003, he has worked to provide global education and training in food packaging, delivering lectures and offering workshops and webinars around the world. He is the author of Food Packaging Principles & Practice, now in its third edition.

Amin receives Edlong scholarship
Kemia Amin, a graduate student studying food science and technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was 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.

“Kemia’s dedication to helping the dairy industry through her research, coupled with her participation and leadership in career-related groups both at school and in the food science profession, made her an excellent choice for this year’s scholarship,” says Edlong Dairy Technologies CEO Laurette Rondenet-Smith.

Amin, a student member of IFT, focuses her research on understanding the effects of LED light on milk, with the goal of identifying light protective additives in dairy packaging that will effectively protect product quality. She believes her work can benefit the dairy industry by helping producers deliver milk with improved health and taste attributes for consumers.

Labuza to serve on Food Advisory Committee
IFT Past President Theodore P. Labuza, Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Food Science and Engineering in the Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, has been appointed to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Advisory Committee for a term of four years.

This committee, which comprises 17 members, provides advice to FDA officials on emerging food safety, food science, nutrition, and other food-related health issues. Labuza, an IFT professional member and Fellow, is chief food scientist with Infratab, an RFID time temperature integrator/traceability tag developer.

Ceylan wins Freezing Research Award
Erdogan Ceylan, director of research at the Silliker Food Science Center, was presented with the sixth annual Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations whose research contributes to the enhancement of food quality and safety through freezing. Ceylan was chosen based on his research impacting the food safety and quality attributes of frozen foods and his impact on providing science-based solutions to frozen food makers.

“The Frozen Food Foundation is pleased to recognize the achievements of Dr. Ceylan through the presentation of the Freezing Research Award,” says Kraig R. Naasz, the foundation’s president. “Dr. Ceylan’s contributions to the field of food safety have aided the scientific community and consumers alike by demonstrating science-based solutions through increased product quality, safety, and shelf life.”

Ceylan, an IFT member and Certified Food Scientist, has counseled clients on a wide range of food safety studies for frozen foods, including the examination of thermal inactivation of pathogens, water blanching of vegetables used in frozen meals, validation of microwave cooking instructions, and the microbiological stability and safety of products. He is a leading food industry consultant on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points programs, food plant sanitation, microbiological risk assessment, prevention strategies, process controls, and regulatory requirements. He holds an MS and PhD in microbiology from Kansas State University.

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Lovett joins Kyowa
Kyowa Hakko USA recently hired Elyse Lovett as its marketing manager. She will manage the marketing activities in North and South America. Lovett, an IFT member, most recently served as marketing manager at AAK, and she has held a variety of positions in marketing, sales, and research throughout her career.

“Elyse’s skills and experience will greatly augment our  marketing efforts,” says Karen E. Todd, senior director of global brand marketing.

Lovett graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She holds an MBA in marketing and MS in clinical nutrition from New York Institute of Technology.

Selerant hires Gebauer
Sandra Gebauer recently joined Selerant as the North American director of its regulatory and scientific affairs team. In this role, she will ensure data integrity for the Selerant Compliance Cloud, a tool that provides subscribers with instant compliance updates for global regulations and food safety.

“Sandra has been a leader in her field for many years and we know she will add tremendous value to both Selerant and the North America food processing industry,” says Selerant CSO Nicola Colombo.

Gebauer brings 17 years of regulatory experience to her new role, having worked with companies such as General Mills, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., and Pillsbury. “I’ve been a long-term proponent of Selerant and its dedication to regulatory compliance best practices,” says Gebauer. “I believe that compliance can be viewed often as an overly complex chore, albeit a critical one. My goal is to show companies how they can simplify processes while actually improving their overall compliance.”

Oliveira joins BluWrap
BluWrap, a technology company that naturally extends the shelf life of fresh proteins, named Alex Oliveira vice-president of scientific affairs. In this position, she will lead the company’s protein science activities as BluWrap expands into nonseafood proteins and new markets.

“We are extremely excited to have hired Dr. Oliveira, who is a globally recognized expert in seafood and modified atmosphere packaging,” says BluWrap CEO Mark Barnekow. “We expect Dr. Oliveira to make a major contribution to the industry as she works with seafood and other protein suppliers to share best practices and help them understand the importance of BluWrap’s revolutionary technology for facilitating muscle food logistics.”

Oliveira, a professional member of IFT and a Certified Food Scientist, brings more than 20 years of experience in seafood processing, quality, and safety to her new role. She comes to BluWrap from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and previously was a tenured associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles in scientific journals, as well as several book chapters.

Getting to Know P. Michael Davidson
Each month, we meet one of IFT’s valued volunteers.

P. Michael Davidson has been a member of IFT since 1973, when he was working on his MS at the University of Minnesota, but it wasn’t until he had embarked on earning his PhD at Washington State University that he volunteered for his first role with the organization: chair of the newly formed IFTSA Undergraduate Research Paper Competition. “I enjoyed it very much,” he reflects. “That led me to wanting to be more involved.”

Since then, Davidson has volunteered in a variety of capacities through the years. He served as chair of the Food Microbiology Division and held many positions within the division, including chair of the Ordal and Ayres Graduate Paper competitions, chair of the Teller Committee, and coeditor of the division newsletter. He has also served as chair of the Intermountain Section and chair of the Committee on Divisions. “I probably have some sort of record for serving on every division management group over a 14-year period,” he notes, having been a member of the Committee on Sections and Divisions, Committee on Divisions, Task Force on Divisions, and the Divisions Transition Task Force. He was elected to the IFT Board of Directors in 2009 and is currently a member of the Nominations & Elections Committee.

Davidson is the University of Tennessee (UT) Institute of Agriculture Distinguished Professor, and he was formerly professor and head of the Dept. of Food Science & Technology at UT. He believes that his involvement with IFT has played a large part in the success he has found as a faculty member. “The networking opportunities that IFT has provided through section, division, and annual meetings have been invaluable to helping me interact and develop collaborative relationships with other food scientists in industry, academia, and government,” he says. “My involvement in IFT also has helped me to be a better and more effective leader, [taught me] how to think strategically, and how to get things done through compromise.”

Davidson, a professional member of IFT and a Certified Food Scientist, says he has also made many friends through IFT. “Volunteering makes a large organization like IFT more personal for you,” he says. “In addition, it can be enjoyable and even fun. At the least, volunteering makes you feel like you are contributing to the greater good of the organization.”

Section & Division meetings
Bluegrass
Oct. 13: Suppliers’ night. Louisville, Ky. Visit bit.ly/1Uqgeh2.

Minnesota
Oct. 28: Suppliers’ expo. Minneapolis. Contact Tina Hacker at 651-895-2009 or [email protected], or visit bit.ly/1IsndhS.

Philadelphia
Oct. 27: Suppliers’ expo. Cinnaminson, N.J. Contact Mary Randzo at 856-435-8535 or [email protected], or visit bit.ly/1EFEnWq.

In Memoriam
Arthur Siedler passed away on June 12, 2015. An IFT Fellow and emeritus professional member, Siedler held many positions within the food industry, including chief of the Division of Biochemistry and Nutrition at the American Meat Institute Foundation and group leader for the Norwich (New York) Pharmaceutical Co. He spent years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he became acting director for the Division of Nutritional Science, headed the Dept. of Food Science, and served as a professor until 1994 before becoming professor emeritus. He was also chair of the Committee on Food Stability for the Natick Labs for the Dept. of Defense. A member of the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, Siedler returned to school on a GI Bill after his service. He earned a BS at the University of Wisconsin and received his MS and PhD from the University of Chicago.

IFT also notes the passing of the following members: Richard Glass and Alan Hugunin

Have some news to share about yourself or another IFT member? Email [email protected].