Real-life research experience gives food science major a leg up
Christopher Carter devised his own research project on the development of avocado oleogels as a substitute for unhealthy saturated fats in chicken sausages.
Carter works with oleogels, an innovative structured fat system that could replace detrimental fats in the food industry.
Shortly after Christopher Carter started his freshman year at N.C. A&T, he walked into Roberta Claro da Silva’s office to meet the professor and express an interest in working with her.
Needless to say, he made an impression. The next semester Carter’s ask was answered — he began volunteering in Silva’s research laboratory alongside graduate students studying new, healthier alternatives to the saturated fats often used in processed foods.
“You can count on your hand the number of students who show up in my office to introduce themselves,” recalled Silva, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences. “When we have this, we need to pay attention.”
By sophomore year, with Silva’s guidance, Carter had devised his own research project: the development of avocado oil oleogels as a substitute for saturated fats in chicken sausages. Using healthier fats in processed foods can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the United States.
Carter wasted no time getting down to work.
“Sometimes students only want a job,” Silva said. “Christopher wants to understand how we process foods and how foods impact the health of consumers.”
Last spring Carter presented the results of his work thus far in A&T’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.
While chicken sausage is thought to be healthier than its counterpart made of pork, he explained, the USDA estimates that just one link of chicken sausage contains an average of 13 grams or more of saturated fat.
“That is very unhealthy and it contributes to the obesity crisis that we have in America,” said Carter, a native of Baltimore, Md., who also serves as president of the Food and Nutritional Sciences Club at A&T.
The challenge: Meat products with reduced saturated fat often are associated with a dry, rubbery texture.
“Oleogel is a plant-based concentration that is a substitute for fat-based content — without changing the texture, the flavor, the smell or the appearance of the product,” he said.
Carter developed oleogels by combining heated avocado oil with various concentrations of two structuring agents, carnauba wax and rice bran wax. Then he began the process of assessing which concentration would be more effective based on its oil-binding capacity. His project is ongoing.
Conducting research as an undergraduate gave him a newfound sense of confidence and pride, Carter said.
Christopher Carter, right, with mentor Roberta Claro da Silva, Ph.D.
Meaningful internship experiences no doubt will give Carter a leg up as well. He spent this summer working at Smithfield Foods in Virginia, the largest provider of pork products in the United States, and even had the opportunity to develop his own project.
“I’ve been able to work alongside the new product development team every day,” he said. “That’s been a really fun and inviting and enriching experience.”
On track to graduate in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in food science and a minor in chemistry, Carter hopes to land a job with a company like Smithfield Foods.
“I really want to work in the product formulation or manufacturing engineering space within a food company,” he said. “I know that graduate studies, specifically in the food science discipline, will be part of my future one day, too.”
Silva’s mentorship also has played a critical role in Carter’s success thus far, both professionally and personally, he said.
“I’ve learned from her how to really analyze data, not only interpret it but understand what it says,” he added. “I’ve also learned from her to be prideful in what you are doing, to stand tall in that.”
