Happy New Year from the Dairy Foods Extension Team!  We are very hopeful that 2014 can top all the excitement that last year brought us.  With a growing team, a new Food Science Conference Center and a new dairy plant, it will be tough to beat. 

That said, we have much in store for you in 2014.  First off, we will be offering more workshops and adding a new workshop.  Our first ever Membrane, Evaporation & Drying Technology workshop will be held March 5-7. We are also offering the opportunity to take HACCP and the Basic Dairy Science & Sanitation Courses off-site; if you are interested in these options please contact Tristan Zuber.  Additionally, our Dairy Foods Extension Team has teamed up with the International Dairy Foods Association to assure and certify our training programs are meeting the needs of the industry and access the most credible speakers that will add to our workshops.

We are also working on many research projects that will benefit the industry as a whole.  For example, we are starting a new  research project on identifying sources of sporeforming bacteria that impact dairy products such as fluid milk, cheese and dry dairy powders .  We are also continuing to explore funding for new projects that will optimize and identify new uses for  Greek Yogurt Whey.  We look forward to working with New York Dairy Processors in 2014!

The Dairy Practices Council; a Resource  for Dairy Extension Programs Nation-wide

By:  Steve Murphy

If you work in the dairy industry, in any facet, you should be aware of the Dairy Practices Council (DPC).  The DPC is an organization made up of members from industry, regulatory and education with the primary objective of "developing and disseminating educational guidelines for the dairy industry, especially as related to proper and improved sanitation practices in the production and processing of high quality dairy products."  Currently, the DPC has over 90 guidelines published that range in topics from designing farm milking facilities to ensuring the safety and quality of the processed dairy products.  

Click here for the entire article.

Update on SQF

By:  Kimberly Bukowski

The annual SQF International Conference was held in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 5-7, 2013. Many current topics were covered including, an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act, top 10 SQF nonconformances, Supplier management, internal auditing, allergens, workforce training, environmental positives, validation versus, verification, and foreign material programs, along with many other interesting food safety topics. Click here for the entire article.

We are pleased to welcome Aljosa (Al) to Cornell, not only as a post-doctoral researcher, but also as a contributor to the Cornell Dairy Foods Extension Program.  Dr. Aljosa Trmcic received a degree in Food Technology from University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and a joined doctoral degree in Food Biotechnology from both University of Ljubljana and AgroParisTech, France.Click here for Al's full bio.