Greetings, everyone!

We have several exciting updates to share as we continue into the spring semester, and we are looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

New Faculty Members
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Zhuoyu "Joy" Wang as a research assistant professor and Dr. Shannon Schmidt-Combest as an assistant professor and extension food specialist. Dr. Schmidt-Combest will be instrumental in supporting our outreach efforts and community impact. We’re excited to have them both join our department!

Departmental Office Move
The departmental administrative office relocated to the Cater-Mattil space as of March 1. This move will provide accommodations for our new faculty members, Dr. Seockmo Ku and the incoming department head.

Texas Food Processors Association
We recently hosted the January board meeting of the Texas Food Processors Association and are excited about our continued collaboration with this group. A special thank you to Dr. Al Wagner for his many years of service and significant contributions to the food industry. Dr. Schmidt-Combest will be working closely with the association moving forward, and we look forward to the impact this will have on our community.

Department Head Search
The search for a new department head is ongoing, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Student Clubs and Engagement
Our student clubs are up and running for the spring semester, and our students are excited about the opportunities ahead as they continue their studies. We are always looking for ways to engage more students, so please encourage participation.

Grant Funding
We are proud to announce that Dr. Susanne Talcott and her colleagues recently received a major U.S. Department of Agriculture grant titled "Sustainable Production of Food Ingredients and Agrochemicals from Cactus (Opuntia spp.): Bridging Rural Socio-Economic & Health Disparities" for $9,999,701. This exciting development will have a significant impact on rural communities and further enhance our department's research initiatives.

Additionally, other grants were awarded in January, contributing to the ongoing research efforts in Food Science and Technology:

As we continue into the spring semester, we are energized by these developments and look forward to the positive impacts they will bring. Let’s continue to work together to make a difference in food science and technology!

Thanks and Gig'em!

David Baltensperger, Ph.D.

Professor and Interim Department Head

david.baltensperger@ag.tamu.edu

 Texas A&M AgriLife expands Food Science and Technology Extension

As Texas' population grows and more food companies establish operations in the Lone Star State, the demand for food science professionals and continuing education has steadily increased.

To address these needs, the department has joined with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to launch an Extension program, highlighted by the hire of its first AgriLife Extension specialist, Shannon Combest, Ph.D. The new effort will address training opportunities for future food manufacturers, while working closely with Texas farmers, ranchers and agricultural stakeholders on post-harvesting, processing and product development.

Brewing food security: Transforming food waste into sustainable nutrition

As a food scientist, Reza Ovissipour, Ph.D., knows that one industry’s waste can be another’s solution to feeding a growing population — once you perfect the fermentation process.

With the power of fermentation science, Ovissipour and his team of researchers in the Department of Food Science and Technology are transforming what was once considered waste into sustainable, tasty and surprisingly creative alternatives.

The Department of Food Science and Technology hosted its annual scholarship reception for the 2024-2025 academic year, celebrating the accomplishments of outstanding students. The event, held on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, brought together faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students. 

A total of over $91,000 in scholarships was awarded, with 13 different scholarships presented to more than 45 exceptional food science students. These students exemplify academic excellence, dedication, and passion for the field, and we are proud to have them as part of our department.

The IFANCA-FDIP Symposium on Alternative Proteins, held by Texas A&M's Department of Food Science and Technology on Oct. 30, 2024, was a tremendous success. Over 60 attendees — including students, faculty and industry experts — delved into the future of alternative protein sources through insightful presentations, engaging discussions and a thought-provoking student research poster session.

The department proudly celebrated the graduation of five undergraduate and two graduate students on Thursday, Dec. 12 at Reed Arena. We are incredibly proud of our graduates and wish them all the best as they embark on their next chapter as food scientists.

Texas A&M AgriLife projects are among those awarded by the Texas A&M University’s Advancing Discovery to Market Innovation Awards program. The Texas A&M Division of Research announced $3.4 million in awards to 17 research teams in the first stage of its second full year of funding.

Seockmo Ku, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology, will lead a project titled “The next generation of meat preservatives and colorants: Monascus pigments and their derivatives as natural alternatives to sodium nitrite,” with co-principal investigator Wes Osburn, associate professor in the meat science section of the Department of Animal Science, with a $99,000 award.

Texas A&M AgriLife will collaborate in a first-of-its-kind project to propagate new seedless muscadine grape varieties to benefit grape growers in Texas and beyond. Along with members of the Department of Horticultural Science, another team member, Stephen Talcott, Ph.D., professor of food chemistry in the Texas A&M Department of Food Science and Technology, will analyze fruit composition and post-harvest quality of all materials from Muscadine grape trials.

Texas A&M University’s National Center for Electron Beam Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Research will be hosting the 2025 Hands-On Electron Beam Technology Workshop. The intended audience is entrepreneurs, early adopters of technology, professionals in various industries, government and academic researchers, as well as providers of eBeam and X-ray technology.

Are you a high school science STEM teacher passionate about bringing high-impact experiential learning and research into your classroom? This summer, dive into an immersive 5-day workshop designed just for you.

The Food Science and Nutrition Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate Students is a 3-week paid summer program that offers undergraduate students in STEM fields an intensive research opportunity at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The Texas A&M University Food Science Club meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The club is open to all majors and features meetings with industry professionals as well as opportunities to network, socialize and volunteer.

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for more frequent news updates. Former students of the department are also invited to join a private LinkedIn group.

The department offers many gifting opportunities that will have a lasting impact on our department.

Learn about the many scholarship opportunities available in the department.

Established in 2020, the Department of Food Science and Technology aspires to develop a world-class training, research and outreach program that leads the nation in shaping the future direction of the food science profession, while innovatively meeting the current and emerging needs of stakeholders. The department is invested in unique high-impact education and research programs that apply contemporary and novel technologies in food processing, food safety and quality, and sustainability.

aglifesciences.tamu.edu | foodscience.tamu.edu