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(08/27/24) BATON ROUGE, La. — An LSU graduate student recently won an award from one of the leading professional organizations of food technology. The Institute of Food Technology awarded Ivannova Lituma first place in its Graduate Research Video Competition.
Lituma, who is now pursuing a doctorate in nutrition and food sciences, won the award after presenting a video based on her master’s thesis research. Her research project was titled “Effect of UV-C Light Treatment Against Listeria Monocytogenes on Hydroponically Grown Lettuce and its Effect on Quality.”
Lituma is now researching pecan extract in hydroponics as she continues to work in LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari’s lab. Hydroponics refers to growing plants in water or other soilless media.
She researched how UV-C lights impact the number of pathogens on lettuce and then tested the quality of the vegetable after the treatment. Her hope was to make lettuce grown by hydroponics safer to eat as the industry grows and more producers look for alternatives to agriculture.
“We landed in hydroponics because it is a new way to produce food,” Lituma said. “Also, there is limited knowledge about food safety in hydroponics.”
Her focus on vegetable safety stemmed from the practical reason that vegetables are not always cooked. Because of how often vegetables like lettuce are eaten raw, this requires greater concern about ensuring sanitation and food safety.
The competition put Lituma up against other graduate students from across the country, and she was recently honored at IFT’s annual expo, IFT FIRST. Because of her win, Lituma has been invited to travel to England and visit competition sponsor Campden BRI in the United Kingdom, a leader in the food technology industry.
Lituma said she is excited and motivated by the visit and looks forward to seeing what she can learn at the Campden BRI campus. Lituma also is intrigued by the change in perspective on food safety that she will experience in Europe.
“It’s a completely new perspective for me. I have learned from the food safety system here in the United States, but also there is a new perspective of what is food safety in Europe,” Lituma said. “Campden BRI is big, so they are doing research in different topics, different food types. It’s really interesting for me because I really love food science.”
Doctoral student Ivannova Lituma, right, in a laboratory with her professor, LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari. Photo by Anthony Bailey/LSU AgCenter
