Food safety seminars continue Tuesday

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — N.C. A&T State University will present the next series of free public seminars at the N.C. Research Campus.

Starting this week, N.C. A&T researchers will present weekly Tuesday night lectures about using science to make food safer and healthier in the 21st Century.

Researchers will discuss how the N.C. A&T Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies in Kannapolis is using biotechnology and equipment at the Research Campus to make food safer, extend shelf-life, develop new products and discover health-promoting bioactive components in fruits, vegetables and herbs.

N.C. A&T also strives to add value to North Carolina's farming and food industries.

All seminars start at 7 p.m. in the Event Room of the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building, 201 N. Main St.

The seminars are:

- Tuesday: First, "Post Harvest Technologies for Human Health & Agricultural Sustainability" by Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, director of N.C. A&T's center in Kannapolis. Hear an overview of N.C. A&T's role at the Research Campus, including the total systems approach to post-harvest technologies for enhancing the safety and value of peanuts and other crops important to the Tar Heel state.

Second, "Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives: Functional Foods for Cancer Prevention" by Dr. Shengmin Sang, associate professor in functional foods in Kannapolis.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that poor diet plays an important role in developing cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Research has also found that certain foods and food components can reduce cancer risk.

Discussion of functional foods and cancer prevention.

- March 16: "Food Safety and Public Health: An Integrated Approach" by Dr. Leonard Williams, associate professor in food safety in Kannapolis.

Food safety has become a global issue, affecting all countries and virtually all food products. It has a substantial impact on both public health and economies.

A discussion of how multiple disciplines including microbiology, immunology, molecular biology and public health have been integrated to shed light on this issue.

- March 23: "Sustainable Agriculture and Local and Community Food Systems in North Carolina" by Dr. John M. O'Sullivan, professor of sustainable agriculture with the Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T and co-director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Learn how CEFS — an agricultural research, teaching and extension site near Goldsboro — increases understanding of food issues and supports sustainable local food systems.

- March 30: "Grant Opportunities in Food Safety, Quality and Nutrition" by Dr. Ram Rao, national program leader for Food Science and Technology with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture works with the best and brightest scientists at universities, colleges and other institutions to find innovative solutions to global problems.

A discussion of the agency's funding streams that interest food and nutrition scientists.