CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 06/20/23

UGA Center for Food Safety student wins Jim Ayres Young Investigator Award

By Jennifer L Reynolds
Standing outdoors, Jouman Hassan holds up a labeled water sample
UGA Center for Food Safety doctoral student Jouman Hassan, first-place winner of the Jim Ayres Young Investigator Award, said researcher Issmat Kassem's research is what first inspired her to study antimicrobial resistance. (Photo by Dot Paul)

University of Georgia Center for Food Safety doctoral student Jouman Hassan has been named the first-place winner of this year's Jim Ayres Young Investigator Award by the Georgia Association for Food Protection.

To compete, Georgia students submit research abstracts in hopes of winning one of three awards. All three of this year's winners are UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences students.

Hassan, whose doctoral advisor is Assistant Professor Issmat Kassem at the UGA Griffin campus, obtained her master’s degree in food safety and microbiology from the American University of Beirut, where her research focused on microbiological assessment of surface water and the detection of antibiotic resistance determinants.

Her current research focuses largely on the spread of antimicrobial resistance determinants through the food supply, specifically mobilized colistin resistance (MCR) genes, which can cause drug resistance to colistin, a “last resort” antibiotic used by healthcare professionals when more common antibiotics fail.

“Colistin is categorized by the World Health Organization as one of the highest priority, critically important antibiotics for human use,” said Hassan. “In other terms, when all other antibiotics fail, colistin is used to treat certain recalcitrant infections in humans, mainly the ones caused by multidrug and extensively drug-resistant, gram-negative pathogens.”

Although the use of colistin is well-regulated in the U.S., the import of food and human travelers from locations where its use is not regulated means that antibiotic-resistant genes can still be introduced into the States.

“Our lab was the first to report the detection of MCR-9 in an intrinsically colistin-resistant Morganella morganii from a sewage sample collected from a wastewater treatment plant in Georgia,” she said, adding that, as predicted, they detected MCR in different foods imported to the U.S.

Jouman works in the Kassem lab at UGA-Griffin
The Kassem lab was the first to detect MCR-9 in Morganella morganii, which is significant because it is a bacteria not often tested by researchers. (Photo by Dot Paul)

Hassan is writing a manuscript on the study in preparation for publication.

"The judges were so impressed with Hassan’s research, and everyone on the GAFP board is very proud of her work,” said Wendy White, the International Association for Food Protection delegate for GAFP and industry manager for food safety and quality at Georgia Tech.

The second- and third-place winners, both UGA doctoral students in food science, are Blanca Elia Ruiz Llacsahuanga and Jennifer Dorick, respectively.

Hassan thanked her advisor and her colleagues in the Kassem lab for their support, adding that it was Kassem's research that first sparked her interest in MCR, calling him a “wonderful professor and mentor.”  

The first-place award comes with a $1,000 travel award, which Hassan will apply to her trip to the International Association for Food Protection annual meeting in Toronto in July.

She has also been invited to travel to the fall Georgia Association for Food Protection meeting to give a presentation on her research. 

To learn more about the risks of antimicrobial resistance and the discovery of MCR genes in Georgia, visit newswire.caes.uga.edu.

Jennifer Reynolds is the communications professional for UGA's Center for Food Safety.

Authors:
Jennifer L Reynolds
Experts/Sources:
Issmat I Kassem
Thermal imaging technology could improve the production of fruits and vegetables. CAES News
Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer 10/28/24 Savannah Peat
Before your favorite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and maintained across long stretches of time. A recent University of Georgia review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating climates. Maintaining temperature, humidity and light is critical to ensuring fruits and vegetables don’t spoil or deteriorate rapidly. Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key.
Cairo, Georgia CAES News
New funding for UGA faculty to address rural issues 09/16/24 Baker Owens
The Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty at the University of Georgia has announced the list of funded faculty seed grants to address issues in rural Georgia. The grants offer funding between $5,000 and $10,000 for faculty to engage with rural Georgians on issues that are critical for their communities. The program encourages collaboration between faculty in UGA schools and colleges with faculty in Public Service and Outreach and UGA Cooperative Extension already working throughout rural Georgia.
goldenlatte CAES News
UGA researchers develop ‘instant’ version of trendy golden milk latte 08/21/24 Jordan Powers
Nestled among cappuccinos and traditional espresso lattes, a unique, golden-hued beverage has grown increasingly popular on cafe menus over the past several years. Advertised as a caffeine-free, healthy coffee alternative, “golden” turmeric milk is a take on haldi doodh — a traditional Indian beverage often used as an at-home cold remedy. Now researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have developed a new method to make a plant-based, instant version of the beverage.
Northern Thai food CAES News
Exploring the world through food 07/30/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
From the agricultural revolution to globalization, food has always held a defining role for humanity, with foodways serving as the foundation of many cultures and civilizations throughout history. “We talk about food around the dinner table. The food choices we make, the origins of the foods, and where they come from are fascinating,” said Ronald Pegg, one of three University of Georgia instructors for “The Impact of Food and World History and Culture,” a class that takes students on an interdisciplinary exploration of how food shapes societies.
20240111 NC ADT MARCM 041 CAES News
CAES student follows her zeal for food safety to UGA School of Law 07/09/24 Lillian Dickens
The career world is wide open for students at the University of Georgia, a life lesson third-year student Emily Harris learned as a food science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Harris plans to attend the UGA School of Law to pursue a degree in food regulation and law this fall, a unique path she discovered through classes in the Department of Food Science and Technology.
A team of researchers at CFS, led by director Francisco Diez, studied the potential uses of antimicrobial blue light to eliminate pathogens in manufacturing facilities. CAES News
CAES researchers ensure a safer global food supply 06/07/24 Jennifer L Reynolds
In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly established June 7 as World Food Safety Day to bring awareness of foodborne risks and “to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food.” With 25 faculty members involved in food safety microbiology, the University of Georgia has one of the largest teams of food safety researchers of any university. Their research and collaboration efforts contribute to a growing body of knowledge that ensures producers and consumers have the latest information about food safety.