Joy Waite-Cusic

Associate Professor of Food Safety Systems , Statewide Specialist for Home Food Safety and Preservation Program

[email protected]

Expertise: Commercial food processing , Farm food safety , Home food preservation

Department/Unit: Food Science and Technology

Content by Joy Waite-Cusic

Play it safe when preserving elderberries

Many people enjoy the taste of elderberries, but beware — all varieties of elderberries are toxic. You need to cook them before you eat them. Learn how to safely process elderberries into delicious, nutritious treats.

Nellie Oehler, Joy Waite-Cusic, Jared Hibbard-Swanson | Nov 2024 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

OSU study finds that using cold water to make 'sprouted' foods lowers the risk of salmonella growth

An Oregon State University study published in 2021 found that soaking raw ingredients – usually grains, nuts or seeds – to make "sprouted" foods lowers the risk of salmonella growth on these increasingly popular healthy snack foods.

Joy Waite-Cusic | Nov 2021 | Impact story

Can I soak pickles to reduce salt?

Q: I want to soak salt out of my pickles because of blood pressure problems. Will I lose the beneficial microbes that way?

A: View answer | View all featured questions

A cold soak lowers the risk of salmonella growth on ‘sprouted’ foods

If the soaking phase happens at ambient temperature, there is a significant food safety problem, study finds.

Chris Branam | May 3, 2021 | News story

Are home-preserved gifts safe to eat?

Q: I received a home preserved gift for the holidays. How do I know it's safe to eat?

A: View answer | View all featured questions

Is there cyanide in lima beans?

Q: I just learned that lima beans contain cyanide and mature beans require long cooking to remove the cyanide. Are there additional risks and precautions that I should be aware of when cooking fresh lima beans?

A: View answer | View all featured questions

On-Farm Readiness Reviews

On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) is designed as a tool to help regulators and educators effectively prepare farmers for compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)'s produce safety rule.

Jovana Kovacevic, Joy Waite-Cusic, Luisa Santamaria, Stuart Reitz, Sara Runkel | Project

Idle, uncleaned milk trucks don't compromise the quality of raw milk, OSU study shows

Raw milk quality isn’t compromised when tanker trucks sit empty and uncleaned for hours between loads, according to new research at Oregon State University.

Chris Branam | Mar 1, 2018 | News story

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