Dr. David G. Nyachuba
Assistant Professor
UMass Extension NEP Program Leader for Food Safety
Telephone: (413) 545-0552
Fax: (413) 545-1074
Email: dgn@nutrition.umass.edu
Campus Address: 204 Chenoweth Laboratory
Education:
• Ph.D. in Food Microbiology, University of Vermont.
• M.S. in Food Science & Technology, University of Ghent, Belgium.
• B.S. in Food Science & Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Outreach/Extension & Teaching:
I am a Director for the UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Food Safety Program. This Program teaches Massachusetts families and food workers about food safety with a goal of reducing the risk of foodborne illness. I continue to develop successful programs that help prevent foodborne illness from the farms to consumers' tables. I also teach food safety courses including Food Safety for Family Day Care Providers, ServSafe® Food Manager Training/Certification, Food Handling is a Risky Business, and Food Safety First. I assist small to very small food manufacturers as well as food service establishments in the development and implementation of HACCP plans. I also provide general food safety consultation services to the food industry.
Research Interests:
My laboratory-based research interests primarily focus on understanding sublethal injury in Listeria monocytogenes and its impact on detection/recovery of this organism. My work also involves the development of more efficacious Listeria detection/recovery methods. Sublethal injury in L. monocytogenes can result from suboptimal processing teatments for foods and exposure of the pathogen to stresses including heat, desiccation, high salinity, freezing, cleaning compounds. and sanitizers. Failure to account for injured L. monocytogenes in food and food processing environmental surfaces presents a significant public health risk. I plan to continue my research work in this area, beginning with identification of structural and functional damages caused to Listeria by different stresses that it potentially encounters. I also will continue to explore the improvement of existing Listeria detection/recovery protocals and the development of new and better Listeria detection methods. I plan to extend this work to other foodborne pathogens of concern and to other potential unjury-causing food processing treatments and additives/preservatives. I am currently involved in several ongoing research and outreach food safety projects.
Recent Refereed Publications:
• Nyachuba, D.G., C.W. Donnelly, and A. B. Howard. 2007. Impact of Nitrite on Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Selected Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Meat and Seafood Products. J. Food Science. 72:M267-75.
•Nyachuba, D.G. and C. W. Donnelly. 2007. Comparison of 3M™Petrifilm™ Environmental Listeria Plates versus Standard Enrichment Methods for the Detection of Listeria monocytogenes of Epidemiological Significance from Environmental Surfaces. J. Food Science. 72:M356-54
Book Chapters:
• Donnelly, C.W. and D.G. Nyachuba. 2007. Conventional Methods to detect and Isolate Listeria monocytogenes. In E.T. Ryser and E.H. Marth (ed.) Listeria, Listeriosis, and Food Safety. Third Edition. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, NY
• Nyachuba, D.G. and C.W. Donnelly. 2007. Isolation and Identification of Listeria from Food Samples: A Comparative Evaluation of Traditional Protocols. Current Protocols in Microbiology. John Wiley @ Sons Publishers, NM (In Press)
• Nyachuba, D. and C. Donnelly. 2005. Sublethal Injury, Pathogen Virulence and Adaptation. Chapter 7. p.152-198. In M. Griffiths (ed.), Understanding Pathogen Behavious. Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, England
Selected Abstracts (National and International Meetings):
• Nyachuba, D.G. Groves, E., and Donnelly, C.W. "Comparison of 3M™ Petrifilm™ Environmental Listeria Plates vs. Standard Enrichment Methods for the Detection of Listeria monocytogenes of Epidemiological Significance from Environmental Surfaces." ISOPOL XVI: 16th International Symposium on Problems of Listeriosis - March 20-23, 2007 - Savannah, GA U.S.A.: Assn. of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) 2007. Abstract # P58.
• David Nyachuba. The Safety of Our Food Supply: The Challenges of the Producer, Industry, Government, Academia, the Food Safety Professional, and the Consumer, Today. Massachusetts Dietetic Association. 2007 Annual Nutrition Convention & Exposition - April 30-May 1. 2007 - Marlborough, MA U.S.A., LNC: 2080, 4070, 7190, 8040 1 CPE
• Nyachuba, D.G. and C.W. Donnelly. 2006. Impact of Nitrite on Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Selected Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Meat and Seafood Products. Abstr.# T6 07. 93rd International Association of Food protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting. Calgary, Alberta, Cadada.
• Groves,E., D.G. Nyachuba, and C.W. Donnelly. 2006. Comparison of 3M™ Petrifilm™ Environmental Listeria Plates with Selective Enrichment Methods for the Detection and Recovery of Listeria monocytogenes on Environmental Surfaces. Abst. #B-65. 2006 FDA Science Forum. Washington, DC
• Nyachuba,D.G. and C.W. Donnelly. 2004. Improved Detection of Listeria Monocytogenes: Impact of Nitrite on Recovery from Smoked Salmon. Abstr #74. XV International Symposium on Problems of Listeriosis, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden
• Nyachuba, D.G. and C.W. Donnelly. 2004. Protocol for Evaluating Relative Performance of Footwear Materials Used in Food Processing Environments Based on the Efficacy of Cleaning/Sanitation Compounds for Elimination of Listeria monocytogenes. Abstr T17. 91st International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ
Recent Grants:
• September 2007 - August 2010: USDA-CSREES, Integrated Food Safety Initiative. "Food Safety Education to Assist Residential Childcare Institutions (RCCI) in the Development and Implementation of a HACCP-based Food Safety Plan." Subcontracting to University of Rhode Island. Awarded funds: $480,264 (total); $85,104 (subcontract).
• July 2008 - June 2010: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Agricultural Innovation Center. "Development and Implementation of Good agricultural Practices (GAP) Training and Certification Program for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Massachusetts." Total Project Budget: (Combined Funds of Requested & Matching): $234,626/ Awarded funds" $115.865
