News Release
February  15, 2008

UW presents meat science workshop in Powell for processors, consumers

A meaty subject will be tackled by a specialist with the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES) at a workshop for food processors and consumers in Powell Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Park County Fairgrounds.

Food-borne disease statistics and how they relate to meat products and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, and properties that affect bacterial growth will be presented to processors by Warrie Means, extension meats specialist in the UW College of Agriculture.

In the second session, beef tenderness factors and meat cooking will be offered to consumers.

“Processors have a different set of issues, which are dictated by the scale of operations, equipment availability and regulations,” said Means, an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science, explaining the reason for the two sessions. “Consumers are concerned less with processing and more with preparation of the end product. Food safety principles apply to both, although processors are required by regulation to do much more monitoring and recordkeeping.”

For consumers, Means will outline factors that affect tenderness with special attention given to ageing. Then, meat cooking, the single most important factor consumers can control, will be discussed, said Means.
Processors and consumers can attend both sessions. The processing session is from 8-11 a.m., and the consumer session is noon to 1 p.m. A question and answer session follows both.

For more information, contact Sandra Frost, UW CES educator for Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties, at (307) 754-8836 or sfrtost1@uwyo.edu.

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Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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