Marcos X. Sanchez-Plata, BIOQ., M.S., MBA, PH.D.

Research focus:

In-plant validation of antimicrobial interventions and their effects on pathogen control, biofilm development, quality and product shelf-life in foods (meats, dairy and produce) by microbial challenge testing studies in a BSL2 pilot plant, conducting in-plant studies and measuring microbial indicators, pathogen surrogates and pathogen loads.

Risk assessment and performance evaluation of integrated food safety management systems from farm-to-table in the produce, meat, poultry, egg, cellular agriculture and other food processing industries and evaluation of microbial profiles (bio-mapping and microbial baselines), statistical process control parameters, cross-contamination sourcing, whole genome sequencing for bacterial tracing, microbiome analysis and antimicrobial resistance profiling.

Evaluation of the quality and safety implications of new processing technologies (equipment, packaging methods) and antimicrobial interventions (chemical, physical, biological) in poultry, meat, eggs, produce and other food commodities, as well as optimization of the water and energy footprint impact of such processes.

Assessment of the effect of selective pressures (antimicrobial interventions, processing steps, production systems, antimicrobial utilization, and others) on the selection of particular pathogen strains, and persistence in food systems.

Service, Outreach and Training Activities:

Technical assistance and capacity building initiatives for government agencies, private companies and trade associations in more than 20 countries in the Americas with implementation and enforcement of scientifically-based food safety regulatory frameworks, risk assessment and food safety management systems.

Development of capacity building programs for food-based agribusinesses and producers in the Americas and the Caribbean region in food security, value-addition and market access. Emphasis on the implementation, validation and monitoring of value-adding initiatives and food safety programs to maximize safety and quality of foods, improve food security efforts and facilitate export market access under regulatory compliance.

Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Trainer of Trainers and Lead Instructor for Preventive Controls for Human Food and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP), Person of Contact for the Technical Assistance Working Group of the International Subcommittee of FSPCA. Food Safety Preventive Controls Training, Implementation and Assessments in the U.S. and globally, more than 25 sessions conducted.

Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Lead Trainer and International HACCP Alliance Lead Trainer.

Development and management of the Meat School en español, and the Poultry School en español International Workshops focused on farm-to-table value addition, quality and safety in the meat and poultry value-chains as professional programs for the industry to support development efforts in Latin America. This program has benefited more than 1,200 participants with partnerships with major industry suppliers, technical and academic experts.

Capacity building initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean in partnership with the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Office of Capacity Building and Development (OCBD), USAID, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Projects focused on developing a network of lead instructors for training food producers and processors on the requirements for compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of the FDA, including the Preventive Controls for Human Food, the Foreign Suppliers Verification Programs, the Produce Safety regulation, the Sanitary Transport Rule, the Intentional Adulteration (Food Defense) Regulations; as well as meat and poultry regulations of the USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service, benefitting more than 5,000 participants from government institutions, industry groups, academia and consumers.

Countries assisted: USA, Argentina, Barbados, Bahamas, Belice, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

Peer-Reviewed publications:

Cuellar, D., Brooks, J. C., Miller, M., Sanchez, M., Brashears, M., Echeverry, A. 2019. Evaluation of STEC on Beef Intended for Non-intact Use After Treatment with Microwaves and Low Temperature Storage. Food Protection Trends, 39(4), 296-304.

Sandoval, L. A., C. Carpio, M. Sanchez-Plata. 2019. The effect of 'Traffic-Light' nutritional labelling in carbonated soft drink purchases in Ecuador. PLoS One. 2019; 14(10).

Ramirez-Hernandez, A., M. Bugarel, S. Kumar, H. Thippareddi, M. M. Brashears, and M. X. Sanchez-Plata, 2019. Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella Strains Isolated from Chicken Carcasses and Parts Collected at Different Stages During Processing. Journal of Food Protection. 82(10):1793-1801.

Gonzalez, R., F. Sampedro, J. Feirtag, M. Sanchez-Plata, and C. Hedberg, 2019. Prioritization of Chicken Meat Processing Interventions Based on Reducing the Salmonella Residual Relative Risk. Journal of Food Protection. 82(9):1575-1582.

Penaherrera, V., C. Carpio, L. Sandoval, M. Sanchez, T. Cabrera, P. Guerrero, and I. Borja, 2018. Effect of traffic-light labeling on nutritional content and on consumption of carbonated beverages in Ecuador. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2018;42:e177.https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.177.

Ramirez-Hernandez A, B. Inestroza, A. Parks, M. Brashears, M. X. Sánchez-Plata and Alejandro Echeverry, 2017. Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella spp.In High-Fat Rendering Meat Products. Journal of Food Protection. 81 (1): 54-58.

Ramirez-Hernandez A, M. M. Brashears, and M. X. Sanchez-Plata, 2017. Efficacy of Lactic Acid, Lactic Acid-Citric-Acid Blends, and Peracetic Acid to Reduce Salmonella on Chicken Parts Under Simulated Commercial Processing Conditions. Journal of Food Protection. 81(1):17-24.

Ramirez-Hernandez A, A. Varon-Garcia, and M. X. Sanchez-Plata, 2017. Microbiological Profile of Three Commercial Poultry Processing Plants in Colombia. Journal of Food Protection. 80(12): 1980-1986.

Wideman N, Bailey M, Bilgili S, Thippareddi H, Wang L, Bratcher C, Sanchez-Plata M, Singh M. 2015. Evaluating best practices for Campylobacter and Salmonella reduction in poultry processing plants. Poultry Science. 95(2): 306-15.

Hakan Benli, Marcos X. Sanchez-Plata, Osman Irfan Ilhak, Maryuri T. Núñez De González, and Jimmy T. Keeton. 2015. Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activities of Sequential Spray Applications of Decontamination Treatments on Chicken Carcasses. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 28(3): 405–410.

Shin, D. K., Kakani G, Molina V.A., Regenstein J.M., Choe H.S. and M. X. Sánchez-Plata. 2012. Effect of kosher salt application on microbial profiles of poultry carcasses. Poultry Science, 91(12): 3247-3252.

Shin D, Choi S.H., Go G, Park J.H., Narciso-Gaytán C, Morgan C.A., Smith S.B., Sánchez-Plata M.X., and Ruiz-Feria C.A. 2012. Effects of dietary combination of n-3 and n-9 fatty acids on the deposition of linoleic and arachidonic acid in broiler chicken meats. Poultry Science, 91(4): 1009-1017.

Shin, D. K., C. Narciso-Gaytan, J. Regenstein and M.X. Sánchez-Plata. 2012. Effect of Various Refrigeration Temperatures on Quality of Shell Eggs. Journal of the Science in Food and Agriculture, 92(7):1341-1345.

Shin, D. K., Han-Sul Yang, Byoung-Rok Min, C. Narciso-Gaytán, M. X. Sánchez-Plata and C. A. Ruiz-Feria. 2011. Evaluation of Antioxidant Effects of Vitamins C and E Alone and in Combination with Sorghum Bran in a Cooked and Stored Chicken Sausage. Korean J. Food Sci. Ani. Resour., 31: 693-700.

Shin D, Narciso-Gaytán C., Park J.H., Smith S.B., Sánchez-Plata MX, Ruiz-Feria C.A. 2011. Dietary combination effects of conjugated linoleic acid and flaxseed or fish oil on the concentration of linoleic and arachidonic acid in poultry meat. Poultry Science. 90(6):1340-1347.

Shin, D. K., B. Martin, B., and M.X. Sánchez-Plata. 2011. Pulse Electric Field Effects to Reduce the Level of Campylobacter spp. In Scalder and Chiller Water during Broiler Chicken Processing. Asian-Australian Journal of Animal Science, 24: 1314-1317.

Benli, Hakan, Marcos X. Sanchez-Plata and Jimmy T. Keeton. 2011. Efficacy of e-polylysine, lauric arginate or acidic calcium sulfate applied sequentially for Salmonella reduction on membrane filters and chicken carcasses.  Journal of Food Protection. 74(5): 743-750.  

Narciso-Gaytán, C., D. Shin, A. R. Sams, J. T. Keeton, R. K. Miller, S. B. Smith and M. X. Sánchez-Plata. 2011. Lipid oxidation stability of omega-3- and conjugated linoleic acid-enriched sous vide chicken meat. Poultry Science, 90(2): 473-480.

Dunn-Horrocks, S., Pichardo-Fuchs, M., Lee, J., Ruiz-Feria, C., Creger, C., Hyatt, D., Stringfellow, K., Sanchez, M., and Farnell, M.  2011. Effect of Omega-3 Enriched Layer Rations on Egg Quality. International Journal of Poultry Science, 10 (1): 8-11.

Meneses, Y., J. Stratton, M. Hardin, M. Sanchez-Plata, and R. Van-Santen. Evaluation and Performance of the PremiTest Salmonella Serotyping System on Pork and Poultry Isolates from Commercial Sources, 2010. Journal of Food Protection, 73 Supplement A: 138.

Narciso-Gaytán, C., D. Shin, A. R. Sams, J. T. Keeton, R. K. Miller, S. B. Smith and M. X. Sánchez-Plata. 2010. Dietary lipid source and vitamin E effect on lipid oxidation stability of refrigerated fresh and cooked chicken meat. Poultry Science. 89(12): 2726-2734.

Narciso-Gaytán, C., D. Shin, A. R. Sams, C. A. Bailey, R. K. Miller, S. B. Smith, O. R. Leyva-Ovalle, and M. X. Sánchez-Plata. 2010. Soybean, palm kernel, and animal-vegetable oils and vitamin E supplementation effect on lipid oxidation stability of sous vide chicken meat. Poultry Science. 89(4): 721- 728.

Sánchez, M.X., Amezquita, A., Blankenship, E., Burson, D. Juneja, V. and Thippareddi, H. 2005. Development of a Predictive Model for Growth of Clostridium perfringens in Roast Beef During Cooling and Inhibition of Spore Germination and Outgrowth by Salts of Organic Acids. Journal of Food Protection. 68(12): 2594-2605.

Fluckey W., Sánchez M.X., McKee S.R., Smith D., Pendleton E. and Brashears M.M., 2003. Establishment of a microbiological profile for an air-chilling poultry operation in the United States. Journal of Food Protection 66(2): 272-279.

Sánchez M.X., Fluckey W. M., Brashears M.M., McKee S.R.  2002. Microbial profile and antibiotic susceptibility of Campylobacter spp and Salmonella spp in broilers processed in air-chill and immersion-chill environments. Journal of Food Protection 65(6): 948-956.

Brashears, M. M., Burson, D. E, Dormedy, E. S., Vavak, L., McKee, S. R., Fluckey, W. and Sánchez, M.X. 2001.  HACCP Implementation and Validation in Small and Very Small Meat and poultry Processing Plants in Nebraska. Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation 21(1): 20-28.