Center for Food Safety Fills Gaps in Research on Hand SanitizersU of A System Division of Agriculture photo Kristen Gibson, a professor of food safety and microbiology and director of the Arkansas Center for Food Safety, conducted the hand sanitizer study with Francis Torko, a Ph.D. student and research assistant in the Department of Food Science. Four of the hand sanitizers were alcohol-based, and one had benzalkonium chloride as its active ingredient. The Center for Food Safety study also used direct comparisons between different rubbing times and the volume of sanitizer applied to hands for "enveloped" and "non-enveloped" viruses. Members of the Arkansas Center for Food Safety seek evidence-based solutions to food safety issues within Arkansas and beyond through research, innovation and collaboration between the public and private sectors. In addition to food safety issues in vegetables and meats, the center also focuses on novel processing technologies, mitigating mycotoxins in grains and low-moisture food safety challenges.