MANHATTAN, Kan. - AIB International has named Dr. Lakshmikantha (Kantha) Channaiah as the new Director of Microbiology. Kantha has more than 14 years of specialized experience in microbiology, food safety microbiology, FSMA, FDA regulatory compliance, HACCP, GMPs, SOPs, and food safety validations. He previously worked as a food and feed safety microbiologist at Kansas State University’s department of Grain Science and Industry which is where he received his Ph.D. During his career, Kantha has provided training and consulting services and conducted research in food safety microbiology, specifically focusing on pathogenic bacteria, molds, and mycotoxins.
“We are very excited to be welcoming Dr. Channaiah to the AIB Team. The concerns over microbial issues in the food industry continue to become more challenging from a scientific and a regulatory standpoint. For example, the Food Safety Modernization Act includes microbiological requirements related to hazard analysis, product testing, water testing, and environmental monitoring. We continue to see an increase in requests for assistance with kill step validation. Dr. Channaiah’s combination of practical and technical expertise will be of great value to AIB and our clients. We are looking forward to bringing customized services to our clients”, Stephanie Lopez, Vice President Food Safety Education, AIB International.
In addition to specialized consulting needs, Kantha will be providing basic microbiology training for food plant personnel, environmental monitoring program assistance, and kill step validation assistance. These core microbiology offerings will expand in the future to include public microbiology seminars.
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