NC_OLD1023: Engineering for food safety and quality
(Multistate Research Project)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
NC_OLD1023: Engineering for food safety and quality
Duration: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2015
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
ISSUES
With an increasing demand by consumers for fresh-like, healthy, nutritious and safe food, the US food processing industry is continually challenged. Furthermore, emerging pathogenic microorganisms, tolerant to conventional treatment methods, create a demand for improved and novel food processes. The industry must constantly redefine technology to assure wholesomeness in processed foods. Thus, new and existing technologies must meet the challenge and play a pivotal role in improving the quality of value-added food products. Without extensive research, it would be difficult for the industry to meet these demands. To effectively compete in the global markets, the US food industry requires ready access to the scientific knowledge, well prepared personnel with appropriate skills, and a continuous dialog between academic researchers and industry practitioners. Collaborations among engineers, food scientists and other experts across the nation can effectively address these needs of the industry by advancing technologies through research, preparing our future work force through educating the students, and bridging the gap between research and implementation through outreach. The stakeholders impacted by this project will include the food industry, federal regulatory agencies, and consumers.
NC-1023 MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of this multistate project is to advance technologies for the purpose of improving food safety, quality and security. This will be accomplished by virtue of collaboration and synergy among participating experiment stations and disciplines. The research outcomes of this project will be used to enhance education and outreach programs for stakeholders.
JUSTIFICATION
The strong collaborative nature of the NC-1023 Committee over the years (as NC-136 in the past) has been central asset to its continued success. Its collaborative structure enables the experiment stations to share knowledge, personnel and research facilities to achieve their objectives in an efficient manner. It offers opportunities to solve the emerging issues in a timely fashion and develop appropriate measures for immediate implementation.
Changing economic, social, and demographic conditions around the world have created an increased demand for food products with higher sensory quality, increased convenience, advanced delivery systems, and safer and more nutritious foods. The greatest challenge to the food industry is to keep pace with new technological advances and consumer trends. Increasing societal problems like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses and cancer have created demand for food products with health claims. The increase in market share by organic foods and popularity of dietary supplements cannot be ignored. The need to improve quality while assuring food safety and retain nutritional value has resulted in a number of alternative thermal and non-thermal preservation technologies. These technologies are under investigation with the aim of producing high-value end products. New and exciting trends in science, including systems biology, nanotechnology, and nutragenomics, are changing the way in which engineers and scientists address issues such as process efficiency, product safety and quality. As demand for new food products containing bioactive compounds are increasing, reliable means to characterize the effectiveness of these ingredients as well as their interactions with other base ingredients are urgently needed. Rapid methods based on optical and/or biological sensing techniques for real-time evaluation of food systems during processing and storage must be investigated.
The NC-1023 Committee, which initially focused on thermal processes (as NC-136), has increased its focus during the last 5-year cycle on the study of non-thermal processing technologies. During the next 5-year cycle, the emphasis will shift to advancing the processing technologies. A whole new body of knowledge will be developed by integration of engineering principles with molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology in addition to continued reliance on advances in physics and chemistry. The need for characterizing the biophysical properties, understanding transport processes in food systems and scale-up from the molecular to a commercial scale will continue. Research into solutions that combine non-thermal food processing technologies, biological preservatives (e.g., bacteriocins), and enhanced packaging technologies must continue. Sensor systems are also needed in real time applications for process control and endpoint prediction. Systems that can provide real-time detection of food-borne pathogens will be investigated. Mathematical modeling will continue to play increasing roles in industrial research and development as well as efforts by academia to understand food systems during processing and distribution. Modeling efforts will also continue to describe microbial death kinetics for alternative processes to develop better understanding of the interaction of microorganisms with each other, and the environment under processing and storage conditions. In addition to focusing on advancing the technologies, efforts will also be made to develop learning modules to incorporate research findings into the classrooms. The past accomplishments in collaboratively developing learning modules to teach food engineering will be expanded to include development of virtual learning environment that can be deployed across the nation. Proactive measures will be implemented for effective assessment of new learning techniques and identify best pedagogical practices in teaching food engineering to food science students.
The other major emphasis for the project for the next five years is to include an active outreach component. In addition to publishing refereed journal articles, book chapters, books, and conference presentations, there will be increased number of active workshops, and demonstrations of advances in technologies to stakeholders. Specific implementation strategies are being developed through collaborative faculty having outreach responsibilities in various experiment stations.
The capabilities presented by the multi-state collaborative nature of the NC-1023 project provide a unique opportunity to partner research, education and outreach for identification, characterization, development and improvement of modified and novel food products which will positively impact human nutrition and health. Expected impacts of the collaborative efforts are an understanding of the effects of food processing methods on stability and safety of foods; an insight of the functionalities of the food molecules to allow for dramatic improvements in food quality; advances in the modeling complex phenomena in foods; and improved delivery of research information through education and outreach. The NC-1023 plays an important role in keeping US food processors at the forefront of a global industry. This is demonstrated by the number of grants given to the member institutions by the food industry. Agricultural producers and consumers benefit from a competitive and innovative domestic food processing industry. Rapid and substantive progress will be best achieved through the continued sharing of resources and unique capabilities that can be brought to bear through NC-1023.
Related, Current and Previous Work
A search of the CRIS (US) and ICAR (Canada) databases identified over 89 current or recent projects that relate to the objectives of NC-1023, excluding those that only address non-food teaching and outreach projects. One or more members of the NC-1023 project serve as principal/co-principal investigators on the majority of the US projects. The Critical Review section identifies NC-1023 key research accomplishments during the last 5 years. Table 1 summarizes those activities. Of note is the increase of publications, presentations to stakeholders, USDA and other grants received over the 1999-2005-time period. The increase in competitive grants reflects the relevance and quality of science of NC-1023.
Table 1 Productivity of NC-1023 during 2005-2009 (a more detailed account can be found in Attachment C)
| Source | 2005-2009 | 1999-2005 |
| Journals, articles, peer-reviewed | 655 | 562 |
| Books and book chapters | 100 | 162 |
| Presentations | 515 | 326 |
| Theses and dissertations | 30 | 30 |
| Patents | 8 | 7 |
| Workshops/symposia | 12 | 0 |
| USDA NRI, NIFSI, CSREES grants | >$3 million in collaborative grants | $2.1 million |
| Industry grants | > $2 million | $1.6 million |
NC-1023 does not duplicate any other Multistate Research project, and it is the only such project that integrates engineering and food science. The research proposed by NC-1023 is diverse with respect to processes and commodities. However, this proposal does focus on improving the safety and quality of our food supply by applying engineering principles to control and improve processes. This proposal further emphasizes the sharing of this knowledge through the use of specific teaching and outreach objectives (Objectives 2 and 3; new this year). Because of the diverse and complex nature of foods and processing technologies, the committee is addressing some specific processes based upon the reports of our High Pressure Processing and Nanotechnology ad-hoc committees. This will not exclude additional collaborations between stations, as new approaches to thermal and alternative processes come to light, additional stations may collaborate through our ad-hoc committees or as stations with similar interests and research expertise. As in the past NC-136/NC-1023 committees, the methods of measuring food engineering properties, quality attributes, and microorganism survival will continue to evolve, and the contributing stations will standardize these methods and share them with the committee.
IMPACT
This project has contributed greatly to the development of new and improved thermal and alternative processes based upon sound engineering and food science principles. The sharing of ideas and the cooperation fostered by NC-1023 were directly responsible in initiating the development of research proposals, collaborative research projects, development and presentation of workshops, symposiums, presentations to industries, sharing of classroom experiments (real and virtual), textbooks, IFT (Institute of Food Technologists standards/outcomes, strategic planning, Food Engineering, Alternative processes and education divisions), patents, sharing of students, and sharing of equipment, procedures, and research findings. Specific examples are listed in Appendix C (Principal publications, presentations, etc. of the committee).
Objectives
-
Obj 1. Advancing the fundamental science and application of technologies to ensure safety and improve quality of food products
-
Obj 1a. Utilize innovative methods to characterize food materials
-
Obj 1b. Develop new and improved processing technologies
-
Obj 1c. Develop mathematical models to enhance understanding of, and, optimize food processes
-
Obj 2. Develop pedagogical methodologies for improved learning of food engineering principles
-
Obj 3. Develop outreach programs to disseminate best practices for enhancing food safety and quality to stakeholders
Methods
The objectives 1, 2 and 3 are interlinked and connected to achieve the mission of the project (Figure 1). The project will be carried out to address all these objectives simultaneously with the research outcomes from the last period (05-09) and will build on the interconnected network through ad-hoc committees on projects of shared interest between experimental stations.
Objective 1a
Food engineers have been using various measurement techniques for estimating physical, rheological and thermodynamic properties of interest as a function of food composition and packaging material. Once reliable properties are measured, these properties provide critical input to the mathematical models (obj. 1c). Knowhow on engineering properties is also vital for successful technology development (obj. 1b) and assessment efforts including equipment design, microbial safety, instrumental and sensory properties of the processed foods. Different preservation technologies influence the properties of food material differently. For example, knowledge about temperature and pressure history is important for evaluating process uniformity during pressure-assisted thermal processing. Similarly, knowledge on temperature along with electric field distribution is important in evaluating electro-based technologies such as microwave and pulsed electric field processing. Food microstructure is increasingly recognized as a major influence in determining physical properties and behavior of foods. Food Materials Science is an emerging field where the theory and practice of classical materials science is being applied to food systems. The study of foods as polymeric and composite materials is expected to yield a wealth of knowledge and insight into food systems behavior. Proposed collaborative work High pressure processing: High pressure processing and pressure-assisted thermal processing are of interest because of their potential to deliver superior quality pasteurized and shelf-stable low-acid foods. Studies will take place to extend thermal properties measurement methods under elevated pressure and temperature conditions. OH, OR, NJ, VA, WA, IA and NE will develop appropriate methods of measurements and estimate various physical and thermal properties relevant to HPP and PATP. Electro-based technologies: Microwave (MW) and Ohmic heating are some of the promising processes for manufacturing high quality shelf stable foods. Electromagnetic properties data of several foods will be required in development of mathematical models to understand the highly complex nature of the processes. Measurement of electromagnetic properties as influenced by food components and process variables will be carried out (OH and WA). Packaging: Commercialization of the emerging technologies will require development of appropriate packaging materials that can resist these processes. In addition to the properties of foods, data on engineering properties of packaging materials will also be required. NASA, OH, WA will collaborate in the areas of package and process interactions and influence on barrier and mechanical properties of packaging materials. IL will collaborate on the evaluation of mechanical and barrier properties of bio-based packaging materials. Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology has the potential to develop nutritious and better quality foods by employing nano-structured materials (encapsulation). CA, IA, IL, and TX will collaborate on characterization of various physicochemical, textural and sensorial properties of foods prepared using nano-technology.Objective 1b
For successful development of innovative processing technologies from concept to commercialization, a number of questions need to be addressed. Is the technology microbiologically safe?Information on destruction of various pathogenic and spoilage bacteria as a function of composition, pH and water activity are needed. Since the inactivation mechanism of the non-thermal technologies may be different from thermal processing, a mechanistic understanding of inactivation by various technologies is desired. Is the technology providing significant quality benefits over traditional processing during extended storage?
Information on efficacy of the various technologies in preserving food quality attributes such as texture, color, and flavor are needed. The impact of processing in degradation of various nutrients and enzymes needs to be documented. Additional molecular level studies are desired to understand the impact of the treatments on food structure and quality. What are the scale-up challenges associated with the technology? How uniform is the application of lethal dosage (pressure, heat, electric field etc)?
It is important to understand how the uniformity of the treatment is influenced by food composition and properties (obj. 1 a) as well as equipment design characteristics. Mathematical models (obj. 1 c) can help in evaluating process uniformity under these conditions as well as in studies involving process optimization. Further, it is essential to identify critical process parameters that influence product microbial safety so that appropriate steps can be taken in the event of process deviation. Proposed Collaborative Efforts Due to space constraints, only technologies where several Stations have expressed interest in collaboration are highlighted. However, this is not a comprehensive list of the technologies our group is investigating. Irradiation Processing: MI and TX will investigate the application of ionizing irradiation for pasteurization of various fresh, high-risk food products, such as leafy greens, fresh-cut produce and raw nuts. Safety and quality of the treated products will be evaluated (TX). MI will develop and evaluate models for inactivation and dose-distribution. Combination processes such as MAP for increasing radiation sensitivity will be evaluated (TX). NASA will investigate the effect of radiation on the functionality of ingredients and quality of processed food products. High Pressure Processing: While no commercial PATP products are available, the technology recently gained momentum with FDA approval of a petition to preserve a low-acid food. DE, IA, NASA, NE, NJ, OH, OR, PA, SD, VA, and WA will investigate the application of high pressure pasteurization and sterilization for food safety and quality. Inactivation of various microorganisms as a function of food composition and process parameters will be investigated. Reaction kinetics of various food constituents at combined pressure-heat treatment will be investigated (IA, OH, OR, WA). Quality benefits of PATP products will be investigated (IA, OH). LA, NE and TN, plan to evaluate high pressure homogenization application in foods. OH and PA will study mechanism of vegetative bacteria and bacterial spore inactivation during combined pressure-heat treatment. OH and VA will investigate meat textural changes. Pulsed Electric Field Processing: LA, MN, NE and WA will investigate application of pulsed electric field processing to improve food safety and quality. Microwave Sterilization: Recently FDA approved a petition for the use of microwave energy for sterilization of pre-packaged, low-acid foods. NASA, NE and WA will work on the development of microwave sterilization. Packaging: NASA, OH, and WA will develop improved polymeric structures for packaging of foods processed by conventional retort, PATP and microwave sterilization technologies. NJ will develop new generation of active packaging controlled release packaging materials. VA and WA will work on incorporation of antimicrobials into packaging targeted for fresh produce. Nanotechnology: CA, IA, IL, IN, LA, MD, MO, NE, TN, TX and VA stations will collaborate on various nanotechnology related research which can be broadly classified into the following research areas: material synthesis (TN, MD, IL, MI), food-nano-system interactions (IA, IN, TX), product development and food properties (IA, TX), food quality (IA, IL , IN, LA, MD, TN and TX), targeting and controlled release of bioactive and antimicrobials (IL, LA, MD, TN, and VA), bioseparation (LA and VA), biosensing and bioconversion (IN, MI, MD, LA, TX and VA) and nano-composite packaging (IL, WA and NASA). Multi-station collaborations are anticipated in the identification of flavor compounds prone to degradation; in the mathematical modeling of degradation and protection processes, for example diffusion processes; and in the scaling-up of flavor protection processes.
Objective 1c
Mathematical models based on transport processes and rate kinetics provide a significant boost to food safety and quality by making available predictive tools that provide information about specific products, processing conditions and/or microorganisms through what-if scenarios. Modeling of the biochemical and physical transformations in foods can significantly speed-up the development of novel, high-quality products and processes. Modeling is also a mechanism to evaluate consequences of unintended microbial or chemical contamination, as well as sabotage. Modeling provides insight into processes that are critical for developing new ones, which is often not possible through experiments alone. In addition, the stations in NC 1023 together consist of the largest group of researchers anywhere with expertise to model processes, quality and microbial changes and their integration. Proposed Collaborative Work The proposed collaborative work is discussed in terms of three areas 1) develop a broad-based approach (framework) to understand different food processes; 2) extend the framework to include kinetic modeling for safety and quality; 3) integrate process and kinetic models and apply to individual processes. (1) Develop a broad-based approach (framework) to understand different food processes The modeling framework itself needs to be developed for food processes, in order to avoid ad-hoc and semi -empirical approaches that do not translate easily when products and processes are changed, thus diminishing the advantages of a predictive modeling approach. Texas-TTU, WA, NY-Ithaca and NE stations will collaborate to develop a set of frameworks (traditional porous media formulation and hybrid mixture theory) that will not only show the relative advantages of these frameworks but also will show the recommended approaches for various types of foods and processes. By reducing the development time, models will be a readily usable tool in food research. These models will be indispensable in studying processes that involve complex spatial and time variations, such as microwave heating, high pressure and pulsed electric processing, freezing, frying and controlled release of drugs. Each of these applications will be pursued collaboratively by multiple NC 1023 stations. In addition, the models will be critical when processes are combined. Examples are combined thermal-high pressure treatment (OH, PA, NJ, OR), combined microwave-conventional heating treatment (NY-Ithaca, VA, CA), and hurdle technologies, which will be pursued collaboratively. Experimental validation is an important component of model development. The studies that combine modeling and validation will yield insight into the transport processes and allow the building of advanced models that include variability of materials, reaction kinetics and simultaneous heat and mass transfer. An example of activities in this area is the collaboration between the NY-Ithaca and CA stations for the validation of a heat and mass transfer model during combined convection/microwave heating of a potato product. Collaboration (CA and NY-Ithaca) in modeling and experimental validation through MRI studies will extend to storage stability at the MN station. Collaboration between Texas-TTU and NE stations will allow experimental validation of transport processes during expansion of starch during extrusion. (2) Extend the framework to include kinetic modeling for safety and quality With respect to food safety, microbiological modeling is being pursued at several stations using both stochastic and mechanistic models. Microbial inactivation is a function of dynamic product and process characteristics, including path-dependent models for effects of stress adaptation on thermal resistance. This area is being studied at the MI station, with plans to collaborate with USDA-ERS where growth and inactivation studies are currently underway. Collaborative effort between GA and OR stations will develop kinetic parameters for alternative processing technologies, where there is great need for kinetic data for various food and processing conditions, especially under non-isothermal conditions. Treatments will include irradiation (TX), spore inactivation by pressure (NJ), and pressure-assisted thermal processing (OR). Modeling is also a very effective tool to obtain uncertainty and variability (e.g., Monte Carlo methods). Collaborations in methodologies to obtain uncertainty and variability of kinetic parameters will take place between MI, GA and NY-Ithaca stations. Both thermal processes and non-thermal processes that inactivate microorganisms will be studied. Quality changes will also be modeled for inclusion in integrated models. Examples include the structural changes in products under high pressure processing (VA, OH), texture development during frying (VA, TX, TTU-Texas and NY-Ithaca); and reaction kinetics of nutraceuticals (MI, NJ). 3) Integrate process and kinetic models and apply to individual processes Knowledge developed in (1) and (2) will be combined to develop models that integrate transport processes and reaction kinetics. This approach is best illustrated by examples. Meat Cooking: Meat cooking is a complex process involving multiple modes of transport of water, fat, during cooking that eventually determines quality and safety. Modeling of meat cooking to predict quality and safety is being pursued at MI, NY-Ithaca and WI. The stations NY- Ithaca and MI have informal collaborations already under way in the area of pressure driven flow during heating. MI and WI will collaborate in studying slow cooking of roast and ham. Work will also include pathogen transport in whole muscle meat products during marination. High Pressure Processing: As an emerging technology, several unresolved issues exist regarding process uniformity, structural changes, mechanism of inactivation by pressure and heat and effects on nutraceuticals and other quality characteristics. Several stations (e.g., NJ and VA) will be collaborating in several of these areas of quality and safety. This is an example of an area where modeling is indispensable as direct measurement can produce very limited information. Emerging Microwave Processing: Collaboration in the area of continuous microwave heating, to understand the effects of flow rates, initial temperatures and other food and equipment design variables, will take place in LA and HI. Frying: While conventional frying itself is a very challenging process in terms of developing consistent quality, process variations increase the complexity of the process. For example, the role of coatings as barriers in conventional frying as well as texture development in vacuum frying are being studied in TX-TTU, TX, NE and VA stations. Collaborations will take place between process modeling at TX-TTU and VA stations and quality model in TX and NY-Ithaca stations. Controlled Release: Controlled release can be used to protect sensitive nutrients from hostile conditions. Modeling will be used to quantify controlled release and optimize processing conditions and/or product formulation. Specifically, release of hydrophobic drugs from nanoparticles will be studied in collaboration by LA and CA stations. The results will be used to improve the design of the particles (size, zeta potential, type of polymer) to achieve optimum release profiles during GI transit.Objective 2
One of the goals of the NC-1023 committee over the next several years is to improve students' learning of food processing and food engineering principles. Many of the committee members are involved in teaching either food science or food engineering students at their institutions. In most cases, both groups of students are taught the same food processing or engineering principles but with different objectives, or outcomes in mind. When teaching food processing courses, it can be a struggle to find the best approach for communicating these fundamental principles to non-engineering students. As the committee is composed primarily of food engineers from various universities across the country, it is only natural that we come together as a committee in an effort to improve the food engineering/processing curricula. We recognize that there is an excellent opportunity to improve the quality of teaching in these courses by promoting greater collaboration amongst faculty in the NC-1023 committee. One way to increase collaboration would be to share teaching materials and learning activities that are being used at our respective universities. By sharing materials and ideas, we would maximize resources while minimizing work load in terms of course development. Our teaching efforts, as well as student learning, would be impacted positively as a result. In addition, this committee consists of some of the nation's leading researchers in the area of food processing and engineering. New knowledge and developments in food processing can be packaged for use in teaching undergraduate or graduate students. It is highly likely that other universities with food process engineering programs, not represented on the committee, will adopt teaching methods, materials, and/or learning activities put forth by the NC-1023 committee. In this way, we would have a tremendous platform from which to advance new knowledge in the field and improve skills of graduates within our discipline. The main objective of this effort is to: develop pedagogical methodologies for improved learning of food engineering principles. This objective will be pursued through two specific objectives or activities. Develop a set of learning outcomes for Food Science and Food Engineering students Under this objective, the committee proposes to examine existing outcomes and core competencies for existing programs and courses and discuss the development of two different sets of outcomes for engineers and non-engineers. Currently, core competencies exist in the area of Food Processing and Engineering for teaching the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) accredited food science programs (non-engineers). However, these core competencies need updating and no common set of core competencies, or learning outcomes, exist for food engineering programs. Approach: The overall approach to developing these new sets of learning outcomes for food engineering and food processing programs will be to:- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the IFT core competencies identified for the area of food processing and engineering
- Compile a common set of learning outcomes from existing University programs and present them to the entire NC-1023 committee for discussion.
- Develop surveys for employers and/or alumni to help identify key core competencies of graduates from each program.
- Develop a final list of key learning outcomes for both food engineering and food processing curricula and example performance criteria for meeting these outcomes.
- Each collaborating station will send teaching materials to the lead station in the appropriate areas.
- Subcommittees will be formed to compile materials and create a common format or template.
- Subcommittees will be formed to collaboratively develop new materials
- Several test stations will implement new and/or existing teaching strategies/learning modules (modules could include lecture materials, case studies, simulations, homework/in-class assignments, etc.) that have been compiled by the committee.
- Assessment methods will be developed to measure the effectiveness of new and/or current teaching approaches and learning modules and their impact on learning outcomes.
Objective 3
This is explained as part of the outreach plan.Measurement of Progress and Results
Outputs
- Novel processing technologies with optimum process conditions
- Mathematical models providing greater insight into various food process operations
- Learning modules to teach food process engineering to food science and food engineering students
- Web-site (wiki) with mathematical modeling approaches
- Standardied procedures for property evaluation methods
Outcomes or Projected Impacts
- New information on properties of food and packaging material will be useful in the development and optimization of various processing and preservation technologies (objective 1b), and the mathematical modeling of these processes (objective 1c).
- Using the improved curricula, future food engineering and scientists will have vastly improved knowledge of food materials and processes needed in product and process development.
- Various developed technologies and science behind these technologies will be shared with food industry stakeholders
- A ready-to-use modeling tool developed at NY-Ithaca to be used by other stations and industry constituents.
- Teaching strategies/learning modules to teach food engineering (lecture materials, case studies, simulations, homework/in-class assignments, etc.)
- More people certified in HACCP and BPCS, resulting in production of safe food in the US and export supply and adoption of safe food process technology. <P> Increased knowledge and expertise of government employees, inspectors, trainers, etc.
Milestones
(2011): Develop a rapid sensor technology for on-line process control and on-line quality evaluation for variety of food process operations with standardized measurement techniques.(2012): Update the searchable database with accurate and reliable property data (physical, chemical, microbiological, etc.) with standard methods of measurement and prediction for properties for which the data does not previously exist.
(2013): Develop mathematical models for analysis, design, and improvement of new and alternative processing of foods with non-existent data on quality of processed foods, microbial growth/death kinetics, and other property data
(2014): Optimize computational model development fo new and alternative food processes
(2015): Effectively predict, control, and evaluate quality and safety of food products during processing and storage by 2014 with quantitative predictive tools for quality and microbial food safety and risk developed by 2015.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationOutreach Plan
Objective 3
The purpose of this objective is to ensure that the collaborative work of the group is learned and put into practice by stakeholders. These stakeholders include industry, extension agents, communities and individuals involved in food production, state and federal government agencies, inspectors, professional societies, students and faculty, policy-makers, and others. The form of dissemination may differ depending on the audience, but the intent is the same: to inform and train people in how to improve food safety and quality. To attain this goal, we need to develop an assessment plan, determine specific evaluation indicators, specify the work to be done, and identify the expected outcomes.
Prior to putting efforts into outreach and extension, one must have a clear idea about the effectiveness of the project. Therefore, it is crucial for the NC-1023 team to develop a good assessment plan.
Assessment Development
The four-level Kirkpatrick model is a good tool for assessing program/project effectiveness (Figure 2). According to this model, evaluation should always begin with level one, and then should move sequentially through levels two, three, and four. Information from each prior level serves as a base for the next level's evaluation. Each successive level represents a more precise measure of the effectiveness of the training program, but at the same time requires a more rigorous and time-consuming analysis:
- Level 1 Evaluation - Reactions: Just as the word implies, evaluation at this level measures how participants in a training program react to it. It attempts to answer questions regarding the participants' perceptions - Did they like it? Was the material relevant to their work? This type of evaluation is often called a smilesheet. According to Kirkpatrick, every program should at least be evaluated at this level to provide for the improvement of a training program. In addition, the participants' reactions have important consequences for learning (level two). Although a positive reaction does not guarantee learning, a negative reaction almost certainly reduces its possibility.
- Level 2 Evaluation - Learning: Assessing at this level moves the evaluation beyond learner satisfaction and attempts to assess the extent students have advanced in skills, knowledge, or attitude. Measurement at this level is more difficult and laborious than level one. Methods range from formal to informal testing to team assessment and self-assessment. If possible, participants take the test or assessment before the training (pretest) and after training (post test) to determine the amount of learning that has occurred.
- Level 3 Evaluation - Transfer: This level measures the transfer that has occurred in learners' behavior due to the training program. Evaluating at this level attempts to answer the question - Are the newly acquired skills, knowledge, or attitude being used in the everyday environment of the learner? For many trainers this level represents the truest assessment of a program's effectiveness. However, measuring at this level is difficult as it is often impossible to predict when the change in behavior will occur; thus, requiring important decisions in terms of when to evaluate, how often to evaluate, and how to evaluate.
- Level 4 Evaluation - Results: Frequently thought of as the bottom line, this level measures the success of the program in terms that managers and executives can understand -increased production, improved quality, decreased costs, reduced frequency of accidents, increased sales, and even higher profits or return on investment. Determining results in this level is difficult to measure, and it will require an accumulation of data over several years to address the impact of the course on the training program.
Evaluation and Verification Indicators
The A-E-I-O-U framework for evaluation is particularly useful in assessing extension/outreach programs; project objectives will be organized into evaluation questions in five areas:
- Accountability:
o Did the project team do what it said it was going to do?
o Establish research and education collaborations
- Effectiveness:
o How well did the research components meet the objectives of the project?
o How well did the education activities meet the objectives of the project?
o What changes need to be made to serve the general public's interests?
- Impact:
o What changes have occurred as a result of the project?
o How have faculty and students learned from the process?
- Organizational content:
o What organizational policies or procedures or circumstances helped to achieve the goals and objectives of the project?
o What made it difficult to achieve project goals and objectives?
- Unanticipated outcomes:
o What happened that was not planned or expected?
Proposed Collaborative Work
We will use a broad variety of media to disseminate the knowledge generated by this project. Early in the project, websites at all participating institutions will showcase the project. After gaining experience we will present preliminary results at national meetings such as those held by IFT and IAFP. Later, when sufficient data are gathered to warrant stronger conclusions about the project, we plan to publish at least two refereed journal articles, one focused on the research modules, and one on the application of the outcomes to enhance food safety domestically and internationally.
Towards the completion of the project, focused groups of stakeholders (e.g. employers in the food industry, regulatory agencies) will be invited to evaluate the desirability of the project in meeting their needs. The level of commitment of participating faculty across all institutions will also be evaluated. Academic deans, financial officers, and graduate deans at participating institutions will also be brought together to review this program. The faculty team and academic deans will refine the scope of the program, establish optimum program size, set targets for program growth, and develop a multi-faceted continuation strategy.
The following list shows the proposed main areas of outreach, including collaborative endeavors. Stations will share information, presentations, and advice.
- Workshops (1-5 days; topics such as food safety, introduction to food science, community/home food preservation for canning and freezing, nutraceuticals, food processing, etc.) (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, NY-Ithaca and GA).
- Presentations to industry, community stakeholders, and extension agents on emerging and innovative processes that NC1023 members have expertise in (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, NY-Ithaca and GA).
- Presentations to government agencies, such as State Department of Agriculture, on timely topics, e.g. What Does a Process Authority Do?, How to register with FDA and USDA? (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, and GA).
- Develop and teach Better Process Control Schools for industry, on campus and on request for companies (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, and GA).
- Develop and teach HACCP for certification (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, and GA).
- Develop programs to encourage youth interest in science and engineering (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, and GA).
- Process authority work for small processors of acidified and low-acid foods (MD, MI, FL, IA, CA, and GA).
- Attendance/presentation at IFTPS to keep up on the latest FDA regulations for thermal processing (MI, FL).
- Collaborative extension bulletins (MD, MI, FL, and IA).
Organization/Governance
NC-1023 is organized according to the guidelines in the USDA Multistate Research Manual, as found at http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/regionalmanual.doc. Membership includes an administrative advisor (Dr. John Kirby), a CSREES representative (Dr. Hongda Chen) and project leaders from 29 cooperating stations, Texas-Tech and NASA. Project leaders are listed in Attachment A. A standing Steering Committee created at the 2001 Annual meeting works on specific goals to improve revision and rewrite logistics; revise protocols for implementing station reports and other items into project objectives; monitor and promote impacts with industry and producers; archive collaborative efforts; and maintain focus on trends and areas of high profile, national research need. Meetings are held annually, typically in October. The secretary for the coming year is elected at the end of each meeting. The previous secretary moves up to vice-chair and the vice-chair to chair. These three officers, the past chair, and the administrative advisor constitute the executive committee. The dates of the annual meeting (typically two or three days) are determined by the host and the chair after consulting the Committee at the preceding meeting. The chair develops an agenda for the upcoming meeting in consultation with the executive committee and the feedback from the membership. The annual meeting includes technical reports from each represented station, discussion of results and future areas of collaboration, and meetings among smaller ad hoc committees. The location of the meeting for the coming year is determined by vote at the end of each meeting. Meetings are typically held at or near a member station and hosted by the official representative of that station. Minutes are prepared by the secretary and sent to members. An annual report is prepared by the chair, submitted to the administrative advisor, and posted at the NC-136 web site.
The success of this Committee over the years has been due to the strong collaborative nature of the group to resolve issues that are not easily resolved by a single research group. The ad-hoc committees are an essential element for solving specific issues that arise. Ad-hoc committees are formed when an issue is identified by the Committee. The interested stations develop a specific objective and collaborate to resolve the issue together. When the issue has been resolved and the results reported back to the Committee, the ad-hoc committee is dissolved and members move on to work on another issue. This structure allows for individual cooperation between stations, and provides a mechanism for addressing major problems of interest across all the stations. Currently, NC-1023 has a number of active ad hoc committees as described in the Procedures, with new ones being planned for future activities. With the new objectives, it is anticipated that additional ad hoc committees will be developed. Collaboration is also fostered on an informal basis at the annual meetings. Members engage in dialog throughout the year via the NC 1023 NIMSS list server.