Chippewa Valley Times

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people per year contract a foodborne illness, such as salmonella and E. coli. To help identify and prevent biological, chemical, and physical hazards in food, UW-Stout master's in food science and technology student Srihaasa Vempatapu and FST undergraduate senior Lainie Carlson researched Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) – a food safety measurement system used in every stage of the production process.

With forty-two of their food science peers in Professor Taejo Kim’s Food Quality class, they researched HACCP for dairy, juice, meat, poultry, seafood, and low-acid canned foods, conducting hands-on testing of foods in the labs. “HACCP covers the entire food system from growing and harvesting to processing, manufacturing, distributing, merchandising and consumption to reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” said Kim, whose goal is to train students to be qualified quality assurance personnel.

Students presented their HACCP plans and other research at UW-Stout’s annual Research Day, an event showcasing student, faculty, and staff research. Several were awarded for their efforts in the field.

The concept of HACCP was first developed in the 1960s by NASA to assess and implement food safety requirements for the space program. It was presented to the food industry in 1971 through the National Conference on Food Protection.

Vempatapu emphasized that HACCP systematically discovers, assesses, and manages possible hazards that could jeopardize food safety. “HACCP assists in preventing contamination... by concentrating on crucial control points throughout the production process,” she said.

Carlson noted that consumers often do not realize how many steps are taken to ensure safety in their food. “They just have faith in the manufacturers. HACCP is the reason for that faith.”

Students learned about HACCP's seven principles: conducting a hazard analysis; determining critical control points; establishing critical limits; monitoring procedures; corrective actions; verification procedures; and record-keeping/documentation procedures.

In the U.S., these principles are managed by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are universally accepted by government agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

During Research Day, Vempatapu gave an oral presentation on “HACCP on Low Fat Mayonnaise.” Carlson designed an “HACCP Plan for Raw Milk Cheese.” Both emphasized Research Day as a valuable opportunity to showcase their talent.

Award-winning research included Shuyi Zhou's poster “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Process Development for Ready-to-Eat Spiced Ham,” which won first place at Research Day.

Other awardees included Priyanka Shah and Vraj Shah for their oral presentation on vegan ice cream using chickpea milk; Tejasri Vanga who won second place at WiSys Quick Pitch; and Areeba Ali received an Outstanding Graduate Researcher honorable mention.

Ali highlighted her research on sugar-free chewing gum with strawberry powder aimed at improving products for consumers like people with diabetes.

UW-Stout’s food science programs are offered through its kinesiology, health, food and nutritional sciences department which also offers degrees in health wellness fitness dietetics nutrition dietetics.