Episode #3 - From Plastics to Pathogens

For this episode, join Hannah Zurier and Joshua Herskovitz as they dive into new and fascinating literature in Food Microbiology. This month, Hannah and Josh use a theme of "models"/"modeling" to explain topics ranging from newly discovered, microbially-derived hydrolases capable of reducing the volume of plastics in our ecosystems - to nematode models outlining the dangers associated with pathogens in food facilities that are characterized as being viable but non-culturable (VBNC)!

This month, we also have the pleasure of interviewing Cornell University's well-respected, material scientist Dr. Julie Goddard. With her help and a few guiding questions, Dr. Goddard shines a light on the applicability and likelihood of how newly discovered PET hydrolases could or could not be adopted by industries interested in recyclable plastics.

Join us this month as Josh and Hannah use their delightful, and eye-roll-worthy puns to explore, question, and educate listeners on four new Food Microbiology papers and how they impact our local and global world. If you have a moment, b sure to rate us 5 stars. It might seem silly, but those ratings help our group to get more attention and to spread new literature to those of us too busy to sit down and comb through the primary literature. If you have any questions or comments, or if you have a suggestion on how we might make our podcast even better - feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. Here at F.M.M., we believe in open communication as a way of highlighting the massive benefits of collaboration between scientists!