Tuell, students apply knowledge to improvements in meat industry

Left to right, Dr. Jake Tuell, Malerie Schutt, Emmet Long and Trent Begemann recently earned grand champion awards 44th Annual Herman Wurstfest sausage competition. (Submitted photo)

Northwest Missouri State University’s students and faculty linked their meat-making skills this spring.

Students Malerie Schutt, Emmet Long, Trent Begemann and Assistant Professor of Agricultural Sciences Dr. Jake Tuell competed in the 44th Annual Herman Wurstfest sausage competition last month. With the Missouri town’s 180 years of sausage-making history, the festival celebrates all things sausage with a taste competition and various entertainment events.

Northwest students assisted as “wurst runners,” relaying samples to be cooked and then to judges. The University team attained grand champion awards in smoked whole muscle and restructured jerky as well as champion awards in snack sticks, fresh bratwurst and fresh pork sausage. The samples were made in Tuell’s world foods and animal products courses.

“It demonstrates to students that what we’re doing in class is right up there with some of the best meat processors in the state,” Tuell said. “So if they wanted to continue on and stay involved in the meat industry, they have a very good foundation for that.”

Tuell also facilitated a research study this spring with Long, a junior agriculture major from Afton, Iowa, that aimed to improve the tenderness of briskets through low and slow smoking and tumbling processes to break down the connective tissue.

After graduating from Northwest next year, Long wishes to apply his knowledge to improve his family farming operations. He enjoys the unique opportunities presented to him at Northwest and encourages others to take advantage of the profession-based experiences the University offers.

“Even for someone not involved in agriculture, meat science offers a glimpse of where cuts of meat come from, how they are made and what animal producers do to produce quality meat products,” Long said. “It explains the processes you can’t see on the surface.”

Assistant Professor of Agricultural Sciences Dr. Jake Tuell, left, assists a student with food preparation in a world foods course at Northwest's Agricultural Learning Center. (Photo by Abigayle Rush/Northwest Missouri State University)

Tuell joined the Northwest faculty in 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science with an animal products emphasis, master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in meat science and muscle biology, all from Purdue University.

At Northwest, he has conducted five meat science research studies inspired by his experiences as a student and personal interests. Through his unique research, he hopes to fill gaps within the meat science industry.

Additionally, by collaborating with him, students gain valuable profession-based experience to help them be successful in their careers.

“I hope that the students who have done research are either going to continue on with that or something in the field,” Tuell said. “Having research experience and having a first authored abstract in a national conference is a pretty big deal.”

Tuell decided to teach in higher education rather than work in the agricultural processing industry because of the experience he had as the pupil of a dedicated advisor who was conscious of student participation in research.

“The level of knowledge and the standard of professionalism Jake brings to his lessons in class and activities beyond the classroom are things I admire about Jake and are things I use to guide myself through my own life,” Long said. “I’m lucky to have a college professor that invests a lot of time into what he teaches and the students he teaches.”

To advocate for industry, Tuell regularly attends conferences and conventions that focus on the advancement of meat science. It helps him make professional connections and stay up to date with industry changes.

By collaborating with students on research studies, he can introduce students to the vast environment of meat science.

“For meat science, it is a field where there’s so much opportunity,” Tuell said. “There’s just so much that you can do in that area working on the further processing side of things.”