The mentor’s legacy: Shaping the next generation of food safety scientists

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Emily Davenport: 0:01

Welcome to Cultivating Curiosity, where we get down and dirty with the experts on all the ways science and agriculture touch our lives from what we eat to how we live. I'm Emily Davenport.

Jordan Powers: 0:12

And I'm Jordan Powers, and we're from the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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Jordan Powers: 0:21

We are here with Larry Beuchat, professor emeritus and distinguished research professor at the UGA Center for Food Safety in Griffin. Larry, thank you so much for having us out to Griffin today.

Larry Beuchat: 0:31

Thank you glad to be here.

Jordan Powers: 0:33

Before we get started, can you share your academic journey and your early career journey with us?

Larry Beuchat: 0:39

My academic journey consists of an undergraduate degree at Penn State University in horticulture, and that I followed with both MS and PhD degrees at Michigan State University in food science, with an a PhD level minor in microbiology and public health. After graduating, I was employed by the Quaker Oats Company Research and Development Center located in Barrington, Illinois, just out of Chicago and I was charged with the goal of improving the fermentation of crackers.

Emily and Jordan: 1:14

Huh!

Larry Beuchat: 1:15

And that would result in making more crackers in a shorter period of time and making more money for the company (laughter). And then I was at the same time or subsequently involved in the development of a breakfast product that supposedly contained 1/3 of the minimum daily requirements for all vitamins and protein and well calories, which was a difficult task.

Jordan Powers: 1:43

It's a big job.

Larry Beuchat: 1:43

Yes, and also was involved in the development of several candies, candy bars mostly, that were then produced in conjunction with the first movie of Willy Wonka.

Emily and Jordan: 1:55

Wow!

Larry Beuchat: 1:56

Because the Quaker Oats Company had some partnership in that development. So simultaneously, those came out in the market. The candy bars at the time, the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory came on the screen.

Jordan Powers: 2:09

So my six year old is still obsessed with that movie, the original (laughter).

Larry Beuchat: 2:13

Well, it's been a very popular film. That project and also the bar project were not directly associated with food microbiology, so I looked around for an opportunity in academia, and I came upon one at University of Georgia, Griffin campus and followed up and 1972 until fairly recently, I've been employed at this location of the UGA College of Ag and Environmental Sciences.

Emily Davenport: 2:39

It's quite the journey. So you've been at UGA Griffin for just over 50 years. What changes have you observed over your tenure here?

Larry Beuchat: 2:47

With regard to research, there have been a lot of changes. When I came to this location and was doing research. Essentially, all of the financial support came from the college. It was modest, but it was significant in the sense that I was able to carry out the research I wanted to and make some progress on developing some of the ideas I had in food safety. Now that changed over the years. And now one obviously cannot depend on financial support from the university, college to carry out research. So that's one of the biggest changes. And I think it wasn't all bad because it encouraged all the faculty to beat the bushes and to obtain funds that were needed to conduct research that would advance food safety on a broad scale. Certainly in the state in the country and in the world. In our area, our - that is food safety, food science in general, - we dedicate time to solving problems, developing solutions. But, the solutions we develop are not customized for the person in one location or region of the world. Everybody eats and problems associated with food safety are many, but among them they're common throughout the world. Our commitment to food safety here, research here to give the people in regulatory, government, and academic institutions, and lay people ideas to help them avoid illness associated with food safety is one of, I think common in terms of the need for all of the people the world.

Jordan Powers: 4:24

Wherever you're living in the world,(overlapping talk from Larry)

Larry Beuchat: 4:28

Eating or yes. The salmonella doesn't care where it's at, it will grow nicely given the right conditions in any part of the world.

Jordan Powers: 4:36

We've done a couple episodes that touch on food safety now and every time it's just (gag noise). So, we had an insider source tell us that you've retired twice, but you keep coming back. What draws you?

Larry Beuchat: 4:50

I chose to be rehired, got grants, contracts to support my research, and I say my research, I'm talking now students and postdocs that would have been employed in some way, either part or in whole from the funds that I would receive from outside sources. That was a tremendous opportunity for me to continue to contribute to the college, to the university, and to the world, I think in advancing food safety information that can be useful for solving problems that existed at that time and some of which still exists. So I was always intrigued by that. So I, yes, I retired once, was rehired. But after a while, I got a bit, I won't say tired, but of searching for funds to support the research and eventually was not as exciting as it once was. So after eight years, I decided to retire again, for real (laughter)

Jordan Powers: 5:44

Yet, here, you are still back talking to us from the Griffin campus(laughter). The work is never done.

Emily Davenport: 5:51

It's true.

Larry Beuchat: 5:51

Yeah.

Emily Davenport: 5:52

Can you tell us more about your role as a mentor and collaborator with other faculty and your involvement with students? How are you laying the groundwork, or have you laid the groundwork, for the next generation of food safety scientists?

Larry Beuchat: 6:06

If I have any legacy at the university, who have endured my mentorship

Emily and Jordan: 6:14

[laughter]

Larry Beuchat: 6:14

And have successfully graduated with their degrees. I had around 52 advanced degree students who, who did their degrees with me. About a third of PhD students and about the other two thirds of masters, and they have gone out in the world. And they are doing research in all kinds of food safety areas in universities and colleges, also government regulatory agencies, and companies, food companies. And I have to feel that their experience here at the University of Georgia Griffin campus was one that really helped them along their way to succeed in the current areas in which they are focusing their research efforts. I really enjoyed having students. It kept me on my toes, you have to be up to speed and then some of you are supposed to be knowledgeable in areas that are advancing very quickly. And that certainly is the case for food safety. So, together, myself and students and postdocs, which have been very helpful, we've made, I think, some significant advances and my legacy, if there is one, would be those students who are carrying on the work that some of them began here, but most of them have developed in new areas. I've enjoyed that very much.

Jordan Powers: 7:26

As someone who's new to academia, speaking for myself, it's been fascinating speaking with some of our faculty, and they talk about those academic family trees, and that they can all like trace who they've learned back to and faculty can see their students go on. And it's a family tree just in a different format. And that's something really special.

Larry Beuchat: 7:42

I've had one or two, maybe more, refer to me as, as their dad,

Emily Davenport: 7:47

Aww

Larry Beuchat: 7:48

Or their grandfather (laughter) two generations removed from their original degree. So, gives me some sense of maybe they did appreciate what they went through. And so it's great to know that in the end. It takes some time, but they do come back and compliment me. I'm happy about that.

Jordan Powers: 8:05

(laughter) That impact is there even if they don't know it's, it's like your own kids if they might not appreciate it in the moment, but(laughter).

Larry Beuchat: 8:11

You got that, right.

Emily and Jordan: 8:13

[laughter]

Jordan Powers: 8:14

Speaking of academia, we know that a big component of academia is publishing the research that you have worked so hard on. You have published countless peer reviewed research papers, can you explain to our audience who might not be as familiar the importance of getting this work out of the lab and into the hands of other scientists?

Larry Beuchat: 8:34

Oh, the proverbial publish or perish does exist.

Jordan Powers: 8:38

Ah

Larry Beuchat: 8:39

Regardless of what any faculty member might think. In food safety, and I think many other sciences, certainly you do research, and if you don't convey, translate, transfer information that you've gained from that research to somebody who can use it, then the question is: What good was it? Of what value was that effort that you made to get this information? And what value would it be on the other hand to anyone who can use it? And the answer is, you've got to publish or at least convey this information to audiences that will hear it, listen to it. Agree with it or not, and go forth. I've always encouraged my students to publish. I've told more than one of them over the years that in the end, you have your thesis, you have your dissertation, but the world is not going to run now to electronic media to read those products. You also have to inform the scientific community. Usually in the form of conventions, some area in which there's a large number or even a small number of participants that will learn from the research that you developed. And it's also a good way for them to learn how to speak publicly, to be able to relate and network with people that they will be rubbing shoulders with perhaps for the rest of their lives and to gain some confidence in the work they have done. So publishing is important. I co-authored or authored about 560, peer reviewed scientific articles. Many of which were from student activities. In the end, I still get comments and questions about a certain paper that we published that might be of interest in terms of advancing one or two more steps to find out other answers that were raised in that research. So yeah, publishing is important. I've always been comfortable with writing, I know that some students are not comfortable. And that's a challenge that I took on more than once. But once they get the hang of it, so to speak, most of them enjoy it. They enjoy relating to others what they have done. And that's an achievement I think I've enjoyed seeing in students over the years.

Jordan Powers: 10:45

Seeing that confidence build and then seeing that end product be a stepping stone,

Larry Beuchat: 10:49

Exactly

Jordan Powers: 10:49

To further their research in the industry. Wow, that's special.

Emily Davenport: 10:53

As a pioneer in food safety. You've studied some things that were previously unknown and answered questions about some of the most critical food safety concerns. What do you think the biggest challenges and opportunities will be going forward?

Larry Beuchat: 11:08

There are some challenges obviously, the more we know, the less we know.

Emily and Jordan: 11:13

[laughter]

Jordan Powers: 11:13

Oh, I like that

Emily Davenport: 11:13

Yes

Larry Beuchat: 11:15

But with the advancement of genome sequencing, epidemiologic studies, those are areas that need further research attention and can be used with a lot of importance in finding a certain food that may have caused an outbreak of foodborne illness. Internationally, if not, certainly in the U.S. This advancement to date has brought a lot of, I think, dignity to the science of food safety, epidemiology, and also will continue, I believe, to the advance in the future. We have, of course, a continuing appearance of new microorganisms. They're not new, because they've been here for ages probably, but newly known to our community as causing foodborne illness. For example, viruses perhaps 10, 20 years ago, certainly we're not recognized, at least at a high level of importance as vehicles of foodborne illness, but certainly they are now and norovirus and hepatitis A and now other viruses are showing up as a big part of the whole picture of foodborne illness. And so I think that's going to be an advanced area for research. Also, parasites, certainly, parasites, we have known for many years that cause diseases, but not necessarily through the consumption of food, but water, in certain parts of the world. Parasites of some disease are known as endemic in those areas. But we realize now that parasites too can be transmitted by food, the food in which they happen to habitat are consumed, and they can cause foodborne illness. And I think we will see new areas and new parasites making a bigger splash, if you will, in terms of their importance as foodborne microorganisms that can cause illness on a scale that we might never have thought of before. With traveling of so many people to so many countries today versus certainly 20 years ago, and maybe 10 even, and even greater travel in the future. We as people are transporting in our bodies, or on our body, microorganisms that can cause foodborne illness. So those are some, I think, the areas that we will see new advancing technologies. Certainly the common foodborne microorganisms, the salmonellas and the staphs, and listeria will continue to be a problem throughout the world. But there'll be others to join this group, this club, to increase the number of organisms that we should be aware of, try to control and to eliminate in our food supply. The biggest, most important, I think, aspect of all of this is that we need to prevent contamination in the first place. If you can prevent contamination then you don't have to deal with the outcome that is foodborne illness or prevent it before the organism on the food enters the body and therefore might cause illness.

Jordan Powers: 14:18

Calling it a club just like, struck this visual of the listeria hanging out with salmonella (laughter) that's a club I don't want to be a part of.

Larry Beuchat: 14:26

(overlapping laughter and talk from Emily agreeing) Unfortunately, sometimes they do hang out together, they are in the same food at the same time. So that would be a bad mix, but it happens.

Jordan Powers: 14:37

That'll give you heebie jeebies, that's for sure. So World Food Safety Day happens in June each year. If you could leave our audience with a food safety related takeaway, what would it be?

Larry Beuchat: 14:48

The general public, those that are not scientists, I would ask them to please be aware that unless the food has been thoroughly cooked and held at the proper temperature after cooking and not contaminated with any other ingredient, including water after cooking, then those foods can be considered, should be considered as vehicles of foodborne illness. Now, not every food can be cooked and be edible. We don't cook lettuce, at least, I don't think most of us do (laughter from Emily). But washing produce is important. So I think leave the consumer with the idea that they can be part of the solution to this problem, they can be a big part of the solution. They can actually contribute to solving problems that exist in terms of eliminating practices that may result in the growth of microorganisms capable of causing foodborne illness. Common practices in the home, in food establishments, restaurants, fast food, and so on. Those are very important parts of the whole effort, the goal to prevent foodborne illness or at least minimize it and have a greater assurance that the food we're eating is not contaminated, and does not cause illness. Now there are two, maybe more, but certainly two professional associations that come to mind as important in disseminating information not only to food scientists, food safety scientists, but also to the consumer. And those are the International Association for Food Protection, is located here in the United States, but is worldwide and reaches most of the countries that could benefit by the knowledge that is available through that association. The second one is the International Committee on Food, Microbiology and Hygiene. And they do very similar efforts. They have a large presence in European countries. But they do also disseminate information, make it available to people at every level, who can really benefit by knowing more about how things should be handled at the home level, at the food service area. I think those, those associations can be commended for their benefit to the food safety of consumers around the world.

Jordan Powers: 17:07

We will be sure to link both of those in the show notes so that listeners can go find more information about them if they so choose.

Emily Davenport: 17:14

Well, we've covered 50 years of your career in a short podcast episode, is there anything that we've missed today that you wanted to leave our audience with?

Larry Beuchat: 17:23

Just to comment on the importance of support financially and otherwise, by the college to keep projects, such as those at the Center here, moving forward in order to solve some of the problems that we've actually dealt with and will deal with in the future. So I want to commend the college over the years for doing that. There've been up years and down years, of course, but just to say that, at least my personal experience has been a good one with relation to support, either moral or financial or otherwise, to bring my career along. We've had a supportive group along the way. And I do appreciate that.

Emily Davenport: 18:00

It's great. Like a little family.

Jordan Powers: 18:02

It is. It is an academic family, and just that tree that spreads from the people that have helped support you and the people that you've supported that are now out there in the world. You mentioned a book earlier. And I feel like we can easily write a book just from the glimpse that we've seen into your career here. And as Emily mentioned, it is a very short podcast episode. But we do appreciate your time today, Larry. We are very appreciative of the work that you have put out there in the world, the difference that it has made across the globe, and for your time and coming in and talking to us today. So thank you.

Larry Beuchat: 18:29

Thank you very much. Both of you. I appreciate it.

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Emily Davenport: 18:33

Thanks for listening to cultivating curiosity, a podcast produced by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. A special thanks to Mason McClintock for our music and sound effects. Find more episodes wherever you get your podcasts.