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Effects Of Pre-Chiller Temperature On The Microbial Ecology Of Whole Bird Carcass Rinses, Rachael Elizabeth Blevins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Upon entering a poultry processing facility, birds are already contaminated with a variety of microorganisms. It is the responsibility of the processor to reduce these numbers to deliver a wholesome product to customers. This is not an easy task as there are ample opportunities for further microbial contamination. Some of these opportunities are obvious. For example, any areas where contaminants could be washed off one bird and onto another are always an area for concern, i.e. the scalder or the chiller. There are numerous opportunities for contamination that are not so obvious. These incidents of contamination are not necessarily due …

Experimental Simulation Of A Cross-Flow Rice Dryer, Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After harvest, rough rice is dried, then dehulled and typically milled before consumption. A broad objective of the “rice drying process”, which comprises drying and tempering, is to maximize the yield of “whole, intact milled kernels”, quantified by the “head rice yield” (HRY). Since rough rice is commonly dried using cross-flow (CF) dryers in the United States of America, the aim of this research was to assess the effect of drying and tempering treatments on milling yields when rice was dried in an experimentally-simulated CF drying column. First, because airflow rate was found to be the least-studied “drying variable”, its …

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Nutritionally Equivalent Meals With And Without Pork, Kelli Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following report details a life cycle assessment of several dietary and meal scenarios with and without pork. The goal of the LCA was to identify the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use of pork containing and porkless diets and meal plans in a field-to-fork analysis. The dietary and meal plan scenarios are iso-caloric meaning they contain the same number of calories. The first set of diets is based on a USDA consumption pattern, 2000 kcal per day. This diet was used to create three other dietary scenarios with and without pork. The USDA recommended food …

Experimental Approaches To Understand And Control Salmonella Infection In Poultry, Yichao Yang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella is a major foodborne pathogen around the world and chickens are the major reservoir to transmit Salmonella into the human food chain. For decreasing the infection of Salmonella, we developed six attenuated live vaccines based on Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) for testing the cross-serovar and cross-serogroup protection from the challenge of Salmonella Heidelberg and Campylobacter jejuni. One of the constructed vaccine strain showed ability to protect against challenge from Salmonella Heidelberg. Even though some preventive approaches are able to decrease Salmonella colonization in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens or other farm animals, Salmonella transmission mechanisms remain unclear. …

Role Of Incompatibility Group 1 (Inci1) Plasmid-Encoded Factors On Salmonella Enterica Antimicrobial Resistance And Virulence, Pravin Raghunath Kaldhone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foodborne illnesses are a leading cause of infectious diseases in the world. Among enteric organisms Salmonella is a key pathogen. It’s high prevalence in poultry and other food-animal sources make it imperative to study. Salmonella has the ability to modify its genetic content with help of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Incompatibiltiy group 1 (IncI1) plasmids are commonly reported in Salmonella. This study evaluates role on IncI1 plasmids in antimicrobial resistance and virulence in Salmonella. Genetic determinants of resistance and virulence are noted among our IncI1-containing Salmonella isolates. These genetic elements are also transferable and reported to carry respective …

Characterization And Mechanisms Of Anthocyanin Degradation And Stabilization, Nathan Blaine Stebbins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthocyanins (ACYs) are polyphenol compounds found in nature, which contribute vivid colors to many fruits and vegetables, while also possessing significant health benefits. These pigments range in color from orange-red to blue-violet and could serve as natural colorants to replace artificial additives. There is a great demand from consumers to have fewer artificial compounds in their foods. However, the relatively instability of ACYs must be further understood in order to limit color degradation before they can completely replace synthetic colorants.

ACYs slowly degrade over time, but there is a knowledge gap on their fate and mechanisms causing degradation. In order …

Development And Characterization Of Rice Genotypes For Water Use Efficiency And Drought Resistance, Anuj Kumar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice, the second largest staple food crop, uses 30% of global fresh water to complete its life cycle worldwide. Water deficits worldwide have become a serious problem affecting rice growth and ultimately grain yield. To solve the water problem globally, improvement of water use efficiency (WUE) and other drought resistance (DR) traits in rice genotypes would be a useful strategy using advanced genomics tools. In this study, our objectives were to 1) analyze phenotypes of the USDA rice mini-core collection (URMC) for WUE and DR related traits, 2) correlate drought response phenes for physiological traits and grain yield in the …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Tart Cherries Polyphenols On The Human Gut Microbiota And Phenolic Metabolites In Vitro And In Vivo, Alba Claudia Mayta-Apaza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tart cherries are polyphenol abundant stone fruits claimed to exert health benefits further of its nutritional properties. The abundant phytochemicals content in tart cherries also referred as dietary polyphenols have been considered as an effective natural antioxidant when added in daily diet. However, it has been hypothesized the intervention of gut microbiota on the overall functionality of such compounds. This thesis contains a wide-ranging literature review focused on tart cherry as a crop, current market, functional food, and several health benefits. Furthermore, the research done describes and in vitro and in vivo assays of a short-term dietary intervention of tart …

Membranes For Food And Bioproduct Processing, Alexandru Marius Avram

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modified membranes for process intensification in biomass hydrolysis

Production of biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is one of the leading candidates for replacement of petroleum based fuels and chemicals. However, conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals is not cost effective compared to the production of fuels and chemicals from crude oil reserves. Some novel and economically feasible approaches involve the use of ionic liquids as solvents or co-solvents, since these show improved solvation capability of cellulose over simple aqueous systems. Membranes offer unique opportunities for process intensification which involves fractionation of the resulting biomass hydrolysate leading to …

Application Of X-Ray Imaging As A Technique For Fissure Detection In Rough Rice Kernels, Zephania R. Odek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fissured rice kernels break during milling, leading to head rice yield (HRY) reductions. Conventional fissure detection instruments cannot be used to observe fissures in rough rice kernels, the form in which rice in normally dried and stored. X-rays can penetrate hulls allowing visualization of the internal structure of a rough rice kernel. This study evaluated the capability of X-ray imaging to adequately detect fissures in rough rice and established a correlation between HRY and the fissured kernel percentage (FKP) in a rough rice sample. Fifteen long-grain rice cultivars, harvested in Arkansas in 2015 and 2016 were dried using heated air …

Effects Of Chemical And Enzymatic Modifications On Starch And Naringenin Complexation, Ana Isabel Gonzalez Conde

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Naringenin is a flavanone naturally present in grapefruit and tomato skin, which has been demonstrated to have health benefits. However, because of the low water solubility and bioavailability, naringenin applications are limited. Starch inclusion complexes have been shown to improve the solubility and bioavailability of poorly water soluble bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to prepare and characterize complexes of naringenin with starches, including potato starch and high amylose corn starch (Hylon VII), which were chemically (acetylation or hydroxypropylation) and enzymatically modified (debranched or debrahced/β-amylase treated). Soluble and insoluble complexes were recovered, and their physicochemical properties were characterized. The treatments …

Phylogenetic Diversity Of The Bacterial Communities In Craft Beer, Lindsey Rodhouse

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The craft beer industry is increasing in popularity in the United States. The craft brewing process typically does not use a pasteurization step, therefore the boiling process is the primary critical control step. Any microorganisms introduced after boiling, or those that are not killed during boiling, are likely to participate in fermentation and persist in the final product. Previous culture-based studies have isolated bacteria and yeast from craft beers at specific time points, but little research has been done on the process as a whole. The objectives of this research are to (1) track bacteria development throughout the brewing process …

Natural Air Drying And Storage Of Soybean Seed And Implications On Germination Rates, Vigor, And Oil Quality, Zachary Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recently introduced technology-comprising cables used for monitoring grain moisture content (MC) and temperature throughout the entire grain mass during drying offers a means to utilize low-temperature natural air-drying for soybean seed. From an electronic monitor and fan control standpoint, the new technology appears to be very promising for managing drying and storage conditions for soybean seed. The objectives for this study were to simulate conditions typically encountered in on-farm, in-bin drying systems and investigate impact of seed cultivar, temperature, moisture content and duration of storage on seed germination rates and vigor (electrical conductivity). In addition this research addresses the problem …

Factors Impacting Iron Transfer Into The Rice Kernel During Parboiling, Katherine Wilkes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to deliver essential micronutrients through existing rice fortification methods are challenged by poor consumer acceptance of fortified rice, production costs, and equipment availability. Current research efforts seek to explore the potential of parboiling to improve nutrient delivery. This study investigates factors that affect iron transfer into the kernel endosperm via parboiling by evaluating the impact of varied milling durations, iron concentrations in the soaking water, and parboiling conditions upon iron penetration into the rice kernel. Long-grain rice grown in Arkansas was parboiled as rough, brown, and milled rice under various soaking and steaming temperature conditions. Visual quality of the …

Persistence Of Enteric Viruses On Surfaces Under Varying Environmental Conditions, Nicole L. Turnage

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human enteric viruses such as human norovirus (hNoV) and Aichivirus A (AiV) are common foodborne viruses with hNoVs being identified as the leading causative agent of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. Moreover, hNoVs have been identified as the leading cause of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis in the U.S. and worldwide. Fomite surface contamination is a major transmission route for enteric viruses. The application of an optimized virus recovery method from fomites is essential for better understanding of virus persistence under varying environmental conditions (EC). This study aimed to optimize a surface sampling method for virus recovery from nonporous food contact surfaces …

Simulating Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Processing To Defend Against Intentional Contamination, Silas B. Lankford

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

There is a lack of data in recent history of food terrorism attacks, and as such, it is difficult to predict its impact. The food supply industry is one of the most vulnerable industries for terrorist threats while the poultry industry is one of the largest food industries in the United States. A small food terrorism attack against just a single poultry processing center has the potential to affect a much larger population than its immediate consumers. In this work, the spread of foodborne pathogens is simulated in a poultry production and processing system to defend against intentional contamination. An …

Temporal Evaluation Of Corn Respiration Rates Using Pressure Sensors, Gagandeep Singh Ubhi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High respiration rate of a grain indicates faster degradation of its dry matter. Proper grain management requires chronological and precise measurements of carbon dioxide evolved from grain respiration during the postharvest storage duration. Therefore the main goal of this research was to develop a new technique that evaluates temporal corn respiration rate using pressure sensors. It was based on measuring pressure drop associated with the grain respiration in a closed container and using it to calculate the grain respiration rates.

Dry corn (Zea Mays L.) was procured from a local farmer and stored at 4ºC. Corn rewetting technique was applied …

Development Of A One Pass Microwave Heating Technology For Rice Drying And Decontamination, Deandrae Lynette Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An industrial microwave (MW) system operating at 915 MHz frequency was used to dry high moisture content (MC) (23% to 24% wet basis) medium-grain rough rice samples (cv. Jupiter). The rice beds were contained in a modified tray that accommodated up to 9 kg of rice separated by thin fiberglass mesh in 3 kg increments. Each layer of rice was fitted with fiber optic sensors connected to a real time data logger during MW treatments. It was determined that drying rice to a MC of 14% to 16% was feasible with the application of MW specific energy at 600 kJ/kg-grain …

Anti-Cancer And Bioavailability Of Arachidin-1 And Arachidin-3 In Colon Cancer Cells, Macy R. Shirley

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cancer is a common cause of death in the United States and locally in the state of Arkansas. Modifiable factors such as tobacco use, physical activity, and diet lead to reduced incidence of colon cancer diagnosis. Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals that confer health promoting properties. Specifically, peanuts contain phytochemicals known as resveratrol, arachidin-1, and arachidin-3 that have been linked to anticancer activities. However, a few research studies have been done on arachidin-1 and arachidin-3 that could further develop understanding of their health promoting properties or nutraceutical applications. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the most effective …