Center for Food Industry Excellence, Texas

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: OBJECTIVES The International Center for Food Industry Excellence (ICFIE) focuses on research needs of the food industry with an emphasis on food safety, value-added processing, nutrition and education. <BR><BR>The objectives of this project are as follows: 1. Construct a mathematical simulation model based on real-world data that effectively compares E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella movement through the farm-to-fork continuum in US and Mexican beef processing plants <BR>a. Identify drivers of microbial failures within this model <BR>b. Critically evaluate and compare interventions used in US and Mexico to optimize their ability reduce the microbial failure rate <BR><BR>2. Develop and iteratively improve food safety training modules to effect sustained behavioral change of opinion leaders and producers involved in the farm-to-fork continuum in US and Mexico <BR><BR>3. Evaluate the Use of Instrumentation to Characterize the Effect of Aging and Packaging on Beef Flavor <BR><BR>4. Develop an obesity prevention program for TTU university students. <BR><BR>Objectives 1 and 2 - Food Safety and Education Restricted exports into and out of the US from Mexico has had a negative impact on the US beef system in the past year. We will utilize data collected in Mexican and US beef processing plants and feed yards to determine the flow of pathogens through the system and to develop a mathematical model to predict points of primary differences in the two beef processing systems. Educational programs will be developed to communicate findings in US and Mexican facilities to improve food safety. This project will improve trade relations between the US and Mexico and will provide scientific baselines to compare the two markets with regard to food safety. <BR><BR>Objective 3-Value Added Processing To characterize the chemical and sensory qualities of the volatile aromatic profile of cooked beef strip loins subjected to two aging treatments and three packaging systems using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer combination equipped with olfactory instrumentation and software. The data from this project will elucidate the interaction between modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and dry- or wet-aged beef that may influence product flavor development. Ultimately, the findings of this project will contribute significantly to the direction taken by future beef flavor and packaging research. <BR><BR>Objective 4 - Nutrition Little attention has been focused on preventing obesity in university settings, especially lacking are interventions and evaluation techniques, including those that employ technology such as electronic educational and reporting devices that are tailored to the needs of the university students. Another important component of evaluation of the intervention will be the assessment of inflammatory biomarkers to document the presence of chronic disease (diabetes and cardiovascular disease) at baseline and after intervention.

<P>APPROACH: Objectives 1 and 2 - Food Safety and Education Restricted exports into and out of the US from Mexico has had a negative impact on the US beef system in the past year. We will utilize data collected in Mexican and US beef processing plants and feed yards to determine the flow of pathogens through the system and to develop a mathematical model to predict points of primary differences in the two beef processing systems. Educational programs will be developed to communicate findings in US and Mexican facilities to improve food safety. This project will improve trade relations between the US and Mexico and will provide scientific baselines to compare the two markets with regard to food safety. <BR><BR>Objective 3-Value Added Processing To characterize the chemical and sensory qualities of the volatile aromatic profile of cooked beef strip loins subjected to two aging treatments and three packaging systems using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer combination equipped with olfactory instrumentation and software. The data from this project will elucidate the interaction between modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and dry- or wet-aged beef that may influence product flavor development. Ultimately, the findings of this project will contribute significantly to the direction taken by future beef flavor and packaging research. <BR><BR>Objective 4 - Nutrition Little attention has been focused on preventing obesity in university settings, especially lacking are interventions and evaluation techniques, including those that employ technology such as electronic educational and reporting devices that are tailored to the needs of the university students. Another important component of evaluation of the intervention will be the assessment of inflammatory biomarkers to document the presence of chronic disease (diabetes and cardiovascular disease) at baseline and after intervention.