FoodPAC Steering Committee Holds Annual Summer Meeting in Augusta, Georgia

State Representative Ben Harbin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee (pictured in front row in grey suit), met with members of FoodPAC’s Steering Committee and invited guests at the Committee’s Summer Meeting held in Augusta, Georgia.

The Steering Committee met in Augusta, Georgia, for its annual Summer Meeting this past August. The purpose of the meeting, held at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, was for the Steering Committee to establish the FY 2008 Program Funding Plan. Due to the Governor’s mandate that all departments hold budget requests to FY 2007 levels, there was no latitude for requesting an increase in funding. So, members agreed FoodPAC would seek the FY 2007 general funding level of approximately $1 million for FY 2008, but also request $300,000 in equipment bonds, which had been approved by the Governor last year, but which were removed by the Legislature. Technical Committee chairmen gave an overview of their respective committee’s FY 2008 Research Priorities. The priorities and other pertinent FY 2008 program details are included in the FY 2008 Call for Proposals, which was issued October 31 and is available online at www.foodpac.gatech.edu.

Five project directors gave briefings on research completed during FY 2006. These projects represented the spectrum of research focuses being supported and demonstrated the successful collaboration between university research entities and industry, a primary goal of FoodPAC. Craig Wyvill, one of FoodPAC’s university coordinators, delivered a stewardship report, noting that during FY 2006, 3 patents and/or licenses had been issued; 72 companies had participated in FoodPAC activities; 87 papers, articles, plant visits, and/or presentations at seminars had been issued to facilitate technology transfer; and more than $500,000 in matching funds had been generated on FoodPAC projects.

Other highlights of the meeting included a visit by State Representative Ben Harbin and a presentation by Pam Knox of the Georgia State Climatology Office. Representative Harbin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, welcomed the Steering Committee to Columbia County (his home district) and indicated his interest in learning more about the activities of FoodPAC. Knox, the assistant state climatologist, delivered a presentation on the current state of drought conditions in Georgia.

The meeting was coordinated through the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Division. Special thanks to Kristi Spivey for her organizational efforts.

FoodPAC Releases Annual Report

FoodPAC’s Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Report to Industry gives an overview of the Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing, provides the FoodPAC committee leadership listing, and highlights the research results of 15 projects conducted during FY 2006 as well as activity plans for FY 2007.

The report is available to all members of Georgia’s food processing industry. To receive a copy, contact Kristi Spivey at (404) 894-3412 or email kristi.spivey@gtri.gatech.edu. The report is also available in PDF format here.

FoodPAC Issues FY 2008 Call for Proposals

FoodPAC recently issued its FY 2008 (July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008) Call for Proposals. Proposals are due by 5 p.m., Monday, February 5, 2007. The Call seeks proposals that address research priorities in FoodPAC’s three technical areas: Environmental Management, Food Safety & Health, and Process & Product Improvement. FoodPAC has requested $1 million in state general funds for project funding in FY 2008 and anticipates that the Governor will support this in his FY 2008 budget proposal to the General Assembly.

Remember, all proposals must be electronically (Microsoft Word files only) submitted by email to foodpac@gtri.gatech.edu. Paper copies and computer disks will not be accepted nor will proposals received after 5 p.m. Also, all proposal worksheets (i.e., budget, equipment, cost-share funds) must be completed in the format provided.

The Call can also be accessed online at FoodPAC’s website, www.foodpac.gatech.edu. For more information, contact Craig Wyvill, FoodPAC Program Proposal Coordinator, at (404) 894-3412 or email craig.wyvill@gtri.gatech.edu.

Industrial Partners: A Closer Look

As a part of Georgia’s Traditional Industries Program, FoodPAC was designed to bring industry leaders and university-based researchers together to develop and implement practical solutions to improve industrial competitiveness. FoodPAC’s industrial partners represent companies across the food manufacturing sector, ranging from fruits and vegetables to beef and poultry. In each issue, The Food Chain will take a closer look at one of these partners.

Introducing...Golden Peanut Company, LLC

Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Golden Peanut Company, LLC is one of the largest peanut processors in the United States and a leading supplier of peanut products to manufacturers worldwide. Golden’s primary product lines include raw shelled and inshell peanuts, peanut flour, various peanut oils, and peanut seed. The company has operations in Georgia, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, and Virginia. It also operates a shelling plant in Argentina. For more information, visit Golden Peanut online at www.goldenpeanut.com.

Project Spotlight

Researchers Explore Modified Atmosphere Technology to Extend the Shelf Life and a the Quality of Fresh Peaches

Peach storage container. The storage container held approximately 12 peaches. The inlet stream can be seen in the top right of the picture. The exhaust can be seen in the bottom right of the tank. These peaches were 18 days old at the time of this picture.

The most important fruit crops in the state of Georgia are blueberries followed by peaches. These two crops alone account for almost $85 million of the $96 million in production and sales of fruit crops for Georgia. Peaches, in particular, must be harvested prior to being fully ripe in order to be shipped to markets outside of Georgia before they spoil. It is possible that if these products could be harvested closer to their optimal maturity level, the quality should be much higher, thus commanding a higher price. The current technology in postharvest handling does not allow for both harvesting more mature produce and retarding the ripening process. By picking the peaches at a later date and using a mobile and cost-efficient nitrogen flush in the postharvest system, it may be possible to arrest the ripening process, thus allowing the marketing channel to remain the same (in terms of timing), yet providing higher quality produce for the consumer. This ultimately should translate into a more satisfied consumer and a higher price for the producer.

During FY 2006, FoodPAC researchers designed and constructed a small lab-scale fruit storage unit to test the effects on peach quality caused by providing different gas environments with controlled composition, humidity, and temperature. A duplicate “control” system was also constructed in which only conventional air atmosphere was used. Data gathering methods were developed to quantify the difference between peaches in the modified atmosphere system (also known as controlled atmosphere, CA) as opposed to the standard air “control” case.

Over the course of the 2005 summer, four separate extended experiments at the Georgia Institute of Technology were performed. The trials were intended to test the difference between peaches picked very late in the ripening cycle (referred to as “harvester” peaches) and peaches picked very early in the ripening cycle (“shipper” peaches). Over the course of the four trials, the “harvester” peaches responded very favorably to the CA treatment, whereas the shipper peaches responded poorly. In fact, after 20 days, 100% of the tasters preferred the CA peaches for the “harvester” peaches.

A separate experiment was conducted at the University of Georgia-Griffin to determine the responses of peaches to modified atmospheres (MA). This experiment examined the applicability of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for handling and transportation, rather than storage, per se. Whereas the CA experiment examined the effects of constant atmospheric changes on peaches in cold-room storage, MAP examined the effects of the packaging atmosphere. The MAP results were similar to those of the CA; “harvester” peaches responded very favorably to the MAP; however, “shipper” peaches did not respond well.

These studies show that a specific opportunity exists with regard to the use of CA for peaches; however, the potential economic opportunity would require analysis to determine if it is worth pursuing, relative to the added costs that would be incurred.

The research team was led by Dr. William Koros of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Dr. Stanley Prussia of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Georgia. Project participants included Ryan Lively and William Freeman both with the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Manjeet Chinnan of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Georgia. Lane Packing Company served as the industrial partner.

Remember to Visit FoodPAC on the Web Visit

FoodPAC at www.foodpac.gatech.edu to access previous issues of The Food Chain, FoodPAC Annual Reports and to learn more about FoodPAC and Georgia’s food industry.

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