Volume 7, Issue 2 :: September-October 2002

FoodPAC Welcomes New Chairman, Honors Outgoing Chairman At its Summer Meeting held in Americus, Georgia, in late August, FoodPAC’s Steering Committee welcomed its new Chairman, David Lee of D.L. Lee & Sons Inc., a family-owned further processor of New FoodPAC Steering Committee Chairman David Lee presented Outgoing Chairman Bob Budd with a glass plaque of appreciation for his dedicated leadership and service the past two years. pork, ham, and bacon located in Alma, Georgia. Outgoing Chairman Bob Budd of The Halifax Group Inc., an Atlanta-based specialty foods manufacturer, passed the chairman’s gavel to Lee. Lee then presented Budd with a glass plaque commending him for outstanding service to FoodPAC during his tenure as chairman. Mike Robach of Wayne Farms LLC will serve as the new vice chairman of the Steering Committee. The purpose of the meeting, held at the historic Windsor Hotel, was for the Steering Committee to establish the FY 2004 Program Funding Plan. Committee members decided that the funding request to the Governor for the FY 2004 program would be comparable to previous years, but a lower bond request Seated left to right: Mike Robach, Bob Budd, Senator George Hooks, David Lee; Standing left to right: Lee Bonecutter, Mike Giles, Karen Gunderson, Jimmy Hill, Craig Wyvill, Bruce Kotz, Charles Estes, Judy Adler, Jim Lovett, Mike Rickman, Steve Woodruff, Gary Black. would be made. Technical Committee chairmen or representatives gave an overview of their respective committee’s FY 2004 Research Priorities. The listing of the priorities and other pertinent FY 2004 program information will be issued in October as part of the FY 2004 Call for Proposals. State Senator George Hooks of Americus and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee joined the FoodPAC members for lunch. The meeting was hosted by the Georgia Agribusiness Council. Special thanks to Gary Black for his organizational efforts.

Project Spotlight On-farm Degreening of Bell Peppers to Add Value to Georgia Produce Effect of degreening on selected peppers in the Summer 2002 crop. Pictured top: Harvest 2 2002 #134 (6/14-6/26) (226-20°C) Pictured bottom: Harvest 3 2002 #126 (6/21-7/1) (226-20°C) Georgia is an important producer of fresh vegetables, but much of the crop consists of traditional products marketed through traditional markets. Opportunities exist for adding value to fresh Georgia produce through innovative techniques. Georgia growers produce large amounts of green bell peppers and sell them at low prices, while yellow and red bell peppers are bought and sold at much higher prices. At the peak of pepper season, many green peppers are sold at or below the cost of production or are dumped rather than being sold. Red and yellow peppers command a higher price on the wholesale market and could provide an alternate channel for the pepper crop. Processed peppers of different colors are in demand in processed foods as ingredients and food service as components in salad bars. However, the majority of colored peppers are grown in greenhouses and imported from Europe and Canada. During FY 2002, FoodPAC researchers investigated the on-farm degreening of bell peppers to determine the potential of adding value to the Georgia crop. Studies in a controlled environment clearly showed that high-quality red peppers could be obtained by storage of green bell peppers at 20ºC/90% RH – a condition reasonably achieved at an on-farm location. The two most critical factors in providing an acceptable degreened pepper are maturity of the green pepper at harvest and RH (relative humidity) control during degreening. Peppers harvested at the “suntan” stage of maturity (first appearance of color in which the red pigment begins to develop without the loss of green chlorophyll) did not achieve an acceptable red color upon degreening. Peppers harvested at the “color break” stage (obvious tinge of red showing) achieved excellent coloration. A high RH (90%) was necessary to prevent shriveling of peppers during degreening. While some differences were observed in degreening of different cultivars or lines, these effects were not as significant as maturity at harvest and RH during storage. No stimulation of degreening was observed by treatment with ethylene as previously reported. Researchers found that degreened peppers showed good stability during the first week of refrigerated storage, but began to shrivel unacceptably during the following two weeks. However, careful control of RH during refrigerated storage plus effective control of decay microorganisms should enhance the shelf life of degreened peppers. The researchers also believe that the excellent quality of degreened peppers achieved suggests that they would provide processors with a desirable product. As a result, commercialization of degreened peppers in Georgia shows excellent potential. An in-depth marketing study, nonetheless, is needed to determine the commercial potential of fresh and processed red peppers in the state. The research team was led by Robert Shewfelt, the University of Georgia (UGA). Project members included Darbie Granberry, UGA; Doug Horn, OHL, Inc.; William Lee, William Lee Farms; and Joy Wright, UGA.

Foodfact Did You Know? With its mild climate and long growing season, the Peach State is building a solid reputation for vegetable production. Vegetable crops, grown as a second-income crop in the 1980s, are fast becoming the primary crop for many Georgia farmers, who can often grow two crops a year. The spring crop is harvested from mid-March through early June; fall crops are in season from late September through early November. Most vegetables are grown using plasticulture, where black plastic is placed over raised beds to improve weed control, reduce water evaporation, and make fertilizers easier to apply. Young vegetable plants are transplanted into small holes cut into the plastic. The 2000 farmgate value was $326.7 million. Source: Georgia Agriculture Resources

Remember…Submit comments and story ideas to Angela Colar, Editor at (404) 894-3412 or angela.colar@gtri.gatech.edu

For further information on FoodPAC, please contact: Steering Committee Chairman - David Lee, D.L. Lee & Sons Inc., (912) 632-4406 <david.lee@dllee.com> Vice Chairman - Michael Robach, Wayne Farms LLC, (770) 538-2149 <mike.robach@waynedqh.com> Executive Coordinator - Gary Black, Georgia Agribusiness Council, (706) 336-6830 <gary.black@ga-agribusiness.org> Environmental Technical Committee Chairman - Reggie Prime, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., (770) 989-3144 <rprime@na.cokecce.com> University Coordinator - Dale Threadgill, The University of Georgia, (706) 542-1653 <tgill@bae.uga.edu> Food Safety Technical Committee Chairman - Michael Robach, Wayne Farms LLC, (770) 538-2149 <mike.robach@waynedqh.com> University Coordinator - Michael Doyle, The University of Georgia, (770) 228-7284 <mdoyle@cfs.griffin.peachnet.edu> Process & Product Competitiveness Technical Committee Chairman - Wayman Hollis, Hall Equipment, (770) 534-2723 <hallequipment@charter.net> University Coordinator - Craig Wyvill, Georgia Tech, (404) 894-3412 <craig.wyvill@gtri.gatech.edu>

Making Georgia the national and international leader in the food processing industry in the 21st century

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