About Us > Jeffery L. Kornacki

Dr. Jeffrey L. Kornacki has over 25 years experience in professional food safety microbiology. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977.  His Master's and Ph.D. research in the Food Science Department, at the same institution, involved understanding key factors in cheese manufacture and milk ultrafiltration that impact the microbiological safety of dairy products.  Dr. Kornacki managed the dairy testing laboratory at the University of Wisconsin while pursuing his graduate studies.

He was subsequently employed by Schreiber Foods, where he did research and product development related to optimizing starter culture fermentations, accelerated cheese ripening, and ultrafiltration technology. He co-authored a patent dealing with cheese production using a novel modification of milk ultrafiltration technology. 

Dr. Kornacki spent twelve years in technical writing and editing as well as microbiological troubleshooting in over 400 factories as a laboratory manager at a variety of laboratory locations for Silliker Laboratories Group, Inc.. He has assisted a number of companies in the midst of FDA and USDA product recalls over the years and until September of 2003 was Assistant Professor, Center for Food Safety and Department of Food Science at the University of Georgia, Griffin campus.  He recently completed research related to understanding the impact organic matter (in the presence of condensate) on the survival of microbes on a variety of industrial surfaces and on the enumeration and control of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. He still has ongoing research projects related to the role of airborne microbes to food and food factory environmental contamination, development of harmless surrogate organisms for in-factory CCP validation, and survival of Enterobacter sakazakii in infant formula.

He has published articles on a wide variety of food microbiology topics including, butter microbiology, methods for detection of enteric bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes, heat resistance of pathogens. Dr. Kornacki has lectured widely on microbiological control in food factory environments.

"Dr. Kornacki remains on as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia (Center for Food Safety and Department of Food Science) and is also Adjunct Faculty with Michigan State University (National Center for Food Safety & Toxicology).