Episode Details

HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Boosts Tea Wages 70pct | Lipton Reformulates its Green Tea | Gene Research May Fortify Freezing Tea Plants

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GUEST – Food Scientist and Author Dr. Bryan Quoc Le

SPOTLIGHT | Sensors and Food Safety –

Packaged herbal infusions are generally safe to drink, but there are rare instances that highlight the importance of food safety procedures. One such incident occurred recently when Yogi Tea voluntarily recalled about 877,000 tea bags in 54,000 boxes that contained echinacea in a certified organic herbal blend that did not contain camellia sinensis.

Food safety scientist Dr. Bryan Quoc Le is an avid tea drinker, food safety consultant, and the author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered, published by Simon & Schuster. He earned a doctorate in food science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he studied the biological effect of savory flavors from plant-based sources on mammalian cells.

Bryan joins us today in a conversation that touches on sensory input, tea processing, and the challenge of keeping the tea supply chain clean and safe.