(STILLWATER, Okla - May 5, 2005) – The Food & Agricultural Products Center and the Institute of Food Technologists-Oklahoma Section recently hosted a symposium to highlight food and agricultural products research conducted by Oklahoma State University as well as other universities.

"This year's symposium was a combined effort to mingle our traditional research symposium with the annual meeting of the Oklahoma IFT Section," said Peter Muriana, FAPC food microbiologist and co-chair of the symposium.

The event included four oral presentations and 18 poster presentations and a panel discussion of researchers and scientists from OSU, Texas A&M University, University of Nebraska and Rutgers University, said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist and co-chair of the symposium.

"The event provided an opportunity for graduate students to make presentations of their work and for scientists and researchers to network with others in the food and agricultural field and possible foster future collaborations among colleagues," Willoughby said.

Some of the topics of the oral and poster presentations included snack foods in the U.S. and Latin America, characterization of strains of Lactobacillus reuteri as potential probiotics for dogs, a tool for assessing the economic feasibility of small Oklahoma wineries, Lactobacillus strains isolated from cattle to hydrolyze starch, effect of liquid smoke extracts on frankfurters inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes and solvent selection for policosanol extraction from wheat.

A special feature of this year's symposium was a presentation by keynote speaker Mark McLellan, director of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering and the Food Protein Research & Development Center of Texas A&M University.

The title of McLellan's presentation was "The Role of Food Research and Technology Center in Food Science Education, Technology Development and Extension." He discussed the process that the food research facility at Texas A&M University was developed.

McLellan said the first mission was to create a research entity focusing on food safety and food processing.

"We used the concept of food as a vehicle to encourage people to engage with us," he said.

The Institute of Food Science & Engineering has seven centers of expertise involving more than 170 faculty from all across Texas A&M, other Texas universities and Texas-based USDA researchers.

Furthermore, the Food Protein Research & Development Center, which is a $2 million annual research and development arm of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, focuses on the food and agricultural products areas including oil seeds and their by-products.

The research symposium concluded with a dinner meeting at the Rancher's Club adjacent to the Atherton Hotel in the OSU Student Union.  The dinner meeting included student awards from the presentations during the day's events.

Sandra McCoy, FAPC Research Specialist and graduate student, was awarded the Best Oral Presentation, and Rachel Wright, microbiology graduate student, received the Best Poster Presentation.

Dennis Gordon, Distinguished IFT Lecturer and retired professor from North Dakota State University, also gave a presentation titled "Famous Foods I Have Known" during the dinner meeting.

Gordon discussed the health aspects of a variety of foods.

"Health is the future of food," he said.

Gordon was also complimentary of the FAPC facility.

"We are here to celebrate the facility you have, and you should be proud," he said.

Sponsors of the symposium included Advance Foods, Allied Custom Gypsum, Bar-S Foods, Chef's Requested Foods, Clements Foods, Dancing Bear Ingredients, Original Chili Bowl, Unitherm Food Systems and 21^st Sensory, Inc.

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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating.  The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.