 DPTC News The latest happenings in the
Dairy Products Technology Center
2016 Volume 6, Issue 1
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Phil Tong - Reflecting on the past and looking ahead to new opportunities
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In 1986, Cal Poly Dairy Science Department Head Gene Starkey convinced a freshly minted Ph.D. from Cornell University named Phil Tong to join the faculty in the Dairy Science Department and be part of a new idea known as the Dairy Products Technology Center. "I was excited to get back to my home state and start my career. When I arrived there was a lot of skepticism that Cal Poly could be successful in its vision to have a thriving dairy foods research and outreach program and become a center of excellence in dairy products technology, so I knew big challenges were ahead of us," recalls Prof. Tong. "But, over the next quarter of a century, a dedicated team of faculty, staff and students worked with the dairy industry and university to realize a common vision and to establish and build the Cal Poly Dairy Products Technology Center (DPTC) into one of the nation's premier programs to provide innovative solutions and training for the dairy and food industries" added Tong proudly.
In 2013, the DPTC celebrated its 25th anniversary, highlighting past accomplishments, including: - 100 short courses offered to more than 3,000 participants
- 500 technical presentations in more than 15 countries
- 75 graduate students trained and graduated
- 250 research and trade publications and book chapters published
- Development and growth of 10 new dairy companies and 50 new dairy ingredients application formulations created
- $7.1 million, 21,000-square-foot teaching, research and outreach facility (completed 1995)
For more details of the 25 year anniversary see DPTC Enews Fall, 2012 (Vol 3, issue 4)
After nearly three decades at Cal Poly DPTC, Tong announced that he will retire from Cal Poly this spring to seek new challenges "This change will give me more flexibility to do new things," said Tong." He hopes to continue to do what he can to support the Dairy Products Technology Center, but also plans to consult directly with the dairy and food industry and related organizations. "While I will miss many things at the university, I am really looking forward to some new and different opportunities."
In addition to guiding the overall growth and development of the center as the DPTC Director, Tong was also active in research, teaching and outreach. During his nearly three decades at Cal Poly, Tong organized and instructed over 75 short courses and symposia, chaired 25 MS student degree program, published more than 100 research and trade articles, presented more than 100 presentations in 10 countries, and taught a number of undergraduate and graduate level courses including DS 231, a general dairy processing course that had an enrollment of 75 to 100 students annually.
When asked what he enjoyed the most about his nearly 30 years at Cal Poly Tong said, "Working with a great group of people to meet a common challenge to build and grow a new program literally from the ground up - they made it fun, interesting and rewarding to come to work." He added, "I was fortunate that the dairy industry (including the leadership of George Demedieros - CEO, Dairyman's Cooperative Creamery, Ralph Watts - CEO, California Milk Advisory Board, Louis Calcagno - Chairman, National Dairy Board) and Cal Poly (under leadership of President Warren Baker and Deans Lark Carter and Joseph Jen) came together with a common vision and agreed to make significant investments to build and grow this program. Industry support from the nation's dairy producers through Dairy Management, Inc. and California Dairy Research Foundation was critical to sustaining this program for all these years. A 15-member Industry Associates Advisory Council made up of key stakeholders provided invaluable feedback and counsel as programs the programs grew. Tong said he was also fortunate to have been able to attract professors Rafael Jiménez and Nana Farkye to be part of the faculty team. "We pushed each other and we inspired each other to seek excellence. A great center office and technical staff provided the needed continuity for our day-to-day operations in the labs, pilot plant and center office. Finally, we had some curious, bright students and international visiting scholars who did the real hard work in the labs, challenged us each day, and really made it all worthwhile to build this program at the university," said Tong. "When I think about it, the DPTC interacted with literally thousands of people over the years through our common interest in dairy foods, We all benefitted working together as a team." "It gives me great satisfaction that we now have an extended DPTC family throughout the world that would not have existed otherwise. Their work at the DPTC has impacted many, and these people continue to make great contributions in dairy/food sector in part because of our work together at the Dairy Products Technology Center. I think we built a strong foundation on which the DPTC can continue to grow and serve students and the industry for a long time."
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First DPTC research lab, 1987, pictured are
staff scientists Laurie Harris (foreground) and Chris Kennedy.
|  USDEC China Trade Mission, 2000
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DPTC staff and students, October 2002
|  Pinkberry Founder, Shelly Hwang and Phil Tong | 
Professor Phil Tong and former graduate students Lindsay Reiman and John Montella
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 Annual cheese short course,
March 2006 |
Phil Tong Group (May, 2006)
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Student winners along with their
faculty advisor receive their check from
Prepared Foods 2007 New Product
Development Contest
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 Attendees to the 25th Cal Poly/UC Davis Annual Cheese Short Course (2011)
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 DPTC students, staff and sponsors celebrate
the DPTC's? 25 year anniversary with Alton Brown, October 2013
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 Professor Phil Tong, Cal Poly President
Jeffrey Armstrong, Julie Herring, Professor Rafael Jiménez, Jerry Mattas, Sandy Wallace, Jennifer (Pittenger)Castelazo and Sean Vink during the 25 year celebration of the DPTC.
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 Professor Phil Tong with some of his former students: Hadi Eshpari, Eleanore Brophy (Ekstrom), Vincent Yeung, Marie Yeung
and Melissa Hsu
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2013 fall meeting of the DPTC Industry Associates Advisory Council
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 USDA Viet Nam Cochran Fellows Program,
2014
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Rafael Jiménez to leave DPTC Spring 2016
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| | Professor Rafael Jiménez-Flores |
Since the summer of 1995, Professor Rafael Jiménez-Flores has been an important part of the Dairy Products Technology Center. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico he earned his undergraduate education at La Salle University in Mexico City with a major in pharmaceutical chemistry and food science. He earned a master's degree from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from University of California, Davis. He was among the first scientists to publish the sequence of beta-, kappa- and alpha casein from cloned milk proteins. He continued his work on dairy technology by focusing on milk fat, the milk fat globule membrane, and a process to remove cholesterol from butter oil, which was patented by UC Davis.
His first academic position was as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois. Both he, and his wife Lola, were hired by the university's Food Science and Technology Department. "That was an incredible experience, because University of Illinois is much bigger than UC Davis -- it was about 65,000 students when we were there. When we got to there, we only had our daughter, and when we left we had also my son. Needless to say that I am an Illinois sports team fan, Bulls and Bears!" said Jiménez.
After five years at the University of Illinois, he moved to San Luis Obispo, to join the faculty of the Dairy Science Department at Cal Poly and form part of the Dairy Products Technology Center. When asked what made him want to come to Cal Poly, Jiménez said, "The main factor was the opportunity to be part of a growing DPTC. I had witnessed some of the initial founding steps of the "Centers of Excellence" as a graduate student in Davis. So, when I heard that DPTC was part of that, I was very interested. I also trusted the leadership of Professor Phil Tong, whom I had met at Cornell, and kept in touch through the ADSA meetings."
During his 21 years at DPTC, he was active in the research of dairy technology, mostly on the characterization and function of milk components such as milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and buttermilk, as well as diverse applications of molecular biology and physical-chemistry of MFGM components and interactions.
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Where Are They Now?
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Principal Scientist
Daisy Brand
3636 Leon Road
Garland, TX 75041
Office: 972-271-8260, Ext. 4718
Elizabeth Ng is a principal scientist at Daisy Brand in Garland, Texas where she has worked for the last six years. Prior to her current position, Ng held a position as a research scientist for two years. She earned a bachelor's degree in medical technology from Mahidol University in Thailand. In 2009 Ng earned a master's degree in dairy product technology from Cal Poly. While at Cal Poly, Ng worked on her research at the Dairy Products Technology Center with Professors Phillip Tong and Marie Yeung. Her project focus was on survival of startercultures. Ng stated, "Having the opportunities to explore different |
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Cal Poly Commencement
conferring MS ('09) Elizabeth Ng and Professor Phil Tong
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techniques/methods during graduate program provided me a good foundation for my current job. Still, every time I work in the lab, I see reflection of myself working at DPTC." Recently, Professor Tong had the opportunity to visit his former student in Texas. "It always makes me so happy to see our former students living productive and happy lives and doing well professionally. It is one of the best rewards of mentoring students at the University. Elizabeth was a smart, creative, organized, and dedicated researcher in her Master of Science degree program and I am not surprised she is highly regarded and making valuable contributions in her company today" he added. As a graduate student she was given opportunities to interact with industry, "Communication with industry taught me to think outside the box," she said. Her advice for current students is to stay curious and ask many questions. Not all questions can be answered, but many questions can lead to new ideas. She sees a need for industry to have scientists with a strong foundation and innovative thoughts.
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18th Annual Dairy Ingredients Symposium - Emerging Markets, Technologies and Products Using Milk and Dairy Ingredients Feb. 17-18, Cliffs Hotel, Shell Beach, Calif.
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 The 18th Annual Dairy Ingredients Symposium will be held at
The Cliff's Resort in Shell Beach. Designed to provide an overview and update on the latest trends and issues in the marketing, science, manufacturing technology and application of dairy ingredients, including whey-derived and milk-derived concentrates and powders.
- Gain insights on emerging markets and new uses of dairy ingredients
- Learn tips about manufacture and use of micellar casein concentrates
- Hear the latest inn new methods to characterize key properties of dairy ingredients
- Interact and network with food and dairy industry professionals
- Get ahead of the curve on new and emerging dairy ingredients and technologies
- Get some tips on how to maximize dairy ingredient manufacturing productivity and quality
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Presentations, Awards and Patents
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Awards
Tong, P., Southern California Institute of Foods Technologists 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award
Tan, E., Liu, B, Beceril-Diez, A. (P. Tong, Advisor). Finalists. 2014 DMI Product Development Contest
Presentations
Tong, P. and A. Kringle, G. Gunter. President's Partnership Program (Cheese Appreciation and Food Pairing), Spouse program for President's Advisory Council (5/1/15)
Tong, P. Why I am A Career Food Scientist. 5/20/15, SCIFT May Meeting, Cypress, CA
Tong, P. Webinar, Dairy Foods, Cultured Dairy Products Technology and Ingredient Innovations, May 27, 2015. Access to recorded presentation (available to access via a registration for 12 months) Click Here
Tong, P. S. Evolution of Dairy Technology, ADPI Dairy Ingredients Seminar, Santa Barbara, CA Sept. 22-23, 2015
Tong, P. S. Developing the Next Generation of Dairy Scientists and Technologists, Roundtable Panel, 3rd Biennial Global Cheese Technology Forum, Reno, NV, October 26-28, 2015
Gunter, G. and Tong, P. Effects of dairy ingredients in processed cheese formulations (poster presentation), 3rd Biennial Global Cheese Technology Forum, Reno, NV, October 26-28, 2015
Tong, P. Master of Science Specialization: Dairy Products Technology (poster presentation), 3rd Biennial Global Cheese Technology Forum, Reno, NV, October 26-28, 2015
Tong, P. S. U.S. Dairy Ingredients for Dairy, and Recombined Milk and Beverage Applications. US Dairy Export Council Viet Nam Trade Mission, San Francisco, CA, November15, 2015
Jiménez-Flores, R., 2015. Potential of MFGM for commercial products. Symposium CIATEJ. Mexico.
Jiménez-Flores, R. (Keynote Speaker), Santiago-Rodriguez, T. and Cano, R., 2015. Metagenomics Nutrition and Health. 3rd International Conference on Food Structures, Digestion and Health. Wellington, New Zealand.
US Patent application
Howard,J. (Cayucos, Calif.), Hayden, C. (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Jiménez-Flores, R. (San Luis Obispo, Calif.). Methods to Increase Antigenicity of Membrane-Bound Polypeptides Produced in Plants. US Patent application number 20140205625
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Recent Publications
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Tong, P. 2015. Of Rotary Phones and Dairy Foods. Dairy Foods Magazine 116 (12): 30.
Tong, P. 2015. Probiotics, the "other" bacteria, deliver health benefits to yogurt. Dairy Foods Magazine, Vol. 116 (5): 32.
Tong, P. 2015. Move over blueberry. Make way for parsnip yogurt. Dairy Foods Magazine, Vol. 116 (2): 30.
Saffon, M.; Jiménez-Flores, R.; Britten, M., Pouliot, Y. 2015. Effect of heating whey protiens in the presence of milk fat globule membrane extract or phospholipids from buttermilk. Int. Dairy J. 48:60-65.
Olabi, A., Jinjarak, S., Jiménez-Flores, R., Walker, J.H., Daroub, H.2015. Compositional and sensory differences of products of sweet-cream and whey buttermilk produced by microfiltration, diafiltration, and supercritical CO2. J. Dairy Sci. Published online: April 8, 2015
VanderKellen, J., Mitchell, R.D., Laubscher, A., Black, M.W., Goodman, A.L., Montana, A.K., Dekhtyar, A.M., Jiménez-Flores,R., Kitts, C.L.,2015. Short communication: Typing and tracking Bacillaceae in raw milk and milk powder using pyroprinting. J. Dairy Sci. Online Dec. 2, 2016.
Eshpari, H., Jiménez-Flores, R., Tong, P.S., and Corredig. M., 2015. Partial calcium depletion during membrane filtration affects gelation of reconstituted milk protein concentrates. J. Dairy Sci. 98 (12): 8454-8463.
Torkamani, A.E., Juliano, P., Fagan, P., Jiménez-Flores, R., Ajlouni, S., Singh, T.K., 2016.Impact of ultrasound enhanced fat separation on whey powder phospholipid composition andstability. J. Dairy Sci. (submitted)
Santiago-Rodriguez, T. M., Cano, R., Jiménez-Flores, R., 2016. Metagenomics as a tool to assess bioloical effects in food structure development. Int. Dairy J. Special edition (submitted)
Kim, D., Ramun, K., Carpintero, S., Padillo, S., Trujillo, A., Jiménez-Flores, R., 2015. Determining antimicrobial activity in hydrolysates obtained from buttermilk substrates by trypsin and pepsin.
STAR presentations Digital Commons Cal Poly.
V. Sikand, P.S. Tong, J. Walker, T. Wang, and L.E. Rodriques-Saona. 2016. Effect of storage temperature on the solubility of milk protein concentrate 80 (MPC80) treated with NaCl or KCl (accepted J. Dairy Sci.)
Eshpari, H., Tong, P.S. and Corredig, M. 2016. Changes in particle size, calcium and phosphate solubilization, and microstructure of rehydrated milk protein concentrates, prepared from partially acidified milk. Dairy Science and Technology (DOI 10.1007/s13594-015-027-01.
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| Current Students |
Dolores Aceves Started at DPTC: Fall 2013 Expected completion: Winter 2016 Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong Thesis Topic: Comparison of the properties of higher protein yogurt. |  Azucena Becerril-Diez Started at DPTC: Winter 2014 Expected completion (tentative): Spring 2016 Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong Thesis Topic: Effect of chelators on proteolysis of caseins in cheese slurry.
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 Gabrielle Gunter
Started at DPTC: Fall 2014
Expected completion: June
2016
Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong
Thesis Topic: The effect of lactose levels and emulsifying salts on the properties of a processed cheese product.
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Stephanie Juaquez Started at DPTC: Fall 2013 Expected completion: Spring 2016 Advisor: Professor Rafael Jiménez Thesis Topic: Spore binding and survival to UV light under dairy biofilms.
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Irene Kaufman Started at DPTC: Fall2014 Expected completion: Spring/Summer 2016 Advisor: Professor Rafael Jiménez Thesis Topic: Find value added to by-product of the extraction of IgY from egg yolk.
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 Boya Liu
Started at DPTC: Fall 2014 Expected completion: Summer 2016
Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong
Thesis Topic: Influence of chelating agents on foamability and foam stability of reconstituted skim milk powder.
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Amy Kringle Started at DPTC: Fall 2014 Expected completion: Spring 2016 Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong Thesis Topic: Partition of milk proteins treated with mineral chelators.
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 Kristina "Ellice" Tan
Started at DPTC: Fall 2014
Expected completion: Spring 2016
Advisor: Professor Phillip Tong
Thesis topic: Effect of chelators on reconstitution properties of skim milk powder.
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 Garrett Walsh
Started at DPTC: Winter 2013
Expected completion: Spring 2016
Advisor: Professor Rafael Jiménez
Thesis topic: Spore binding inhibition in stainless steel treated with novel imprinting method.
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For questions or comments regarding this newsletter please contact Kristen Murray at: kkmurray@calpoly.edu |
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