2023 Food Safety Conference
Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors, and attendees!
View the meeting recordings folder for all recordings
October 25, 2023
Virtual
Sonia Salas – Western Growers
Western Growers Priorities and Leading Efforts in Food Safety
Recording Link
Dr. Fred Breidt – USDA, ARS
Modeling the pH of Acid and Acidified Foods to Assure Safety
Recording Link
Dr. Jonathan James – Wayne Sanderson Farms
Food Safety in the Poultry Industry
Recording Link
Dr. Divya Jaroni – Oklahoma State University
Application of Bacteriophages in the Food Industry
Recording Link
Dr. Duarte Diaz – University of Arizona
Aflatoxins in Food with a Focus on Dairy Products
Recording Link
Jennifer Parlin – University of Arizona
The Garden Kitchen, a Whole Health Program from the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension
Recording Link
October 26, 2023
In-Person Career Panel
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Dr. Joli Weiss – Arizona Department of Health Services
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Dr. Kadeem Hinton - PetSmart
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Dr. Duarte Diaz - Univerity of Arizona
Congratulations to our Student Poster Presenters
Student poster presenters competed for cash awards totaling $1,000 including:
- Three $300 top presenter awards which were awarded to:
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Jennifer Mydosh
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Kevin Dalson
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Kirat Khushwinder Bains
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- The Dr. Dan Engeljohn Crowd Favorite Award which includes a $100 award:
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Dustin Loso
-
View poster abstracts below below.
Congratulations to our Staff Poster Presenters
Staff poster presenters competed for a travel/research award totaling $500:
- One $500 top presenter award which were awarded to:
-
Dr. Victoria Obergh
-
View poster abstracts below below.
2023 Conference Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
- ALVSCE Research
- QIAGEN
- School of Nutritional Science and Wellness
Gold Sponsors
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
- Western Growers Association
- Department of Environmental Science
- UArizona Cooperative Extension
- CALES Academic and Career Services
Silver Sponsors
- Phoenix Biometrics
- Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory
- Scott Resources
- Duncan Family Farms
General Sponsors
- Yuma Center for Excellence for Desert Agriculture
- BioSafe Systems
| Wed Oct 25 | Virtual |
|---|---|
| 1:00 pm |
Welcome and Introductions Sadhana Ravishankar - Food Safety Consortium Chair and Professor - The University of Arizona |
|
1:20 pm Keynote |
Sonia Salas - Assistant Vice President, Science - Western Growers Association Western Growers Priorities and Leading Efforts in Food Safety |
| 2:00 pm |
Fred Breidt - USDA/ARS Microbiologist - North Carolina State University Modeling the pH of Acid and Acidified Foods to Assure Safety |
| 2:30 pm |
Jonathan James - Senior Director of Food Safety and Laboratory Services - Wayne Sanderson Farms Food Safety in the Poultry Industry |
| 3:00 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm |
Divya Jaroni - Associate Professor, Animal and Food Sciences - Oklahoma State University Application of Bacteriophages in the Food Industry |
| 3:45 pm |
Duarte Diaz - Associate Specialist, Dairy - UArizona Aflatoxins in Food with a Focus on Dairy Products |
| 4:15 pm |
Jennifer Parlin - Assistant Agent, The Garden Kitchen - UArizona Cooperative Extension The Garden Kitchen, a Whole Health Program from the University of Arizona's Cooperative Extension |
| 4:45 pm | Conference Wrap-Up |
| 5:00 pm | Adjourn |
| Thurs Oct 26 | In-Person - UArizona Kachina Lounge, Student Union - Tucson, AZ |
|---|---|
| 1:00 pm | Welcome and Conference Dedication Plaque Presentation |
| 1:20 pm | Careers in Food Safety Panel Discussion |
| 2:15 pm | Student/Staff Poster Session and Networking with light refreshments |
| 4:00 pm | Poster Session Award Presentation |
| 4:20 pm | Graduate Student Research Scholarship Award Presentation and Conference Wrap-Up |
| 4:30 pm | Adjourn |
UArizona Student and Staff Poster Session
Student Poster Entries (listed in alphabetical order)
Kirat Khushwinder Bains
Title: Comparative Evaluation of the Efficacy of Organic Sanitizers Against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Native Leafy Green Microbiota on Different Food Contact Surfaces
Authors: Kirat Khushwinder Bains, Libin Zhu, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Kevin Dalson
Title: Efficacy of Plant-based Antimicrobials against Streptococcus species in vitro
Authors: Kevin Dalson, Libin Zhu, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Nguyen Dang
Title: Soy Good! Edamame Multi-Snack Dip: Evaluation of Microbial and Quality Attributes
Authors: Nguyen Dang, Denver Paradeza, Kirat Khushwinder Bains, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Dustin Loso
Title: Characterizing phage encoded DNA methyltransferases of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
Authors: Dustin Loso and Kerry K. Cooper
Hannah Martinez
Title: Comparison of two gene targets for the prevalence of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Irrigation Waters from US Southwest Fresh Produce Growing Regions
Authors: Hannah Martinez, Khai Truong, Dominic Rodriguez, Cesily Cirerol, Miely A. Suarez, Ximena German, Avril Perez, Chloe Wilcox, Alyssa M. Gregory, Leila C. Yazzie, Scarlett Leon, Jessica Cruz, Celina Arredondo, and Gerardo U. Lopez
Likitha raj Mudigonda
Title: Comparative Analysis of Inoculation and Recovery Techniques for Better Recovery of Listeria monocytogenes on Ready-to-eat Meats
Authors: Likitha Mudigonda, Vanshika Chauhan, Luis Rodríguez, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Jennifer Mydosh
Title: Carbon Utilization Differences of Campylobacter jejuni strains
Authors: Jennifer Mydosh, Kerry Cooper
Urmi Patel
Title: Metagenomic Analysis and Functional Screening of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Santa Cruz River
Authors: Urmi Patel, Victoria Obergh, Caroline Scranton, Jean McLain, Katherine Ellingson, and Kerry Cooper
Avril Perez
Title: Comparison of Two Gene Targets for the Prevalence of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Irrigation Waters from US Southeast Fresh Produce Growing Regions
Authors: Avril Perez, Khai Truong, Dominic Rodriguez, Cesily Cirerol, Miely A. Suarez, Ximena German, Chloe Wilcox, and Gerardo U. Lopez
Luis A. Rodriguez-Medina
Title: Evaluation of Fogger Technology with Plant-Based Sanitizers against Listeria monocytogenes in Different Food Products
Authors: Luis A. Rodriguez-Medina, Libin Zhu, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Nyreek Thompson
Title: Efficacy of plant-based antimicrobials against foodborne pathogens Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in vitro
Authors: Nyreek Thompson, Libin Zhu, Sadhana Ravishankar
Khai Truong
Title: Development of a Genotyping Workflow for Cyclospora cayetanensis in Irrigation Waters Using Oxford Nanopore MinION Sequencing
Authors: Khai Truong, Dominic Rodriguez, Cesily Cirerol, Miely Suarez, Ximena German, Avril Perez, Chloe Wilcox, Victoria Oberge, Kerry Cooper, and Gerardo U. Lopez
Staff Poster Entries (listed in alphabetical order)
Alhan Mehrabi Yazdi
Title: A Comparison of the Total Native Microbiota and Lactic Acid Bacteria on Field Grown versus Controlled Environmental Agriculture Grown Leafy Greens
Authors: Elizabeth Sargent, Alhan Mehrabi Yazdi, Sadhana Ravishankar
Bibiana Law
Title: Development of a real-time biosensor to detect foodborne pathogens in leafy greens production environments
Authors: Bibiana Law, Richard Park, Libin Zhu, Mark Witten and Sadhana Ravishankar
Lucy Li
Title: Education and outreach to improve food safety outcomes in tribal communities
Authors: Shujuan (Lucy) Li, Elisabeth Alden, Natalie Brassill, Margarethe Cooper, Susan Sekaquaptewa, Juan Arias, Adonis Alamban, Grey Farrell, Alexendra Carlisle, Kristy Kinlicheenie, Alfred J. Fournier, Davis Blasini, Channah Rock, Trent Teegerstrom
Lucy Li
Title: Mentoring Students in Food Safety, Pest Management and Public Health
Authors: Shujuan (Lucy) Li, Jasmine Hardy, Kristy Kinlicheenie, Natalie Brassill, Margarethe Cooper, Channah Rock, Trent Teegerstrom
Victoria Obergh
Title: Assessing the mutational rates of bacterial foodborne pathogens in different agricultural environments during long-term colonization or environmental cycling
Authors: Victoria Obergh, Craig T. Parker and Kerry Cooper
Upcoming Food Safety Conference
Past Food Safety Conferences
2021 Virtual Food Safety Conference
2020 Virtual Food Safety Conference