B.J. Bench, Ph.D.

Title

Director of food safety/quality assurance

Company

Tyson Foods Ingredient Solutions Group

Presentation Description:

Oxidation and its challenges: making sense of animal protein meal oxidation values for pet food – B.J. Bench, Ph.D., director of food safety and quality assurance for Tyson Foods Ingredient Solutions Group, and S.P.J. Namal Senanayake, Ph.D., scientific manager for CFS North America/Camlin Fine Sciences, address the importance of standardizing fat extraction procedures across the pet food industry in conjunction with various methods of determining peroxide values as an indicator of primary oxidation products. Most pet food products consist of rendered animal protein meals as one of the major building blocks in pet food diets. Accurately determining shelf life of rendered animal protein meals and finished pet food products is essential when producing pet food to avoid costly product recalls and unhealthy foods for pets.

Experience:

Bench is the director of food safety and quality assurance for Tyson Foods Ingredient Solutions Group. Bench’s responsibilities include direct oversight of all Tyson Foods’ poultry animal edible ingredients including rendered meals and fats, wet pet (ground chicken and hearts/livers), nutraceuticals, palatants, flavorings and animal feed blends. The Tyson Foods Ingredient Solutions team is also responsible for the production of human edible mechanically separated chicken (MSC), and Bench assists his counterparts with that product. Bench also has oversight multiple food safety and research laboratories that support the business unit with day to day proximate and analytical services including research and development. Currently, Bench in the process of integrating the Food Safety & Quality Assurance teams from the recently acquired American Protein and AMPRO by Tyson Foods. Bench joined the Ingredient Solutions team in March 2017, transitioning from his role as the senior chemist for the company where he was responsible for chemistry operations in multiple locations and oversaw research and development for method enhancements/developments. He has been with Tyson Foods for over seven years. Bench received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a doctorate from Texas A&M University and was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.