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Dr. Siroj Pokharel a meat science & food safety specialist

Dr. Siroj Pokharel first knew he was interested in science as an undergrad in Nepal. He studied Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry at Tribhuvan University focusing on small animals such as dogs and cats. In 2006 Dr. Pokharel decided he wanted to go back to school and further his education.

He chose to pursue a masters degree in meat science and muscle biology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While studying meat science, he discovered his interest more in food safety. Following his new found interest he then went to work with Tyson Foods in 2011 and began working on food safety issues. “This was around the time the U.S. was dealing with a high number of food-borne illness outbreaks.” Around this time, he realized this was a prominent topic and decided he wanted to study it further. As a result he got admitted to Texas Tech University for his Ph. D. in Food Safety and microbiology.

After getting a postdoctoral position from Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Pokharel chose to come to Cal Poly in the spring quarter of 2018 to focus on food safety teaching and research. When Dr. Pokharel first arrived at Cal Poly, he started to teach a food safety training course on HACCP or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point for meat and poultry operations. HACCP is a science-based food safety management system that addresses hazards in food production, handling, manufacturing, and distribution. As a result of the information and procedures developed from this management system, it is relatively easy to reduce the common causes of foodborne illness. This class provides students a hands-on learning experience in developing a HACCP plan for the meat and poultry industry. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify different levels of food safety hazards in the meat processing environment and multiple ways to control them. Students will be HACCP certified by the International HACCP Alliance after the successful completion of the course.

One of the first grants that Dr. Pokharel got to research at Cal Poly was about studying food microbiome around Cal Poly animal units. He is also involved in conducting a pork-safety related research study. However, his focus has always been on foodborne pathogens in meat-related products.

“All of my research is correlated, from the past research during my masters, which involved meat science and muscle biology, and Ph.D. work was about studying meat-food safety to now researching in the area of food safety and food microbiome.”

Dr. Pokharel’s current research involves instructing 5 students in his lab and studying the migrational pattern of a bacterial community from one location to another. For example, how pathogens can migrate from an on-campus animal unit to a nearby produce field during different times of the year.

“I am very excited about my research that is still in progress” said Pokharel.

This consists of sampling about 4 times a year and testing the migration pattern of bacteria. While doing this research, his group is modeling climate, weather patterns, rainfall, and temperature with GIS technology to look at the pattern of distribution throughout the year.

Dr. Pokharel conducted a study during summer 2019 focused on finding solutions to foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. This specific foodborne pathogen which is mostly associated with ready-to-eat meat, dairy products such as milk and cheese and leafy greens and has been the cause of numerous foodborne outbreaks in the past. In Dr. Pokharel’s research last summer, he tested the effects of different acids against this foodborne pathogen on cheese dogs.

“There are 31 known foodborne pathogens that can give us food poisoning symptoms and make 1 in every 6 American sick every year” said Pokharel.

The traditional method to treat these illnesses includes the use of antibiotics, which is becoming less valuable these days. Pokharel explained that this is because certain bacteria are becoming more resistant to these antibiotics, making them ineffective. In one of Dr. Pokharel’s research, he used a bacteriophage, which is a virus, to infect pathogenic bacteria in meat. He also used lactobionic acids, which ultimately kill the bacterium by disrupting the bacterial cell wall. His research has shown that combining the bacteriophage with acid can reduce or eliminate the pathogenic bacteria from the meat surface.

If there is one thing Dr. Pokharel wants to get across to the public, it is the preventable measures dealing with food safety. The most important rule for consumers is to follow to prevent food-borne illness includes four main steps: cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling.

These steps have been the focus of the USDA’s efforts to help consumers become aware of how to prevent foodborne illness while cooking. These steps mean you should clean your surrounding areas while preparing food and cook to the temperature of that specific food. Additionally, cleaning kitchen areas followed by sanitation is recommended as well as chilling foods at the right temperature and using different cutting boards for foods like raw meat and fresh produce.

Retrieved from U.S. Food and Drug Administration

“We have the Center for Disease Control and prevention that informs us of how many people have gotten sick from foodborne illness each year. They found out around 2011 that about 3000 people die every year due to foodborne illness.” Having these new technologies applied, which can kill and reduce the foodborne pathogen, that can help people in the long run. Dr. Siroj Pokharel likes what he does because he knows he is ultimately improving the community’s health in the long term.

To learn more about how to prevent foodborne illnesses, visit this site: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/cleanliness-helps-prevent-foodborne-illness/ct_index

Photos were both provided by Dr. Siroj Pokharel and taken by Camille Silvera.

This project was created by Camille Silvera (4th year Agriculture Communications major) and Dillon Machado (5th year Agriculture Communications major).

Created By
Camille Silvera
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