STILLWATER, Okla. – Southern land-grant universities are working to feed the world.
More than 600 million people worldwide are projected to face hunger in 2030, according to the United Nations. One of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals is eradicating hunger, and the United States Food and Drug Administration has committed to reducing food loss and waste by 50% in 2030.
Land-grant institutions play a large role in accomplishing these national and international goals. The universities combat plant and animal diseases, food pathogens and food waste while improving crop and animal production through research.
The University of Georgia founded the Center for Food Safety in 1992 to promote food safety and its role in protecting the nation’s agricultural system. Food safety is critical to ensuring food security. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness each year in the U.S., most of which are caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites. The UGA center has been a leader in multidisciplinary, innovative research to improve food safety with researchers developing ways to detect, control and eliminate harmful microorganisms and toxins from the food supply.
A team of researchers at the UGA Center for Food Safety is studying the potential uses of antimicrobial blue light to eliminate pathogens in manufacturing facilities. Initial findings have shown “consistent killing of Listeria monocytogenes’ cells in liquid cultures on inert surfaces and biofilms using different blue light wavelengths and doses.” The researchers are investigating the use of antimicrobial blue light in food processing facilities to sterilize hard-to-reach places that can harbor biofilms (clusters of bacteria) that can be difficult to eliminate.
Oklahoma State University is home to the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, which provides training and other services to support the food and agricultural business sectors. The facility also increases food safety and supports and enhances economic impact through research laboratories, pilot-processing facilities, educational programs and seminars.
The OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences supports this mission through research to improve animal production and health and minimize food waste. One of the department’s multi-disciplinary projects studies stress in cattle using artificial intelligence and sensor technologies. OSU researchers are researching how some cattle might be genetically predisposed to health conditions or exhibit meat discoloration when harvested due to physical stressors and animal-environment interactions. The project examines high-growth and moderate-growth cattle using artificial intelligence and sensor technologies by comparing physiological responses in cattle to their genetics and studying tissue samples from cattle that have died from sudden death syndrome.
This discoloration of meat, also known as dark cutter carcass, is one of the major reasons why beef steaks are rejected at the retail level. The beef industry loses $3.73 billion annually due to discoloration, and 428 million pounds of nutritious beef are discarded due to discoloration, which is the equivalent of 780,000 cattle wasted.
Researchers in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are also focusing on dark cutters but in a different way. Virginia Tech is improving food security through an improved, intelligent food packaging method called modified atmosphere packaging. The method is used in fresh meat packaging to extend shelf life, preserve food quality and reduce food waste. With high-oxygen packaging technology, the desirable cherry- red color of beef steaks is maintained throughout product distribution and shelf life. This type of packaging can also integrate tags into its film to monitor and indicate meat spoilage or fruit ripeness for consumers.
Fort Valley State University researchers in the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology are helping to provide a sustainable answer to food security concerns through a study on sunflower oil. With the recent global shortage of this popular cooking item, an alternative oil could reduce the high demand for sunflower oil and improve the quality of fried food products.
FVSU is developing a blended frying oil that preserves the unique flavor profile of cooking oil. The research involves determining the flavor stability and quality of formulated vegetable oils using potato chips as the test product. The process will include evaluating the consumer acceptance of formulated vegetable oils through sensory testing of potato chips fried in formulated oils.
The project will benefit the edible oil and snack food industries and create opportunities for student groups to gain hands-on experience modifying vegetable oils and frying processing technologies. Alternatives for reliable blended frying oils will help develop new oilseed varieties for plant scientists.
The University of Georgia, Oklahoma State University, Virginia Tech and Fort Valley State University are part of a system of agricultural research centers at land-grant universities in the southern U.S. where scientists collaborate to conduct research and outreach focused on conserving the region’s natural resources and sustainably feeding a growing global population.
