September 17, 2009
Food safety specialist earns reputation as innovative, dedicated
Sam Beattie, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition and food safety extension specialist, uses a small propeller to circulate yeast and liquids in a pot in the Food Sciences building. Beattie is conducting research concerning oleaginous yeast, which could have a big impact for Iowa industries and the national energy crisis. |
By
Michelle Rydell
On any given day, you can find Sam Beattie on his back underneath a conveyor belt in one of Iowa’s 350 food processing plants. Looking for pest and rodent infestations is one of his favorite parts of working as Iowa State University’s Extension food safety specialist, he’ll cheerfully tell you, though it is a decidedly unglamorous task.
Beattie, who returned to his alma mater six years ago to work in Extension and as an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, spends 75 percent of his time in Extension and 25 percent in research. He works side-by-side with consumers and food processors, teaching them about risks associated with foods and how to reduce those risks.
Developing food safety programs in food processing plants is crucial to their success in the larger marketplace and in their collaboration with regulatory authorities. Through Beattie’s food safety programs, processing plants not only produce safer food, but also reach larger markets, which in turn stimulate Iowa’s economy.
Many of his clients go on to market their products to national corporations. In Iowa City, Beattie set up a food safety program for Bochner Chocolates, which now sells truffles to Target. It’s just one part of his job that reminds him that his work has an important purpose that reaches beyond the state level.
“Food safety is not just hand washing and proper cooking,” Beattie said. “When we get into food processing, food safety becomes a complex and vital part of the mission of any processor who wishes to expand.”
But Beattie has not only earned a reputation as an Extension specialist with a knack for understanding complex problems and offering practical solutions. His research has also earned national attention, notably from R&D magazine, which touted his research in their annual “Top 100 Innovations of the Year” in 2009.
Beattie’s research has a history that is rooted decades ago in the basement of the Dairy Industries Building (now Food Sciences Building) at Iowa State, the same building he works in today.
It started when his undergraduate adviser, Earl Hammond, discovered oleaginous yeast in the Iowa State cheese plant drain in the 1970s. Beattie latched onto Hammond’s unusual yeast findings during his graduate studies. Today, he works closely with emeritus professor Hammond, exploring the possibilities of Cryptococcus curvatus, or obese yeast.
The yeast, which converts sugar to oil, could have a big impact for Iowa industries and the national energy crisis. It has the potential to be used as a feed supplement in dairy cows, which would result in dairy products high in heart-healthy fats.
The yeast could also be used to develop a renewable energy source. Beattie’s research suggests that existing ethanol-producing plants could be modified to make cellulosic oil instead of cellulosic ethanol, creating highly renewable, low-cost oil.
Hammond said as a researcher, Beattie is constantly interested in the “frontier of knowledge and technology” with a zest for new ideas. His work in Extension has shown that he is a problem-solver with “unusual enthusiasm,” capable of tackling problems with experience and creativity.
Beattie says his stints at other universities showed him the importance of being able to share inspiration with others in his field. His years at Iowa State have helped him exchange ideas and conduct research that could have a lasting impact worldwide.
“Being able to walk out of my office and have world-class food scientists just down the hall is pretty rewarding,” Beattie said. “And being at a top research institution makes doing my work much easier than anywhere else. I have been able to do things here that I wouldn’t have been able to do at other schools.”
