About he Center
Mandate
The Center for Food Safety, Science and Technology contributes manpower training of students and outreach to communities to ensure that our foods are safe. The Center supports seafood, poultry and fresh produce safety on Delmarva, in the state and in
the nation. Faculty have established collaborations and partnerships with state, federal and private sector organizations to leverage university resources to serve UMES stakeholders more effectively.
Vision
To be recognized as a center of excellence and a leader in the science of food by providing education, research and services that will impact students, the Delmarva region, the state, the nation and the world.
Mission
The mission of the Center is to conduct research in food safety, quality and processing methods, including HACCP training; facilitate collaborations with academia, the food industry, and government entities, both domestically and internationally; and
educate stakeholders on food safety issues.
Center activities
Supporting the Maryland seafood industry with a focus on seafood safety, including approaches to reduce Vibrio transmission in Chesapeake Bay oysters.
Developing and validating predictive pathogen growth models to assist regulatory agencies, risk managers and the seafood industry in designing more effective food safety systems.
Offering educational support to the food industry, including HACCP training.
Fostering collaboration with the Delmarva Poultry Industry to mitigate the contamination of chicken meat by Salmonella during processing and distribution.
Leading the fresh produce safety initiatives through research collaborations with USDA and FDA to generate data that is critical for underpinning the Food Safety Modernization Act at the national level.
Conducting meat quality research on the impact of heat and oxidative stress on poultry production and meat quality.
Evaluating the impact of bioactive phytochemicals and their antioxidant capacities in agricultural products, the benefits in animal feed, and the contributions to meat quality.
Conducting value-added processing and developing bioactive edible films to enhance food safety and shelf life.