NEWS FROM 2023
Celebrating 30 Years
Yes, it's true and hard to believe but Dan Smith, our beloved advisor of 30 years, is retiring at the end of 2023. While his student guidance will be sorely missed, we are very happy for him as he heads into new adventures. Besides, he'll still be teaching a few classes!
Donate to the Dan Smith Food & Beverage Teaching Laboratory
Celebrate Dan’s exemplary career in FST by helping to furnish a state-of-the art food science laboratory. As Dan says,
“I am calling on friends and alumni of FST to help me realize the goal of having this state-of the art space filled with equipment to match. It would be gratifying to know that those who succeed me will have all the tools required to create a compelling and fully relevant learning experience every week.”
To donate contact [email protected] Or online, go to https://give.fororegonstate.org/PL1Uv3Fkugand type in “Food Science & Technology Department Unrestricted Fund”. When prompted, select “In Honor of” and type in Dan Smith. Gifts can also be made via check, qualified charitable distribution, transfer of securities, and more by contacting Caitlin Sharp at [email protected]
Dan Smith Alumni/OSIFT Tailgater
Saturday, October 14th - Homecoming Game
Thanks to everyone for making this event a great success!!
It was great to see everyone and to celebrate Dan's 30 years with FST.
Thanks to our sponsor Oregon Section IFT and the OSU Alumni Association
NEWS FROM 2022
Research finds skin from Pacific whiting could help keep us looking younger
Exciting research by Jung Kwon, an assistant professor at Oregon State’s Seafood Research & Education Center is showing how the Pacific whiting, also called the North Pacific hake, could be beneficial for our skin. “We are aiming to see if there were any potential benefit to the Pacific whiting skin, particularly the gelatin.” Read more and see the interview KGW8 News.
Oregon State researchers makes key advance in turning apple waste into packaging material
Dr. Yanyun Zhao leads a research team focusing on sustainable food packaging and processing. She has studied apple pomace and other byproducts from processing fruit and vegetable juice and winemaking as an alternative for recycled newspaper in molded pulp manufacturing.
Read The Full Story
IFT Product Development Team Champions
Lindsay Garcia, Brandon Riesgaard, Trung Tran (team captain), Andrew Choi, Sage Taylor
2022 IFT Mars Wrigley Product Development Competition
OSU FST Students are IFT Product Development Champions!
The competition was fierce, but the OSU Food Science and Technology Student Product Development Team won the 2022 IFT Mars Wrigley product development competition.
Team captain Trung Tran along with Andrew Choi, Lindsay Garcia, Brandon Riesgaard, and Sage Taylor were composed, confident and truly exceptional. They presented an excellent business plan and delivered an outstanding presentation during the competition at the conference in Chicago. Their product, SeaZen’d Noodles, is superb! The team won the competition over teams from Cornell, Cal Poly, and many others.
OSU FST Department Head Lisbeth Goddik stated: I do not recall FST ever placing first in this prestigious international competition. This is one of the finest achievements in FST’s 104 year history and I am so proud of our team. This is better than winning the Superbowl!
Please join us in congratulating our outstanding students!
Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences Names Dr. Yanyun Zhao Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
A long-term faculty member in the College, Yanyun has most recently served as a Professor and Value-Added Food Product Specialist in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Renowned internationally for her work in sustainable food packaging and the reduction of food waste, Zhao holds a Ph.D. in Food Engineering from Louisiana State University and an M.S. in Heat and Mass Transfer from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China.
“We are extremely pleased that Dr. Zhao will be stepping into this important role on the leadership team for the College,” said Dr. Alan Sams, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. “Her proven commitment to the success of this institution, her ability to mentor peers across all segments of their career and her dedication to advancing inclusive opportunities for current and prospective faculty makes her an invaluable addition to the future of the College.”
NEWS FROM 2021
FST Dairy Processing Plant and Food Innovation Center part of $1.58M grant to support diversity and sustainability in agriculture
Oregon agriculture is a $50 billion industry and nearly 14% of Oregonians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. As a leading economic engine for the state, with communities in every county dependent on agricultural products, the donation of $1.58 million from Northwest Farm Credit Services aims to enhance existing programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University that can have immediate impact on the diversity, innovation and sustainability of the industry.
Dairy Processing Plant
The College of Agricultural Sciences is home to a major research hub for dairy in the nation, helping to drive innovation that has led to Oregon’s global reputation for high quality dairy products.
A portion of this investment will support the development of a new pilot plant that will be utilized for teaching OSU dairy processing courses, teaching extension courses to dairy industry professionals, serving as a business incubator for dairy entrepreneurs, providing an exceptional facility for research, and as a home for the commercial production of Beaver Classic cheeses by OSU students.
Food Innovation Center
The Food Innovation Center (FIC) in Portland was the nation’s first urban agricultural experiment station. The FIC is a resource for entrepreneurs and business development through client-based product and process development, packaging engineering and shelf-life studies, food safety and consumer sensory testing.
A portion of this investment will support continued advancement of innovation in food, markets and access.
FST at the Beaver Community Fair
October 1, 2021
Faculty, staff and student ambassadors from Food Science and Technology joined the many vendors of the Beaver Community Fair October 1st to connect with OSU students and community.
The annual Beaver Community Fair draws together the OSU and greater Corvallis communities to celebrate the start of the academic year.
There were over 200 different booths representing OSU departments & student organizations, Corvallis community agencies & businesses and local non-profit organizations that came together to make visible the opportunity to connect with services, products and involvement opportunities on campus and around the area.
Food for People Who Can't Swallow Is the Ultimate Culinary Challenge
Bloomberg Businessweek | July 12, 2021
Maureen O'Hagan
What do you get when a dentist, a chef, and people with dysphagia walk into a lab? Savorease, a self-dissolving cracker that may help millions of people enjoy solid food again.
For the more than 10 million American adults who have trouble swallowing, the average 28,000-product supermarket might as well be a barren wasteland. The typical store stocks just three product lines geared specifically for people with dysphagia, as their condition is known, and they’re all ultrasweet liquid meal replacements: Ensure, Boost, and a generic equivalent.
Dairy processors that focus on sustainability are in a position to reduce activity at wastewater treatment facilities.
Sustainability Enters the Dairy Supply Chain Spotlight
Dairy Foods | July 8, 2021 | Richard Mitchell
Taking steps to manage sustainability along the supply chain makes good business sense for dairy processors. Indeed, 2018 research by The Nielsen Co. LLC, New York, reveals that 81% of global consumers and 69% of those in the United States say that it’s very important or extremely important that companies implement programs to help the environment.
“Consumers are exerting pressure on dairy companies to embrace sustainability in their values, product offerings, and practices,” says Sheri Cole, assistant professor of practice — dairy extension and sustainable food manufacturing at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
FST Graduate Student Wins IFT Food Packaging Division Poster Competition
Congratulations to Clara Lang for winning first place at the IFT Food Packaging Division poster competition.
The title of her winning poster is "Investigation of Eco-Friendly Chemical Treatments of Apple Pomace for Producing High-Quality Molded Pulp Packaging".
This is the third time an FST student has placed first in the IFT food packaging division poster competition in the past 4 years. Way to go FST!
OSU doctoral student Keisha Harrison holding a kombucha SCOBY
OSU Researchers Begin to Unravel the Mysteries of Kombucha Fermentation
July 15, 2021 | KTVZ news sources
Oregon State University scientists are beginning to unravel the key microorganisms that contribute to the fermentation of kombucha, research that is already aiding large-scale kombucha producers in the fast-growing industry.
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that has been homebrewed around the world for centuries, but in recent years has become widely popular with a global market size expected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2019 to $8.1 billion by 2027, according to an industry report. Several large producers, including Humm and Brew Dr., are based in Oregon.
NEWS FROM 2020
Stay at Home Heroes - The OWRI Smoke Exposure Team:
Michael Qian, James Osborne, Elizabeth Tomasino, Patty Skinkis, and Alec Levin
The College of Agricultural Sciences represents a talented, multidisciplinary group of professionals across the entire state of Oregon. During these unpredictable and challenging times, our people continually demonstrate their tenacity, innovation and commitment to our students, our research, and our communities. In recognition of those efforts, we’ve launched the “Stay at Home Hero” award that will honor an individual every week who continually goes above and beyond in serving that commitment.
This week’s Stay at Home Hero consists of another team of dedicated faculty: The OWRI Smoke Exposure Team, including: Michael Qian, James Osborne, Elizabeth Tomasino, Patty Skinkis, and Alec Levin.
Their enormous efforts to help Oregon’s grape and wine industry following the recent wildfires has been truly heroic. While any actual impact of the smoke exposure is still unknown, the smoke exposure team members have provided critical guidance to growers and wine makers alike.
The two flavor chemists, Michael Qian and Elizabeth Tomasino, immediately halted their research projects and converted their labs to provide industry support by analyzing samples of smoke exposure. They installed new columns, calibrated GCMS units, optimized methods to cut sample analysis time, and developed logistics to receive, measure, analyze, and report results for hundreds of samples.
In addition to industry service work, the entire Smoke Exposure Team collaborated on research that within days went from concept to reality to determine state-wide exposure to smoke. The OWRI Smoke Exposure Team has worked very long hours, 7 days a week, since the fires started. They demonstrate an unmatched dedication to supporting Oregon’s grape and wine industry.
Thank you, OWRI Smoke Exposure Team!
Visit the OWRI website for more updates on the team’s efforts.
