UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The science and technology of yogurt, cottage cheese and cream cheese will be the focus of the Cultured Dairy Products Short Course, to be offered Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 by Penn State's department of food science at the Atherton Hotel in State College.

Cosponsored with Danisco USA Inc., the short course will present an overview of basic dairy technology and manufacture of buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese and other cultured products for industry professionals involved in production, quality control, research and development. Now in its sixth year, the course offers 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. and Jerry Fultz, senior scientist for Yoplait. Registrants can submit company samples of buttermilk, strawberry yogurt, small curd cottage cheese and full-fat sour cream for evaluation during lab sessions.

The $750 registration fee ($775 if received after Sept. 14) covers tuition, breaks, reception and banquet. For registration information, contact the Office of Conferences and Short Courses by phone toll-free at 877-778-2937 or at 814-865-8301 or by e-mail at http://aginfo.psu.edu.

Writer/Editor: Gary Abdullah Office 814-863-2708 FAX 814-863-9877