Unplucked

Peracetic acid is everywhere in a poultry processing plant, but very few people know what is really happening to it inside the chiller. In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with Georgia Tech Research Institute scientists Daniel Sabo and Stephanie Richter about the chemistry behind one of the industry’s most important antimicrobials and why understanding its decay is key to food safety, product quality, and cost control. They unpack how PAA is used throughout the plant, from immersion chillers to cleanup, and explain why plants began seeing puzzling swings in concentration that could not be explained by dosage alone. To solve the mystery, the team spent long days in multiple plants mapping chillers from startup to shutdown, then recreated those conditions in the lab to study how pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, fats, oils, and proteins alter PAA’s half-life and stability.

 

Listeners get an accessible tour of “decay kinetics” and practical measurement challenges. Daniel and Stephanie explain why you never directly measure PAA, how titration kits and DPD colorimetric meters work, and how human error and sampling timing can skew readings. They share what surprised them most in the data, including the outsized role of total dissolved solids, the way combinations of components overwhelm stabilizers, and the finding that once a chiller reaches a certain “steady state,” its water chemistry can stay remarkably stable through a shift. The conversation then turns to solutions, from managing pH and solids to exploring tiny doses of food-grade additives that can extend PAA half-life by 8 to 10 times without hurting antimicrobial efficacy or bleaching product. Along the way, the guests highlight the value of deep, applied collaboration between industry and academia, showing how processor questions can spark research that pays off in safer plants, better looking product, and smarter use of chemistry across the protein sector.

 

CREDITS

Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt

 

LEGAL

The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.

Longevity in modern layers is no longer a dream. It is a management decision. In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance is joined by two experts from Trouw Nutrition, Dr. Roland Koedijk, global head of poultry nutrition, and Dr. Ellen Hambrecht, global product manager for phyto complex solutions, to talk about how nutrition is reshaping what is possible for both broilers and layers. Dr. Koedijk explains why reaching 500 eggs in 100 weeks is less about pushing hens harder and more about supporting them better, starting with the pullet. He walks through the three pillars that make long cycles realistic, genetics selected for longevity, management that protects uniformity and welfare, and phase-specific nutrition that gives birds exactly what they need at each stage. Listeners get a clear picture of why a well-grown pullet is the best predictor of lifetime performance and how rearing, transitions into lay, gut health, and data-driven adjustments all work together to keep hens productive and resilient later in life.

 

From there, the conversation turns to plant-based feed additives and the idea of resilience by design. Dr. Hambrecht explains what phyto complexes are, how specialized plant metabolites interact with animal physiology, and why dose and careful plant selection matter. Rather than promising to “replace antibiotics,” she makes a nuanced case for phytogenic additives as a cornerstone of preventative health that can reduce the need for antibiotics by helping birds manage subclinical inflammation and mount stronger vaccine responses. Using examples from poultry and other species, she shows how targeted phyto technology can boost innate defenses, support vaccine take, and help birds handle stressors such as feed changes, transport, and the start of lay. Together, the guests and host connect these tools to the broader future of poultry nutrition, where precision feeding, improved digestibility, and sustainability goals all point toward a single aim, avoiding problems rather than treating them and building birds that stay healthy and productive under real-world pressure.

 

CREDITS

Host - Andy Vance

Producer - Lyndsey Johnson

Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt

 

LEGAL

The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.

In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with Dr. Mary Fosnaught of the North Carolina State University Prestage Department of Poultry Science about how youth programs turn curious kids into confident advocates for food animal production. Dr. Fosnaught explains 4H as the youth arm of extension and shares how hands-on experiences with animals build leadership, public speaking, responsibility, and empathy in ways screens never can. The conversation traces the roots of youth programs in early “corn clubs,” connecting to today’s urgent need to help young people feel grounded, connected, and proud of feeding a growing global population.

The heart of the episode is the Youth Market Turkey Show at the North Carolina State Fair, a partnership between NC State and the fair that brings market poultry into the spotlight. Participants receive three poults in June, raise them at home, and return in October with their best hen for the show. Mary walks through why turkeys and chickens are such accessible entry points for families who cannot keep larger livestock, and how fast growth over just 16 weeks gives young people a front row seat to the power of genetics, nutrition, and good husbandry. Many exhibitors take the project full circle by processing their remaining birds for Thanksgiving, gaining a deeper appreciation of what it means to raise, harvest, and share food with their own families. Along the way they learn to answer tough questions from fairgoers, bust myths about “what must be in the feed,” and talk clearly about biosecurity, welfare, and stewardship.

We also tackle careers and the future of the poultry sector. Dr. Fosnaught makes the case for presenting poultry science as a “front door” opportunity rather than a back door discovery in college, and she highlights the wide range of roles that may never touch a bird directly, from engineering and data science to communications and administration. If only a small fraction of the population produces food for everyone else, then raising a generation that understands, values, and can speak for animal agriculture is not just nice to have, it is essential for the future of safe, affordable protein.

 

CREDITS

Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt

 

LEGAL

The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.

Soybean meal is still the anchor of most poultry diets, but treating it as a fixed ingredient can quietly cost performance and margin. In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with David Torres, Senior Regional Technical Services Manager for Novus International in Asia, about how nutrition teams can get more from soybean meal by paying closer attention to quality, variability, and the anti-nutritional factors that reduce digestibility. David explains why crude protein is not the full story, how trypsin inhibitors can chip away at feed efficiency, and why some common screening methods can miss the risk that shows up later as weaker growth or inconsistent conversion.

 

The conversation stays practical. David shares how to build a routine that measures and trends soybean meal quality over time, so teams are not making decisions based on averages that hide meaningful swings between suppliers, origins, and processing conditions. He discusses how heat treatment can be both a solution and a problem, because underprocessing leaves inhibitors active while overprocessing can reduce amino acid availability. Andy and David also explore the role of protease enzymes as a tool to stabilize performance when raw material quality shifts, especially in markets where rejecting a load is not realistic and feed mills need a workable plan today, not perfect inputs tomorrow.

 

If you formulate diets, run a feed mill, or manage flocks that depend on consistent nutrition, this episode offers a clear way to think about soybean meal and alternatives. Measure what matters, update matrices with discipline, use enzymes strategically, and make ingredient decisions that protect both performance and profitability.

 

CREDITS

Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt

 

LEGAL

The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.

What does leadership look like when you sit at the crossroads of farms, consumers, media, and policymakers? In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with Jim Chakeres, executive vice president of the Ohio Poultry Association, about telling agriculture’s story with honesty and heart while steering producers through disease outbreaks, policy shifts, and fast-changing public expectations. Jim explains why Ohio’s diverse poultry sector punches above its weight, how proximity to major markets and strong farm culture shaped the state’s egg, turkey, and broiler footprint, and why clear, proactive communication is as essential as biosecurity when crises hit. He shares hard-won lessons from avian influenza response, from addressing the human side of an outbreak to keeping messages simple, accurate, and focused on food safety and supply.

 

The conversation moves from press conferences to barn entrances, tracing how biosecurity has evolved from enhanced protocols to major capital investments, and why risk looks different in dense production regions than on isolated farms. Jim talks candidly about when to engage and when to let the news cycle pass, and he makes the case for building trust through everyday outreach that meets people where they are. That includes creative partnerships with Ohio State Athletics, social content that starts with recipes before science, and NIL projects that connect values like discipline, teamwork, and animal care. Looking ahead, Jim outlines a practical playbook for staying ahead of emerging issues. Invest in leadership development, strengthen researcher–producer relationships long before you need letters of support, and commit to lifelong learning so the industry can adapt on purpose rather than by accident.

 

CREDITS

Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt

 

LEGAL

The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.