MSU researcher Sanghyup Jeong was awarded $380,000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reduce the salmonella risk of low-moisture foods.
The grant is one of eight awarded to the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative and administered through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Salmonella, a group of bacteria, is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the U.S. Typically it is contracted when people eat raw or undercooked foods such as contaminated egg, poultry, meat or unpasteurized dairy products, or contaminated raw fruits, vegetables and spices. Outbreaks in low-moisture foods such as nuts, however, are increasingly common.
“This research project will deliver a robust tool and approach for understanding dry particle food flow and microbiological contamination by bacteria in dry nuts,” said Jeong, an assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in the CANR.
Jeong said salmonella outbreaks have been caused by bacteria in low-moisture foods such as grains, almonds, wheat flour, soy and black pepper.
“Given the potential for similar problems to occur in the almond industry, we must understand the cross-contamination process when developing intervention strategies to prevent future outbreaks,” Jeong said.