Rising up in San Antonio, Janet Adams ’98 ’01 was surrounded by good meals – each at dwelling and in her neighborhood.

“My associates at all times wished to return to my home after college as a result of my mother would have recent baked cookies and snacks,” Adams mentioned. “And I actually loved the meals related to San Antonio’s Hispanic tradition. Rising up round that affect was additionally academic from a meals standpoint.”  

Throughout her teenage years, Adams developed a rising curiosity within the health-related features of meals. After graduating from Winston Churchill Excessive College, she determined to attend Texas A&M College. It was throughout her second semester at Texas A&M, significantly after taking an Introduction to Meals Science class, that she turned sure meals science was the profession path she wished to pursue.  

“Texas A&M had a pleasant ambiance and was match for my persona and profession targets,” she mentioned. “I additionally wished to take courses within the Division of Meals Science and Expertise so I might give myself the very best alternatives inside a meals science profession after I graduated.”

Discovering her ‘meals science’ method as a scholar

Adams mentioned as an undergraduate she was sure about her need to pursue a profession in product improvement. When she found many main meals corporations have been primarily recruiting college students with a graduate diploma, she selected to remain at Texas A&M to pursue a grasp’s diploma.

As a scholar, she obtained monetary help by making use of for meals science scholarships by means of the Longhorn Institute of Meals Technologists, the Dallas-Fort Value chapter of the nationwide Institute of Meals Technologists, IFT, and the Texas Meals Processors Affiliation, TFPA. These connections would later play a big function in her profession.  

Adams mentioned she was additionally very concerned within the Meals Science Membership.

“The membership is a superb method for college students to get uncovered to the business and to be concerned within the product improvement competitors and faculty bowl,” she mentioned. “I extremely advocate all meals science and know-how college students being concerned within the membership.”

She earned her bachelor’s diploma in meals science in 1998 and a grasp’s diploma in 2001.

Folks and programs in meals science that made a distinction

Adams is fast to acknowledge Peter Murano, Ph.D., who has since retired from the Division of Meals Science and Expertise, as one in all her most influential instructors. She mentioned it was Murano who helped form her profession trajectory by introducing her to the sphere of meals science and dedicating time to serving to her decide the required coursework to realize her targets.

She additionally mentioned meals chemistry was among the many most helpful of the programs she took, as a result of it opened her thoughts to the on a regular basis influence of chemistry in meals.

“Like most different college students, I disliked chemistry, and particularly natural chemistry,” Adams mentioned. “However as soon as I realized about chemistry associated to meals science, it out of the blue made sense to me … it was the primary time I really understood chemistry. I additionally loved my course in meals microbiology, which was taught by Dr. Elsa Murano.”

She mentioned she stays in contact with Murano and his spouse, Elsa, professor and director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for Worldwide Agriculture and Improvement, who she additionally considers a mentor.  

“They have been a giant affect on me and to find the best course for my profession,” she mentioned. “I actually admire the Muranos as a result of they put a lot effort into supporting me and my targets, as they’ve carried out with quite a few different college students.”

Al Wagner, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service meals technologist and professor within the Division of Horticultural Sciences, was one other particular person Adams cited as an vital affect in her training and profession. Now, greater than 20 years after she had him as in teacher, she is serving as president of TFPA and sits on its board of administrators with Wagner.

Stepping right into a meals science profession

“The essential data gained in my meals science courses has helped me in all of the positions I’ve held since graduating,” she mentioned. “It has given me an understanding of how processing works and about high quality assurance issues, product improvement and sourcing components. It additionally gave me insights into meet buyer wants by discovering out about their processes and product necessities.”  

Between her junior and senior years as an undergraduate, Adams moved to the Dallas-Fort Value space to satisfy an internship with Pizza Hut at what was then their company headquarters in Addison. She later landed her first full-time place at Frito Lay, the place she was a product improvement scientist in analysis and improvement for the Frito Lay manufacturers.

“I labored on cross-functional groups to develop new merchandise to deliver to the retail market,” she mentioned. “One in every of my favourite developments was the guacamole Lay’s, as a result of the seasoning was really inexperienced. We had numerous discussions with advertising and marketing and plenty of sensory checks to find out if shoppers would purchase inexperienced chips. They usually did. It was a profitable launch.”

After seven years, Adams modified to technical gross sales, which she has now been doing for practically 15 years. She started working 10 years in the past at Parker Merchandise, which created the well-known “Drumstick” novelty ice cream. Parker Merchandise supplies value-added components to enhance the flavour or texture of meals merchandise.

She later labored at Hanks Brokerage, a household owned meals brokerage within the Dallas-Fort Value space servicing a variety of industries by offering industrial components and completed items for restaurant, meals service, institutional and distribution functions.

“I met Greg Hanks whereas I used to be a member of the Longhorn IFT, after I was secretary and he was chair elect of the chapter,” she mentioned. “Quick ahead 10 years later and he was my boss. It’s a reasonably small world within the Texas meals business.”

Not too long ago, Adams returned to work at Parker Merchandise in a brand new function as a nationwide account supervisor in technical gross sales, promoting value-added components to the ice cream, snack and confectionary industries.

Reflecting on her two-decade profession in meals science, she expressed the way it has offered ample alternatives to realize insights into the Texas meals business. Now, she dedicates her time to imparting her business knowledge to college students, returning to the very school rooms the place she as soon as sat.

“After I spoke to college students in Dr. (Rebecca) Creasy’s class this previous fall, I informed them that it’s useful to work at a spot the place you take pleasure in their merchandise,” Adams mentioned. “Parker Merchandise has grown and expanded since my first time there, and it will now permit me to raised pursue my longtime curiosity in meals product improvement.”  

Adam’s and the Texas Meals Processors Affiliation

As a TFPA scholarship recipient greater than twenty years in the past, Adams was invited to one of many associations’ annual conferences.

TPFA is a nonprofit commerce affiliation representing corporations engaged within the manufacturing of meals merchandise, together with corporations offering crucial uncooked supplies, packaging, gear, plant structure and design companies, laboratory testing and different meals business enterprise companies.

“It was an incredible alternative to work together with business professionals,” she mentioned. “Since then, I’ve been actively concerned and have tried to offer again to this group that has been such an vital a part of my total 20-plus-year profession.”

TFPA helps join individuals who want producers or co-manufacturers and serves as a useful resource for all issues associated to meals processing in Texas. She mentioned her major function as TFPA president is to “develop the group’s footprint” within the Texas meals manufacturing area.

“Our aim is to additional the meals business in Texas, and we do that by giving scholarships to deserving meals science college students.”

Adams highlighted the importance of TFPA in her profession, emphasizing its function as a beneficial supply for mentors throughout the meals business who guided her to study extra concerning the discipline of meals science.

As each TFPA president and a Texas A&M graduate, she seizes each alternative to interact with these inquisitive about pursuing careers in meals science and know-how.

“I inform these on this discipline to take as many roles and internships as doable throughout faculty, so you may actually study what facet of meals science or the meals business you wish to be concerned in,” she mentioned. “Chances are you’ll suppose you wish to do analysis and improvement, however later discover that high quality assurance, sensory or another function could also be extra to your liking. It’s okay to alter your thoughts and take a unique path in the event you discover out your actual pursuits lie in a unique course.”

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