For many in the food industry, an electrical outage or equipment issue during product storage can require important decisions to be made quickly. Dr. Vijaya Juneja, a lead scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, recently visited the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center to engage with audiences across the food industry, providing insights into software designed to streamline these decisions.

At its core, predictive microbiology is estimating the behavior of pathogens in food. Using the USDA-ARS Pathogen Modeling Program software, he explains that knowing the behavior of the pathogen and whether the pathogen will grow or not, helps food industry specialists estimate the shelf life of the product.

This free software tool allows food industry professionals to predict the growth, survival, and inactivation of bacteria and pathogens under different environmental conditions.

Lance Wheeler, the food safety manager at Ben E. Keith Foods, must make these types of decisions every day. As a distribution center, he and his staff may encounter temperature-control issues when transporting products. For Wheeler, this system revolutionizes his work.

“I can put in the type of product, what pathogen goes to that product, and it will spit out how much time before the product becomes detrimental or harmful,” Wheeler said.

The 40 people who attended the event said they were excited to learn about this revolutionary technology from a renowned expert in the field.

“When I learned that the author of many of these models was going to be right here at FAPC, I knew I had to come listen,” said Jake Nelson, food safety coordinator at Ralph’s Packing Company.

Juneja’s impact extended beyond Oklahoma. Ty Wood, quality assurance superintendent at Creekstone Farms, traveled from Kansas to learn more from Juneja’s expertise.

“I think FAPC is doing a lot of great programs to educate not only students, but people in the industry,” Wood said.

Bar-S Foods has been using this system for some time. Barry Hays, division vice president for quality of food safety at Bar-S Foods, said that although predictive microbiology is not new to the company, the event provided an opportunity to make a valuable contact and reinforce existing knowledge.

As part of organizing Juneja’s attendance at FAPC, Dr. Ravi Jadeja, FAPC's food safety specialist, recognized the importance of students and industry professionals learning directly from an industry expert.

“They can ask questions to Juneja pertaining to their own issues that they are facing in the food industry, rather than sending those questions to someone else,” Jadeja said.

The event provided attendees with an opportunity to learn from an expert in predictive microbiology while gaining knowledge they can apply to real-world food-safety challenges. Through events like this, FAPC continues to connect students and food industry professionals with experts and resources that support informed decision-making and food safety.

FAQs

What is predictive microbiology?

Predictive microbiology uses models to estimate how pathogens will behave in food, including whether they will grow, survive or become inactive under specific conditions.

What is the USDA-ARS Pathogen Modeling Program?

The Pathogen Modeling Program is a free software tool that helps food industry professionals estimate how pathogens grow, survive or become inactive under specific environmental conditions.

How can predictive microbiology help food companies?

The technology can help companies make informed decisions during food safety challenges, such as temperature-control problems, equipment failures or transportation issues.

Who can benefit from using predictive microbiology tools?

Food safety professionals, processors, distributors and other food industry professionals can use predictive microbiology tools to address real-world food safety concerns and support informed decision-making.

Story By: Wyatt Morrow | wyatt.morrow@okstate.edu