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Alumni Spotlight – Anna Sophia Harrand

Name: Anna Sophia Harrand

Title: Application Scientist at Chr Hansen

Email: DKASHA@chr-hansen.com

What is your background and how did you become interested in the dairy/food industry?

I started off in the field of biology with a focus on molecular biology and microbiology. My undergraduate research at the National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes in Germany lead me to the research from Dr. Martin Wiedmann’s Food Safety Lab where I pursued my PhD in Food Science. My research sought to better understand what drives growth and survival of foodborne pathogens in food processing plants, as well as in challenge and validation studies. The direct translation of my research findings into the real world and to contribute to safer, more wholesome food was a key motivation.

What was your Cornell experience like? (i.e. coursework, dairy related activities, internships, jobs, etc.)

I experienced the Food Science Department as a very supportive, well connected community that allows their students to grow, as well as to learn and explore the various aspects of food and food systems beyond their research focus. We got to meet experts from the food industry on various occasions through seminars and advisory council meetings, allowing us to build connections and learn about future job perspectives. The coursework for students also offered relevant training and certificates including GMP, HACCP and SQF. In addition, I had the chance to join the dairy extension workshops and got to learn about cheese making or got sensory training as a cheese taster. There were also many occasions in which I got to go out into the field, visit dairy plants across New York State as part of environmental monitoring projects. However, what I enjoyed the most during my stay at Cornell was working with and learning every day from the people in the Food Safety Lab and the Milk Quality Improvement Program under the mentorship from Dr. Martin Wiedmann.

What is your current role in the food industry, and how does it impact the dairy industry?

As an application scientist in the Dairy Bioprotection Team I am working on food cultures with bioprotective effect (i) to extend the shelf life of products, which allows us to reduce food waste for a more sustainable future, (ii) to keep products fresh longer, or (iii) to offer a natural solution for product preservation, i.e., if you would like to remove chemical preservatives from your ingredient list. Our adjunct cultures are natural microbial food cultures that take part in the fermentation and delay the growth of yeast and molds, and enhance food safety. My role involves conducting application trials in our pilot dairy, challenge tests or other product analyses in the lab and further down the line field trials with customers. I am contributing to the development of new cultures, and will be providing technical support to customers for the application of the current product line around the world.

How did your Cornell training impact your career in the dairy/food industry?

My training at Cornell equipped me with the essential skills and tools needed to get started in my current role, including skills on the technical side, e.g., microbiology expertise, knowledge about food production, but also soft skills, including project management, working interdisciplinary and as a team. Having had the freedom to do internships helped me solidify my career choice to join the industry in culture applications and strain development. It was in my second year at Cornell that I met scientists from Chr Hansen who introduced me to their company. I’ve been interested in joining Chr Hansen ever since and I am more than happy that I get to be part of their Bioprotection Team now.

Fluid milk as a model system for development of data-informed approaches to reducing food waste

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As part of a current project at Cornell University, supported by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), we organized a stakeholder webinar on development of data-informed approaches to reducing food waste from primary production to consumers. The opening presentation was presented by Martin Wiedmann, the Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety, where he first covered the basics of food waste and food loss. For example, we found out that food loss and food waste are often used interchangeably, however food waste is specifically used to describe decrease in food quality and quantity due to actions and decisions made by retailers, service providers and consumers. While food loss is describing decrease in quality and quantity of food due to actions and decisions of food suppliers earlier in the chain, both food loss and food waste are greatly impacted by shelf-life of the food. Martin continued his presentation by using fluid milk as a specific example of (i) how to develop predictive models that can be used as a decision support tools to reduce waste and loss of fluid milk from grass-to-glass, and (ii) how to develop new approaches to dynamically predict product shelf-life and price.

There are two general groups of culprits responsible for spoilage of fluid milk, (i) different cold-tolerant Gram-negative bacteria, like different Pseudomonas species and coliforms, and (ii) different cold-tolerant spore-forming bacteria, like Bacillus weihenstephanensis and different Paenibacillus species. Frist group of microorganisms are generally introduced into milk as post-processing contamination while the sporeforming bacteria are typically introduced with raw milk and can survive the pasteurization process. The first presented model was developed to predict spoilage of pasteurized fluid milk due to growth of cold-tolerant sporeforming bacteria and its design followed four specific steps as part of the simulation: (i) it selects a raw bulk tank spore concentration based on concentrations that were previously determined in raw milk from different dairy farms, (ii) it selects a single sporeformer subtype that will spoil the milk based on the subtypes identified in raw milk from these dairy farms, (iii) it applies specific growth parameters for that subtype determined in laboratory growth experiments, and finally (iv) it calculates bacterial counts in milk at different days of shelf-life. The model repeats these four steps thousands of times to give us the final range of results and estimation of how confident we are in these results. A similar model was presented that predicts spoilage of pasteurized fluid milk due to post-processing contamination with cold-tolerant Gram-negative bacteria and there was also a promise of a complete model that takes into account all of the culprits responsible for spoilage of fluid milk. One glance of the future, that was presented and where these models could be used together with other digital solutions, was a container of milk equipped with a time/temperature sensor and a QR-code that would connect to a predictive model that accounts for both inherent characteristics of that specific container of milk that are related to raw milk and processing conditions used to make it as well as the time/temperature regimes it was subjected to during transport and storage. The model like this could not only give information about the shelf-life left on this specific product but also adjust the price to incentivize a purchase of older product and reduce the product waste.

The dairy predictive models (i.e. fluid milk, yogurt) as well as some produce predictive models that were presented were mostly developed based on large sets of data collected from across the state and country; however, if the data is available these models can be made specific to a single facility or a company to create something that is known as a ‘’Digital Twin’’. A ‘’Digital Twin’’ of a food processing facility captures all of the specific characteristics of that facility and as such it can function in this digital format the same way this facility functions in a real world. What this ‘’Digital Twin’’ offers to a facility or a company is a tool to test different ‘’What-If’’ scenarios, including some scenarios that would in real world require large investments or result in large losses. For example, there are number of different interventions available that can potentially be used to extend shelf-life of fluid milk. A ‘’Digital Twin’’ can help you evaluate these interventions from both cost and benefit perspective to make the most optimal decision for your product and your company.

It looks like Cornell is well on its way to develop these and other tools for the food industry. Examples presented during this webinar are relevant to the dairy and produce industry; however, the same principles can be also applied to develop tools for other commodities and other food industry needs. Identifying these needs and developing tools that will in the end prove useful to the food industry is why this type of stakeholder engagements and exchange of information are so important for the success of digital innovations in the future.

Feel free to reach out to us at at543@cornell.edu with any questions, comments, or interests for collaboration. You can also check out our new webpage dedicated to Digital Dairy where you can find all of the information on our work in this field including the recording and presentation slides from our stakeholder webinar.

Recent Publications September 2021

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Arora, Bindvi, and Syed S H Rizvi. “Process Optimisation and Product Characterisation of Milk Protein Concentrate Extrudates Expanded by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.” International Journal of Dairy Technology, July 5, 2021, 1. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0307.12801.

Flynn, Brenna, Dana deRiancho, Marie R. Lawton, and Samuel D. Alcaine. “Evaluation of Lactose Oxidase as an Enzyme-Based Antimicrobial for Control of L. Monocytogenes in Fresh Cheese.” Foods 10, no. 7 (July 2021): 1471. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10071471.

“Frontiers | Optimizing Pasteurized Fluid Milk Shelf-Life Through Microbial Spoilage Reduction | Sustainable Food Systems.” Accessed September 1, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.670029/full.

Ganda, Erika, Kristen L Beck, Niina Haiminen, Justin D Silverman, Ban Kawas, Brittany D Cronk, Renee R Anderson, Laura B Goodman, and Martin Wiedmann. “DNA Extraction and Host Depletion Methods Significantly Impact and Potentially Bias Bacterial Detection in a Biological Fluid.” MSystems 6, no. 3 (June 29, 2021): e0061921. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00619-21.

Liao, J., X. Guo, D.L. Weller, S. Pollak, D.H. Buckley, M. Wiedmann, and O.X. Cordero. “Nationwide Genomic Atlas of Soil-Dwelling Listeria Reveals Effects of Selection and Population Ecology on Pangenome Evolution.” Nature Microbiology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00935-7.

Portnoy, M., C. Coon, and D. M. Barbano. “Performance Evaluation of an Enzymatic Spectrophotometric Method for Milk Urea Nitrogen.” Journal of Dairy Science, August 11, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20308.

Vogel, Kenneth G., B. G. Carter, N. Cheng, D. M. Barbano, and M. A. Drake. “Ready-to-Drink Protein Beverages: Effects of Milk Protein Concentration and Type on Flavor.” Journal of Dairy Science, July 22, 2021, S0022-0302(21)00761-X. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20522.

Weller, Daniel Lowell, Tanzy M. T. Love, and Martin Wiedmann. “Comparison of Resampling Algorithms to Address Class Imbalance When Developing Machine Learning Models to Predict Foodborne Pathogen Presence in Agricultural Water.” Frontiers in Environmental Science 0 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.701288.

Intentional Adulteration Course Offering

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The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) added to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) several new sections that reference intentional adulteration. For example, section 418 of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 350g) addresses intentional adulteration in the context of facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food, and that are required to register under section 415 (21 U.S.C. 350d).

The rule, which includes the requirements for food defense measures against intentional adulteration, and related requirements, can be found in 21 CFR part 121. It requires a qualified individual for evaluating intentional adulteration at food processing plants.

So who is affected by this? Larger businesses (including any subsidiaries and affiliates) are those that employ at least 500 full-time equivalent employees and whose sale or market value of human food during the previous three-year period average at least $10 million (adjusted for inflation). These larger businesses were required to comply by July 26, 2019. Small businesses, which employ fewer than 500 full-time equivalent employees, are required to comply by July 27, 2020. Very small businesses, or those whose sales or market value of human food during the previous three-year period average less than $10 million, are exempt from most of the requirements, but starting July 26, 2021, upon request they must provide documentation to show that they meet the exemption. The IA rule applies to the owner, operator, or agent in charge of a domestic or foreign food facility that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States and is required to register under section 415 of the FD&C Act, unless one of the exemptions provided in 21 CFR 121.5 applies.

Cornell Course Offering to Meet the Requirements

This course will provide participants with the knowledge to implement the requirements of conducting a vulnerability assessment under the Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (IA) regulation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This course developed by the FSPCA is the “standardized curriculum” recognized by FDA; successfully completing this course is one way to meet the requirements for a “food defense qualified individual” responsible for conducting a vulnerability assessment.

Date: September 21, 2021

Time: 8:15 AM – 4:30 PM

Location: Stewarts Processing Plant, Building 2, 461 Church St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Cost: $650

Registration link: https://cals.cornell.edu/dfe-fsma-intentional-adulteration

Alumni Spotlight – Pablo Torres-Frenzel

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Production/Process Engineer at COLUN, La Unión, Chile

What is your background and how did you become interested in the dairy/food industry?

I’m a Food Engineer from the south of Chile and in this region is where the greatest amount of the milk is produced in my country. As an undergraduate, I was involved in some process and dairy courses that woke up my interest in these topics. Later when I graduated, I had the opportunity to start my work experience in one of the most beloved dairy cooperatives in my country, where I still belong.

What was your Cornell experience like? (i.e. coursework, dairy related activities, internships, jobs, etc.)

My experience was amazing! Cornell has a lot of resources, besides the remarkable list of courses, that help you to go deeper in what you really want to develop or improve. In the course list, I’ll like to highlight the dairy chemistry course with Dr. Barbano and Food Processing B: Dairy Processing and Emerging Technologies with Dr. Moraru. If you are a dairy fan, these are two courses you need to take.

The dairy and extension group from Cornell also have a lot of courses and workshops related that are very interesting and useful if you want to learn how to make different kinds of dairy products or get some certifications.

If you are also interested in investigation, you have the opportunity to develop that part! I had the luck to be part of Dr. Wiedmann and Dr. Alcaine lab groups where you meet a lot of great people that help you to enrich your knowledge about dairy, by working and developing the specific topics of your interest.

What is your current role in the food industry, and how does it impact the dairy industry?

Currently I’m working in the production area focusing mainly on the cheese area. Here our philosophy is to improve the process to achieve the best quality in the products, maintaining high standards related to food safety, reducing environmental impacts and creating healthy and nutritional products for the consumers.

How did your Cornell training impact your career in the dairy/food industry?

Cornell gave me some useful tools to improve my knowledge in all dairy related products and in general about food science. Also, by working on research, I was able to realize the importance of critical thinking in any activity you do in industry, on how this affects the results of your processes. The staff and resources they have on campus gives you all the opportunities to succeed in any food related industry!

Training Provided to meet the FSMA Regulations

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The Cornell Dairy Extension team offers training across multiple FSMA Rules as well as NYS mandated trainings. In addition to the regularly scheduled courses, the FSMA trainings may be delivered virtually or as a company in-plant specific training.

If you are a domestic or foreign food facility that is required to register with section 415 of the Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act you must comply with the requirements for risk-based preventive controls mandated by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) as well as the modernized Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) of this rule (unless an exemption applies).

The rule requires food facilities to have a food safety plan in place that includes an analysis of hazards and risk-based preventive controls to minimize or prevent the identified hazards.

The regulation requires that certain activities must be completed by a “preventive controls qualified individual” who has “successfully completed training in the development and application of risk‐based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by FDA or be otherwise qualified through job experience to develop and apply a food safety system”

We offer this PCQI training several times a year. In 2020-21 we are offering the training live virtually (via Zoom.) This multi-day course fulfills the FDA Requirements for FSMA Qualified Individual Training through the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and AFDO.

Register for the next virtual live virtual training here: https://cals.cornell.edu/education/degrees-programs/fsma-preventive-controls-human-food-qualified-individual

Food defense is the effort to protect the food supply against intentional contamination due to sabotage, terrorism, counterfeiting, or other illegal, intentionally harmful means. Potential contaminants include biological, chemical and radiological hazards that are generally not found in foods or their production environment. Rather than targeting specific foods or hazards, this rule requires mitigation (risk-reducing) strategies for processes in certain registered food facilities.

We are offering this course at several locations around the state, and we can also come to your facility and perform the training onsite. This course will provide participants with the knowledge to implement the requirements of conducting a vulnerability assessment under the Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (IA) regulation.

To register for the September training: https://cals.cornell.edu/education/degrees-programs/intentional-adulteration

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program requires importers to perform risk-based foreign supplier verification activities to verify that the food is produced in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as section 418 (concerning hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls) or 419 (concerning standards for the safe production and harvesting of certain fruits and vegetables that are raw agricultural commodities.

The Foreign Supplier Verification course will fulfill the FDA Requirements for Foreign Supplier Verification. The Verification Programs are certified through the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and AFDO.

We are qualified to offer this course and will be offering it in 2022. Please contact us for potential dates.

Services to Know About in 2021

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There are many services offered through our Extension Program, the Food Safety Laboratory, and the Expertise of our team that can help your organization, whether it’s to address an acute or persistent food safety or quality issues, to prepare for an audit, to implement or improve continuous improvement or troubleshooting procedures, or to develop improved training programs for a team or for individuals that you want to grow in your organization. We can help you take things off your to-do list in 2021.

The list below encompasses many of the services we encourage businesses to take advantage of. If your organization is interested in any of the services listed below, or more specific support not outlined below, please reach out to Anika Gianforte at adz8@cornell.edu at any point, or submit a request through our website. We also encourage individuals and organizations to reach out to us with any questions or issues through our “Ask an Expert” platform. These questions will be directed to the appropriate team member. These services in combination with our workshop programming allow us to equip food businesses with knowledge and tools to flourish.

Lab for Molecular Typing: The lab offers a wide variety of technologies to subtype, identify, and characterize microorganisms to the genus, species, subspecies, and subtype level including Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). Services are strictly confidential. We do not submit isolates or patterns to the CDC unless specifically requested by the submitter/customer. A considerable number of companies use our services to enhance their environmental monitoring programs or to help troubleshoot microbiological issues.
Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Validation Services: We are available to review or assist in the development of your pathogen environmental monitoring programs. We also validate environmental monitoring programs through plant visits with collection of samples; this will help you determine whether your program is designed and implemented correctly to identify any issues you may have; we can also design these visits to represent mock FDA “swabathons”, helping you ensure your company is ready for a visit by the FDA or another regulatory agency.
Process Authority Review: For those who require a scheduled process to begin processing a dairy food product, our team member Rob Ralyea will review your proposed process for food safety. This process review will then be submitted to your regulatory authority for their approval. We also will refer you to other Cornell process authorities if you need help with non-dairy processes.
Food Safety Plan Review: Our team members are instructors of both HACCP and Preventive Controls for Human Food curricula, and are qualified to review or assist in developing your facility’s food safety plan. This service is useful for facilities who have an existing plan, are in the process of developing a new plan, or who are modifying their HACCP plan to meet the requirements of a FSMA food safety plan.
Gap Audit: Gap audits are used to identify areas for improvement in your food safety or quality system, and are a great way to prepare for a GFSI audit. Kimberly Bukowski, who is also an SQF auditor, visits your facility to evaluate both documentation and personnel/operational practices to help identify gaps in your systems.
On-site consulting: Extension personnel visit and consult with dairy processors to help troubleshoot or improve the food safety and quality of their products. Examples include visits to assess technical issues including quality, spoilage, or food safety concerns, food defense plan review, and special project consultation, and documentation review.
Milk Quality Improvement Program: Offers targeted fee-for-service microbiological and sensory testing to assist dairy processors with troubleshooting quality issues. Services include testing for groups of spoilage organisms, identification and subtyping, defect identification, and more.
Sensory Evaluation Center: Services include Consumer Acceptability, Preference, and Discrimination Testing. In addition, the program provides consultations in all matters related to sensory product testing: appropriateness of particular test methods, study sample size, questionnaire design, statistics, and analyses, sample blinding, and serving sizes, to name a few.
Institute for Food Safety COVID-19 Resources: This website is consistently updated with relevant resources and information for the food industry. Resources include information on upcoming industry office hours, weekly videos, templates and trainings, and updates on laws, regulations, and regulatory guidance.
On-farm Rapid Response Team: Offers timely assistance to NY dairy processors to troubleshoot farm related quality and safety issues
Alcaine Research Group (ARG) Dairy Lab: Quality control, waste reduction, and new product development opportunities
Food Processing Development Laboratory (FPDL): The Cornell Food Processing Development Laboratory (FPDL) is a licensed dairy plant in NY State and offers a unique food product development and manufacturing space that allows individuals and companies to perform research, develop new products, and start new food related businesses. Recognizing the diverse needs of industry, we offer an opportunity to utilize this facility under four different types of arrangements (see flyer here):

1. Product Testing: For small scale pilot research projects that can be completed in 100 days or less.
2. Cheese and Dairy Product Incubator: Designed for companies who do not have an existing facility, the FPDL can be used for initial product development and production.
3. Cheese and Dairy Product Incubator (Level II): Designed for companies who do not have an existing facility, but have done prior product development or for companies that have an existing facility but require an outside facility for specialized needs.
4. Contract Manufacturing and Product Development: For small scale manufacturing and pilot production (e.g. identifying processing issues, optimizing processes prior to large scale manufacturing, samples for market research).

If you need help with anything else that is not listed here, please also contact us – we probably have the resources to help you.

Recent Publications: January 2021

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Bach, K.D., D.M. Barbano, and J.A.A. McArt. 2020. “The Relationship of Excessive Energy Deficit with Milk Somatic Cell Score and Clinical Mastitis.” Journal of Dairy Science. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18432.

Carroll, Laura M., Jana S. Huisman, and Martin Wiedmann. 2020. “Twentieth-Century Emergence of Antimicrobial Resistant Human- and Bovine-Associated Salmonella Enterica Serotype Typhimurium Lineages in New York State.” Scientific Reports 10 (1): 14428. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71344-9.

Carroll, Laura M., and Martin Wiedmann. 2020. “Cereulide Synthetase Acquisition and Loss Events within the Evolutionary History of Group III Bacillus Cereus Sensu Lato Facilitate the Transition between Emetic and Diarrheal Foodborne Pathogens.” MBio 11 (4). https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01263-20.

“Effect of Weather on the Die-Off of Escherichia Coli and Attenuated Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium on Preharvest Leafy Greens Following Irrigation with Contaminated Water | Applied and Environmental Microbiology.” n.d. Accessed September 4, 2020. https://aem-asm-org.proxy.library.cornell.edu/content/86/17/e00899-20.

Gopirajah, Rajamanickam, Poonam Singha, Sumera Javad, and Syed S. H. Rizvi. n.d. “Emulsifying Properties of Milk Protein Concentrate Functionalized by Supercritical Fluid Extrusion.” Journal of Food Processing and Preservation n/a (n/a): e14754. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14754.

Harrand, Anna Sophia, Laura K. Strawn, Paola Mercedes Illas-Ortiz, Martin Wiedmann, and Daniel L. Weller. 2020. “Listeria Monocytogenes Prevalence Varies More within Fields Than between Fields or over Time on Conventionally Farmed New York Produce Fields.” Journal of Food Protection 83 (11): 1958–66. https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-20-120.

Kapoor, Ragya, Apratim Jash, and Syed S. H. Rizvi. 2021. “Shelf-Life Extension of Paneer by a Sequential Supercritical-CO2-Based Process.” LWT 135 (January): 110060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110060.

Lee, Michelle C., Younas Dadmohammadi, Chen Tan, and Alireza Abbaspourrad. 2020. “Mitigating the Astringency of Acidified Whey Protein in Proteinaceous High Internal Phase Emulsions.” ACS Applied Bio Materials, November. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.0c00767.

Makki, Ghadeer M., Sarah M. Kozak, Katharine G. Jencarelli, and Samuel D. Alcaine. 2020a. “Evaluation of the Efficacy of Commercial Protective Cultures against Mold and Yeast in Queso Fresco.” Journal of Dairy Science, September. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18769.

———. 2020b. “Evaluation of the Efficacy of Commercial Protective Cultures against Mold and Yeast in Queso Fresco.” Journal of Dairy Science 0 (0). https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18769.

Martin, N. H., P. Torres-Frenzel, and M. Wiedmann. 2020. “Invited Review: Controlling Dairy Product Spoilage to Reduce Food Loss and Waste.” Journal of Dairy Science, December. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-19130.

Reichler, S. J., S. I. Murphy, A. W. Erickson, N. H. Martin, A. B. Snyder, and M. Wiedmann. 2020. “Interventions Designed to Control Postpasteurization Contamination in High-Temperature, Short-Time-Pasteurized Fluid Milk Processing Facilities: A Case Study on the Effect of Employee Training, Clean-in-Place Chemical Modification, and Preventive Maintenance Programs.” Journal of Dairy Science 103 (8): 7569–84. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18186.

Skeens, Jordan W., Martin Wiedmann, and Nicole H. Martin. 2020. “Spore-Forming Bacteria Associated with Dairy Powders Can Be Found in Bacteriological Grade Agar–Agar Supply.” Journal of Food Protection 83 (12): 2074–79. https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-20-195.

Ubeyitogullari, Ali, and Syed S. H. Rizvi. 2020. “Production of High-Purity Phospholipid Concentrate from Buttermilk Powder Using Ethanol-Modified Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.” Journal of Dairy Science, August. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18697.

Yoon, Ashton K., and Syed S. H. Rizvi. 2020. “Functional, Textural, and Sensory Properties of Milk Protein Concentrate-Based Supercritical Fluid Extrudates Made with Acid Whey.” International Journal of Food Properties 23 (1): 708–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2020.1753768.

Alumni Spotlight – Miquela Hanselman

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Name: Miquela Hanselman

Title: Manager, Regulatory Affairs

What is your background and how did you become interested in the dairy/food industry?

I grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York. This upbringing instilled in me a love for the dairy industry and an appreciation of where food comes from. I have always enjoyed being around animals and helping my family with chores, but I never felt like my calling was to return home to the farm. During college, I learned how my skills and interests could be best suited to serve the industry, and ultimately, to give back to my favorite people.

What was your Cornell experience like? (i.e. coursework, dairy related activities, internships, jobs, etc.)

I received both a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science and a Master of Public Health from Cornell and I feel so incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities I had during that time. During my undergraduate career, I had many opportunities to travel and see the dairy industry in different parts of the world. These included participating in the Dairy Science club and going on the study trips to Italy, China and California and spending a summer learning the tradition of making Alp cheese on an Alp outside of Grindelwald, Switzerland. I also minored in global health which provided me with the opportunity to spend a summer in Zambia, working for CARE International, researching food insecurity and malnutrition.

I was also in Dairy Fellows and worked in the Food Safety and Milk Quality Improvement Lab throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers. Working in the lab gave me a new appreciation for the processing of dairy products, and the steps that must be taken to keep those products safe for consumption. I didn’t even know food safety was a field before joining that lab (don’t tell Martin) and ended up receiving an Honors in Research in Food Safety my senior year. It truly gave me a new perspective on what goes on with milk, and other products beyond the farm gate, and expanded my understanding of the food system.

After undergrad, I stayed at Cornell for two more years and completed my Master of Public Health with a concentration in Food Systems. During this time, I interned with the product research team at Dairy Management Inc. learning about the dairy checkoff program, the work that goes in to creating new dairy products, the dairy research centers, and how to communicate dairy’s story to general consumers. I also spent a semester in Washington, D.C. through the Cornell in Washington program and interned with my now employer, the National Milk Producers Federation on the trade team.

This is a very long list which can be summed up in to a few words- Cornell is so full of opportunities, and it will always continue to push you to be better, think harder, and expand what you already know.

What is your current role in the food industry, and how does it impact the dairy industry?

I currently am the Manager of Regulatory Affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation. The National Milk Producers Federation represents dairy cooperatives, and their dairy farmer members on policy and regulatory issues at the Federal level. Being on the regulatory team, I work mostly with the executive branch agencies (USDA, FDA, and EPA) on proposed rules and policy changes that may impact a dairy farmer. This ranges from something like the working on the Dietary Guidelines to ensure that dairy’s health benefits are acknowledged and consumption recommended, on Bovine tuberculosis to develop policy priorities for its eradication, to providing input on the new Waters of the United States rule. I like to think that we work on a lot of topics that if we do our job right, dairy farmers won’t have to worry about, and if they do, will only make the industry stronger.

How did your Cornell training impact your career in the dairy/food industry?

When I first went to Cornell, I wanted to go in to the medical field but the opportunities and experiences while there, changed my whole path. I learned that I didn’t have to be a dairy farmer to still be in the dairy industry, and that I was very interested in the policies and regulations which did affect the dairy farmer. Cornell taught me that food safety is very important, about animal science, global and pulic health, and how everything from the environment to humans to animals all have an impact on each other. Moreover, particularly my experiences working in the MQIP lab, helped me gain both an industry and research perspective to bring with me to my now job and as I said above, rounded out my knowledge of the food system. My experiences and opportunities at Cornell truly brought me to where I am today.