The latest happenings in

Dairy Products Technology 

CEO Panel Discussion: (left to right) Larry Jensen- Leprino Foods, John Jeter- Hilmar Cheese,  Jeff Williams- Glanbia Foods, Mark Davis-Davisco Foods International, at the podium, Dave Thomas GCTF Coordinating Committee Member.

Cheese and whey production in the US West and its place in the global economy was the theme for this year's Global Cheese Technology Forum (GCTF) held October 11-12, 2011 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, NV. The conference was organized collaboratively by the Dairy Products Technology Center (DPTC) and the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University.

Organizers were very pleased with the turnout of 135 dairy industry professionals representing 18 states and 6 countries. The opening session of the Forum featured a panel of four chief executives, representing some of the largest cheese companies in the world, discussing the future of the western cheese industry. Larry Jensen of Leprino Foods; Mark Davis of Davisco Foods; John Jeter of Hilmar Cheese; and Jeff Williams of Glanbia Foods shared a bullish outlook for their western-based businesses, driven in particular by a growing export market. Presenters at the closing session explored these export opportunities for cheese in greater detail, highlighted by a presentation by Zhenmin Liu of Bright Dairy Company in Shanghai on the Chinese market.

Additional sessions focused on developing a technically educated workforce, developments in enhancing the nutritional aspects of cheese; sustainability in the cheese industry; cheese microbiology and technology; whey-based ingredients technology; and food safety and quality assurance.

The Global Cheese Technology Forum was designed for the cheese industry in the Western USA but is open to cheese makers everywhere. The next forum is being scheduled for October of 2013. For the latest information and to register, visit the conference website: http://www.globalcheesetechnologyforum.org. Questions can be directed to Laurie Jacobson at (805) 305-5056 or ljacobso@calpoly.edu. 

Pictured (left to right): Jason Eckert-Vice President of Quality, Leprino Foods; Jeffrey D. Armstrong- Cal Poly President; Phil Tong- Director, DPTC; and Gary Germaine- Director of Product Compliance, Leprino Foods

At this year's Cal Poly Fall Conference in mid-September, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Dean, David Wehner announced Dr. Phil Tong and Dr. Bruce Golden as co-recipients of this year's Provost's Leadership Award for Partnership in Philanthropy. The award, established in 2007 is to recognize a faculty member's superior achievement in fundraising which is demonstrated by an ability to garner external support, leverage such support to advance the mission of Cal Poly and work collaboratively with the University's traditional fundraising staff. Tong and Golden were selected for their work with Leprino Foods, Cal Poly Advancement Team, and Cal Poly administration to help obtain a $5 million commitment from Leprino Foods which will be used to hire an Endowed Chair in Dairy Foods and support an innovative Professional Master's degree program in Dairy Foods.

"It was truly a team effort that involved students, staff, faculty and administration working together towards a common goal" said Tong. "There were several critical steps to this effort and so many people collectively and individually did so many important things to make this happen. But also, we were fortunate that Leprino Foods was very receptive to move these efforts forward with such an amazing and generous commitment of resources. I am just so happy that this effort will be put toward advancing dairy foods programs at Cal Poly for the benefit of the dairy sector and I am ready to continue work with our team to secure the additional funds needed to fully advance dairy foods programs into the next decade and beyond," said Tong. 

 The Applications Lab would like to thank American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) for inviting us to the International Whey Conference. To showcase our new prototype, Wheyvo's Rancheros, an egg alternative that is high in protein, low fat and a delicious way to get more protein into your diet specifically at breakfast time(see separate article in this newsletter). The International Whey Conference was held in Chicago this year, where we demonstrated how to make Wheyvo's Rancheros, the nutritional opportunities as well as the gelling capabilities of whey protein.
 

At the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) Ingredient Seminar October 4-5, 2011 held in Shell Beach, CA. The Applications Lab showcased our high protein Yogurt Waffle. A scrumptious waffle that not only has yogurt, but whey protein concentrate and added calcium. This waffle is a great breakfast item packed with nutrients and is served with a strawberry yogurt sauce that adds a sweet note to the nutritious and delicious breakfast item. We also sampled our Wheyvo's Rancheros and received great feedback from our audience. Both formulations can be found on our website under the prototypes link:

http://www.calpoly.edu/~dptc/dairy_product_prototypes.html.

We have been continuing our work on dairy protein innovations. Protein has become a hot topic in the nutrition and food production worlds and we are continuing our work on some unique dairy protein products.
 

We are also beginning our brainstorming for next year's Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) held in Las Vegas, Nevada. We will keep everyone updated with some of our innovative ideas for next year's show.

Just Published