UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The science and technology of sour cream, cultured buttermilk, cottage cheese and cream cheese will be the focus of the Cultured Dairy Products Short Course, to be offered Sept. 26-29 by Penn State's department of food science at the Atherton Hotel in State College.

Cosponsored with Danisco USA Inc., the short course will offer an overview of basic dairy technology and the manufacture of yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese and other cultured products for industry professionals involved in production, quality control, research and development. Now in its eighth year, the course presents lectures and laboratory sessions dealing with milk composition and coagulation; metabolic and technological aspects of starter cultures; and the use of flavoring systems and functional ingredients for cultured dairy products.

Course faculty will include Bob Roberts, Penn State associate professor of food science; Mike Cigich, technical sales director for Vivolac Cultures Corp.; David McCoy, principal scientist with Christian Hansen's Laboratory Inc.; and Douglas Vargo, technical service representative for Danisco USA. Registrants can submit company samples of buttermilk, strawberry yogurt, small curd cottage cheese and full-fat sour cream for evaluation during lab sessions.

The $835 registration fee ($860 if received after Sept. 12) covers tuition, breaks, reception and banquet. For registration information, contact the Office of Conferences and Short Courses by phone at 814-865-8301 or toll-free at 877-778-2937 or by e-mail at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu. Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space permits.

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EDITORS: For more information on course content, contact Bob Roberts at 814-863-2959 or by e-mail at rfr3@psu.edu.

Writer-Editor Gary Abdullah Phone: 814-863-2708 E-mail: gxa2@psu.edu