Students make ton of apple butter
At the Arkansas Food Innovation Center, the arrival of fall is announced by the sweet aroma of apples, cinnamon and allspice as students cook up a ton of apple butter, a Food Science Club fundraiser that has been going on for nearly three decades.
“As part of the Food Science Club, I helped with apple butter production in 1990,” said Renee Threlfall, who at the time was working on her master’s degree.
Today, she’s a research scientist in enology and viticulture for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, having also earned a doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas in food science.
“Our professors encouraged students to be active in the club,” she said.
This is no small activity. The apples have to be crushed and steamed, and the seed and peels removed in a finisher. Finally, the apple puree is cooked, bottled, labeled and sold.
John Swenson, manager of the food innovation center, and Threlfall help with the effort for students of the Dale Bumpers College Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
“From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., we turn 2,000 pounds of apples into about 2,000 labeled jars in one day,” Threlfall said. “There are seven different operations happening. We’re moving 50-pound bags of sugar. It’s gooey, hot and steamy work. I can’t move Friday night.
“Nothing smells better than to kick off fall, than apple butter,” she said.
“Truly, this is more than a fundraiser. It is an opportunity for students to experience production of a commercial food product from the fresh apples
to apple butter in a labeled jar,” Threlfall said.
Taylor Brandt, the Food Science Club president, said the club expected to raise $4,000, which would go to fund scholarships, student educational events and round tables with local food companies to provide students information on internships and job opportunities.
Brandt, from Centerton, chose food science as a major to make a difference. The senior also has minors in agribusiness and horticulture.
“How can I make healthy food affordable and sustainable for the consumer and farmer?” he said. “I got into food science because I wanted to make a change in the U.S. food system working to get health food into the hands of all socioeconomic populations.”
A SENSE OF BELONGING
Jeyam Subbiah, food science department head, was helping with prep work the day before along with a handful of students.
“The biggest benefit is for the students to go through the manufacturing and project management process of procuring apples from local farmers, ordering ingredients, getting jars, making apple butter, labeling, and marketing,” he said. “The students get to see a full picture of food manufacturing, which benefits them tremendously in their coursework.”
As faculty and students work elbow to elbow, “participating students feel a belonging to the department,” Subbiah said.
Their workplace for the day, the Arkansas Food Innovation Center, was established in 2013 as part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station to help food entrepreneurs. The center provides scientific knowledge, technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and training opportunities to help launch new food processing businesses. The experiment station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
John Aselage, of A&A Orchard in Washington County, has donated hundreds of pounds of golden delicious and Mutsu apples to the club over the years.
He became acquainted with the food science department first through his work at Gerber Foods and later as an orchard owner who has used the Arkansas Food Innovation Center to process juice or turn fruit “seconds” into apple chips or sliced frozen peaches.
Seconds are fruits that may have superficial imperfections, but would be perfectly good processed for other uses.
His involvement in a pollinator management program “produces a significant amount of seconds,” Aselage said. “We don’t spray anything that would kill bees.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada. edu. Follow the agency on Twitter and Instagram at @ AR_Extension.