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Monthly News & Updates
August 2020
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Service Spotlight
Caitlin Karolenko and Conner McDaniel
Feeding Success
FAPC honored two graduate students, Caitlin Karolenko and Conner McDaniel, with the Stanley E. Gilliland Memorial Fellowship in Food Science, providing $1,000 toward each recipient’s education efforts.
Business Spotlight
Payne County Beef Co
Jaxton Secrest
Payne County Beef Co.
Jaxton Secrest spent his childhood working on his family’s cattle ranch in Stillwater, Oklahoma. At the age of 16, Secrest attended FAPC’s Basic Training workshop as the first step in forming his own custom branded meat company, Payne County Beef Co. The Secrest family’s ranch specializes in raising Wagyu, a Japanese variety of cattle, and other various breeds that are grass finished. FAPC has helped Secrest with harvesting and processing of his animals, product development, logo and label development and business assistance. Secrest will attend OSU in the fall, and FAPC will continue to provide support to grow his business.
Featured Research
Evaluating Effective Intervention Strategies to Reduce Biofilms
Divya Jaroni, FAPC food microbiologist, evaluated the effectiveness of chemical sanitizers and bacteriophages in disrupting Escherichia coli biofilms on food contact surfaces. Results showed phages effectively reduced biofilms on polystyrene, stainless steel and high-density polyethylene surfaces, as well as decreased E. coli populations.
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Featured Video
FAPC: A Premiere, State-of-the-Art Research Facility
FAPC has programs, projects and activities that support innovation and growth of the food and agricultural business sectors of Oklahoma, increase food safety for consumers, assist in the development of students for careers in the Oklahoma food industry, and support and enhance the impact of the center on the state, region and nation.
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Food Safety Professional
Congratulations to the newest recipient of the FAPC Food Safety Professional. Marcus Washington, a graduate student focusing on food safety, qualified for this achievement by completing a variety of food safety courses. Congratulations, Marcus!
Food Safety Professional
The Food Files Podcast & Value-Added Voice Blog
Podcast The Food Files
Industry Advisory Committee Helps Drive the Center

In this episode of The Food Files podcast, FAPC Director Roy Escoubas discusses the importance of the FAPC Industry Advisory Committee, made up of food and agricultural industry leaders who are appointed by the highest positions of the Oklahoma state government. The committee offers counsel, makes decisions and takes leadership action to ensure FAPC makes sound short- and long-term plans to accomplish its mission and objectives.
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Fresh Produce Remains Strong during Pandemic

"The ongoing pandemic has brought fresh produce into even more prevalence in our world. The country has been 're-introduced' to cooking at home, and I believe this trend will continue to build momentum for produce consumption. The familiar becomes habit; people are getting to know produce again," said Mark Vaughan of Fresh Avenue Partners in Oklahoma City. In the latest Value-Added Voice blog post, Vaughan looks into how fresh produce has prevailed during the pandemic.
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