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K-State students Emma Roy (left) and Abbey Schiefelbein conduct lab experiments in the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab. | Download this photo.

K-State Value Added Foods Lab lends helping hand to Kansas food companies

Students, food scientists work together to promote food safety

Feb. 7, 2022

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For Abbey Scheifelbein, a career in food science seemed liked a pretty fun thing to do coming out of high school.

It was, she thought, a way to learn about what goes into food, maybe a little chemistry, and – naturally – a whole bunch about food safety.

But what the Kansas State University senior from Kimball, Minn., may not have realized was that her career path would include learning about food’s pH levels, water activity and government-required process authority letters.

“And,” she said, “I’ve learned about the food business, including answering emails and phone calls from businesses that need information.”

Scheifelbein’s college experience includes a part-time job in the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab, which helps small businesses in Kansas with the intricacies of selling safe food products to consumers.

“This is a program that’s been around for more than 30 years,” said K-State Research and Extension food scientist Karen Blakeslee.

The program receives funding from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and aids in many areas of product development, including food chemistry, processing, microbiology, packaging, regulations and even developing a nutrition label.

“We’re here to help small businesses,” Blakeslee said. “If you’re selling at a farmer’s market or wanting to a get a business going – even a full-fledged food processing business – then we’re here to help.”

Kelly Getty, an associate professor in K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, oversees many of the food safety issues.

“I serve as a process authority,” Getty said. “That sounds like a big word, but what we do is look at how small processors are making their food products, such as whether they are heating the product to the right temperatures, and more.

“We want to assure they have a safe product that they’re selling to consumers in Kansas. I look at all of those processes, including the ingredients they’re using and how they’re combining ingredients, or how they’re packaging those products.”

For example, Getty said one recommendation to increase food safety might be to add lemon juice, giving a food product a bit more acid.

“We may encourage businesses to make modifications,” she said. “We work with them to make a safe product that they can sell to consumers, and tastes good, too.”

Scheifelbein and co-worker Emma Roy – a K-State junior from Louisburg, Kan. – routinely test foods for pH (acid) levels, sodium or sugar content, and more.

“As a student, it’s good to be able to take what we learn in classes and apply it in a lab,” Roy said. “We apply our knowledge while doing the actual product testing.”

Blakeslee said many small businesses are not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include a Nutrition Facts label, “but it’s a really good idea to put that information on your products because consumers want to know what’s in their food.”

“In addition to the Nutrition Facts label, we provide an ingredient statement and a list of food allergens that may be in the food as required by the FDA,” Blakeslee said.

More information on services available from the lab can be found online.

At a glance

Students work alongside food scientists in the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab to help small businesses in Kansas with the intricacies of selling safe food products to consumers.

Website

Kansas Value Added Foods Lab

Notable quote

“As a student, it’s good to be able to take what we learn in classes and apply it in a lab. We apply our knowledge while doing the actual product testing.”

— Emma Roy, K-State junior, Louisburg (Kan.)

Source

Karen Blakeslee
785-532-1673
kblakesl@ksu.edu

Kelly Getty
785-532-2203
kgetty@ksu.edu

Kansas Value Added Foods Lab
785-532-1294
kvafl@ksu.edu

Written by

Pat Melgares
785-532-1160
melgares@ksu.edu

 

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K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.