The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) announces that Dr. Oddvin Sørheim has been selected as the 2018 AMSA International Lectureship Award sponsored by PIC. The International Lectureship Award was established to honor an individual for internationally recognized contributions to the field of meat science and technology. Dr. Sørheim will be honored at the AMSA 71^st Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) that will take place June 24-27, 2018 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Oddvin Sørheim’s presentation will be on “Challenges in Meat Packaging with Focus on Color, Spoilage and Food Waste.” When shopping the meat counter for meat and meat products consumers are looking for packages that are attractive, maintain quality, and contribute to lower food waste. During this presentation packaging systems of retail meat from different markets in the world will be compared, looking at technological suitability, stabilization of color, and extension of microbiological shelf life. Dr. Sørheim will also address the increasing interest in environmental issues in food packaging.

Dr. Sørheim is a scientist at Nofima, a Norwegian research institute for food, aquaculture and fish. His main research interests are packaging, color, and quality of meat, as well as reduction of food waste by better packaging. The use of carbon monoxide as a component in gas mixtures for meat has been studied extensively for its effects on color, shelf life and safety. He has investigated premature browning in the core of cooked hamburgers as related to different types of raw meat packaging. Recently, the tolerance level for residual oxygen for stabilizing color has been examined during light display of meat products in modified atmosphere packages.

In Tanzania, he has contributed to sustainable and more efficient beef value chains. Dr. Sørheim has conducted industry consulting and contract work on meat issues in the USA, Australia, South America, Africa, and several countries in Europe, in addition to continuously serving the meat industry in Norway. He has been a visiting scientist at Kansas State University, Utah State University, IRTA in Spain and the University of Milano in Italy. Dr. Sørheim has hosted scientists from universities in Kansas, Utah, and Wisconsin on sabbatical stays at Nofima.

The AMSA 71^st RMC will be held June 24-27, 2018 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, MO.  For more information regarding the AMSA 71^st RMC please visit: http://www.meatscience.org/rmc or contact Deidrea Mabry 1-800-517-AMSA ext. 12.

Source: AMSA