Food Science Grad Students Win National Product Development Competition

Research assistant Currey Nobles and Extension meat science associate Travis Tennant, both of the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, recently placed first and second respectively in the university division of the 2016 American Cured Meat Championships.

The competition is held at the annual convention of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) and is the largest of its kind in the United States, drawing more than 750 cured meat products from AAMP members. The university division attracted student teams from seven different university meat science programs, with 24 unique products.

Nobles’ double smoked round-form pepper bacon won first prize, scoring 973 out of 1,000 possible points. Tennant’s schweinefleisch oliven aspik (ham and green olives in gelatin) took second place with 965 points.

These awards are the latest in a successful year for Noble and Tennant. In May, they won a gold medal of quality by the German Butcher’s Association for a dry-cured capicola entered in a competition in Frankfurt, Germany. Noble and Tennant have been extensively involved with the development of various hand-crafted artisan meats, and they also help manage the department’s successful Charcuterie Schools series under the leadership of Dr. Dana J. Hanson, meat specialist and associate professor of food science.