Brashears recognized with 'Lubbock 20 Under 40 Award'
A Texas Tech University associate professor and director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence has been honored as recipient of one of 'Lubbock's 20 Under 40 Awards' by the Young Professionals of Greater Lubbock, officials announced today (Sept. 23).
Mindy Brashears was recognized as part of a group of outstanding individuals under the age of 40 who exemplify leadership in their career while actively participating in the community. After a nomination process earlier this year, an independent panel of judges determined the top 20 individuals from those nominated.
Strong Leadership. "The 20 Under 40 Awards program is great recognition for the young professionals of the community of Lubbock," said Gary Lawrence, CEO of Lubbock Economic Development Alliance. "The recipients of this award will be those that reflect strong leadership qualities and do what they can to make Lubbock an even better place to live and work."
The Young Professionals of Greater Lubbock, a program of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, began in the fall of 2005. The volunteer organization is comprised of over 400 active, civic-minded professionals who seek to develop emerging leaders and attract and retain diverse young talent throughout the Lubbock region.
Applied Research. "We really do a lot of applied research that can be directly utilized by the food industry," said Brashears. "The focus of our center is to have an ultimate impact on human health and to reduce the amount of pathogens in the food supply."
Two meat-related initiatives are finding particular success. The first is a cattle-feed additive that is consumed by about 60 percent of beef cattle in the United States. "It kills E. coli and Salmonella in the animals' in their digestive tract prior to slaughter. That ultimately prevents the pathogens from getting into the food supply," Brashears says.
State-Of-The-Art. The second product received approval in December 2005 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a ground beef and poultry additive that eliminates almost all common pathogens in the meat. To be sold under the name Bovamine Meat Cultures, the lactic acid cultures are one of the few post-production treatments available that protects meat and poultry even after several days of refrigerated storage. What's more, the additive doesn't affect the taste.
Brashears, a food microbiologist, was the project leader for developing both products and she credits her team of researchers "" from epidemiologists to veterinarians "" and Tech's resources at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources "" including a state-of-the-art laboratory "unlike anywhere else in the United States" "" for her projects' success.
Written by Norman Martin
CONTACT: Mindy Brashears, director, International Center for Food Industry Excellence, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-2805, ext. 235, or mindy.brashears@ttu.edu.
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