Dr. Byron Chaves

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Dr. Byron Chaves

Assoc Professor Food Science & Technology University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
FIC 1920 N 21st St Rm 272
Lincoln NE 68588-6205
Phone
402-472-9196 On-campus 2-9196
Email
byron.chaves-elizondo@unl.edu
Website
Dr. Chaves is a food scientist with expertise in food safety microbiology, product and process validations, and food safety management systems. His research program focuses on (1) developing, evaluating, and optimizing physical and chemical antimicrobial interventions to mitigate contamination of foods animal origin, including pet food, and (2) characterizing bacterial and viral persistence and survival in food matrices, food contact surfaces, and food packaging materials. He uses a variety of tools such as microbial challenge studies and predictive microbiology to generate information with direct application to the food industry. His Extension efforts focus on providing onsite and virtual training and technical assistance to the food manufacturing industry in Nebraska and beyond. These activities revolve around regulatory compliance with the hazard analysis and critical control points system (HACCP) and the US FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations including good manufacturing practices and pathogen environmental monitoring. His Extension activities reach hundreds of food processors and manufactures via remote delivery, and he actively collaborates with colleagues across the U.S. to deliver up-to-date food safety and sanitation programming. He is the USDA FSIS Nebraska HACCP Coordinator, the North Central Region FSMA Center Nebraska State Lead, and a member of the USDA FSIS National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.

Education

  • BS (Licenciatura) in Food Technology, University of Costa Rica
  • MS in Food Science/Experimental Statistics, Clemson University
  • Visiting Research Scientist, Centre for Food Safety at University College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland) and Food Safety Laboratories at ANSES (Maisons-Alfort, France)
  • PhD Food Safety/Microbiology, Texas Tech University
  • Postdoc – Food Microbiology, Texas Tech University

Teaching and/or Extension Activities

My extension program focuses on providing training and technical assistance to the Nebraska and regional food manufacturing industry. Activities include on-site food safety assessments for compliance with federal food safety regulations; development of environmental monitoring programs for pathogens; assisting with the development of HACCP and food safety plans; offering workshops and webinars to disseminate relevant food safety information; and teaching GMPs, HACCP and FSMA rule courses. Additionally, I am the State Lead for the North Central Region FSMA Center, leading efforts for the successful implementation of FDA food safety regulations across Nebraska. I enjoy visiting food facilities, interacting with processors, and helping Nebraskan produce safer, high quality foods. 

FDST 403/803, Food Quality Assurance – Spring semester, every year
FDST 424/824, Food Safety Microbiology – Spring semester, odd-numbered years
FDST 908E, Readings in Food Microbiology – Spring semester, even-numbered years

Publications

  • Hunt, H. B, S.C. Watson, B.D. Chaves, G.A. Cavender, and G.A Sullivan. Fate of generic Escherichia coli in beef steaks during sous vide cooking at different holding time and temperature combinations. Food Prot. Trends. 41, 569-573.
  • Verma, T., X. Wei, B.D. Chaves, T. Howell, and J. Subbiah. 2022. Antimicrobial efficacy of gaseous chlorine dioxide for inactivation of Salmonella on dried basil leaves. LWT. 153: 112488.
  • Cano. C., Y. Meneses, and B.D. Chaves. 2021. Application of peroxyacetic acid for decontamination of poultry products and comparison to other commonly used chemical interventions – A Review. J. Food Prot. 84, 1772-1783.
  • Chen, L., J. Jung, B.D. Chaves, D. Jones, M. Negabhan, Y. Zhao, and J. Subbiah. 2021. Challenges of dry hazelnut shell surface for radio frequency pasteurization of inshell hazelnuts. Food Control, 125, 107948.
  • Chen, L., X. Wei, B.D. Chaves, D. Jones, M. Ponder, and J. Subbiah. 2021. Inactivation of Salmonella enterica and Enterococcus faecium in cumin seeds using gaseous ethylene oxide. Food Microbiol., 94, 103656
  • Gomes-Neto, J.C., Pavlovikj, N., Cano, C., Abdalhamid, B., Al-Ghalith, G.A., Loy, J.D., Knights, D., Iwen, P.C., Chaves, B.D., and Benson, A.K. 2021. Heuristic mapping of population structure and pan-genome reveals unique genomic signatures within major serovars of Salmonella enterica lineage I. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.725791
  • Lau, S.K., R. Panth, B.D. Chaves, C.L. Weller, and J. Subbiah. 2021. Thermal inactivation kinetics of Salmonella and Enterococcus faecium NRRL-B2354 in whole chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.). J. Food Prot., 84, 1357–1365.
  • Verma, T., B.D. Chaves, S. Irmak, and J. Subbiah. 2021. Pasteurization of dried basil leaves using radio frequency heating: a microbial challenge study. Food Control, 124, 107932.
  • Verma, T., B.D. Chaves, T. Howell, and J. Subbiah. 2021. Thermal inactivation kinetics of Salmonella spp. and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 in dried basil leaves. Food Microbiol., 96, 103710.
  • Wei, X., L. Chen, B.D. Chaves, M. Ponder, and J, Subbiah. 2021. Modeling the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the ethylene oxide fumigation of black peppercorn. LWT, 140, 110742.