Beth Calder

Associate Professor of Food Science &
Cooperative Extension Food Science Specialist

Degree: Ph.D. 2003, University of Maine
Phone: 207.581.2791
Email:  beth.calder@maine.edu
Location: 349 Hitchner Hall

Professional Interests: 

I assist the food industry with research, testing and educational programs in the areas of food safety and technology.  I am one of the outreach liaisons for the SFA and Cooperative Extension, and I am also the  Director of the UMaine Food Testing Services. I work closely with regulatory agencies (Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, FDA) and agricultural organizations (MOFGA, Maine Cheese Guild) to further assist farmers and Maine food business growth. I provide assistance to start-up food businesses in understanding licensing, regulations and food safety considerations when starting a food business (please visit this Recipe to Market bulletin for more information), and also co-teach Cooperative Extension’s sanitation, HACCP and FSMA workshops: https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-safety/training/ and Recipe to Market – how to start a food business in Maine.

Research:

  • Applied research and food testing to support Maine’s food industry
  • Focus on food safety, food quality and Maine value-added products
  • Fermented foods

Recent Publications:

Camire, ME; Savoie, K; Perry, J; Calder, BL. 2019. Preliminary assessment of Maine consumers’ educational preferences for fermenting foods at home. Food Protection Trends. Vol 39, No. 2, 116-126.

Perry, J; Calder, BL; Martel, A; Conrad, O; Davis-Dentici, K; Hopkins, K. 2018. Determining Shelf Life and Consumer Acceptability of Processed Maple Sap Beverages for Small Businesses. Maple Syrup Digest. October, 15-28.

Therrien, M; Calder, BL; Castonguay ZJ. 2017. Utilization of an accelerated Queso Fresco recipe to teach concepts of food science in a Didactic Program in Dietetics. Journal of Food Science Education. Free access: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.12130.

Galetti, JA; Calder, BL; Skonberg, DI. 2017. Mechanical Separation of Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) Meat and Consumer Acceptability of a Value-Added Product.  Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology. Vol 26, Iss. 2, 2017.

Calder BL, Davis-Dentici K, Hopkins KM. 2016. Evaluating Processing Methods to Produce Safe, Shelf-Stable Maple Sap Beverages for Small Operations. Maple Syrup Digest. February, 30-39.

Ferk CC, Calder BL, Camire ME. 2016. Assessing the Food Safety Knowledge of University of Maine Students.  Journal of Food Science Education. 15(1):14-22.

Calder, B.L.; Kash, E.A. Davis-Dentici, K.; Bushway, A.A.  2012. The effectiveness of antibrowning dip treatments to reduce after-cooking darkening in potatoes. J. Food Sci. 77:S342-S347.

Hughes, B.H.; Perkins, L.B.; Calder, B.L.; Skonberg, D.I.  2012.  Fish oil fortification of soft goat cheese.  J. Food Sci. 77:S128-S133.