Life Sciences Commons^™

Distillation Time As Tool For Improved Antimalarial Activity And Differential Oil Composition Of Cumin Seed Oil, Valtcho D. Zheljazkov, Archana Gawde, Charles L. Cantrell, Tess Astatkie, Vicki Schlegel

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A steam distillation extraction kinetics experiment was conducted to estimate essential oil yield, composition, antimalarial, and antioxidant capacity of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seed (fruits). Furthermore, regression models were developed to predict essential oil yield and composition for a given duration of the steam distillation time (DT). Ten DT durations were tested in this study: 5, 7.5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 360, 480, and 600 min. Oil yields increased with an increase in the DT. Maximum oil yield (content, 2.3 g/100 seed), was achieved at 480 min; longer DT did not increase oil yields. The concentrations of the …

The Human Gut Mycobiome: Pitfalls And Potentials — A Mycologist's Perspective, Mallory J. Suhr, Heather E. Hallen-Adams

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

We have entered the Age of the Microbiome, with new studies appearing constantly and whole journals devoted to the human microbiome. While bacteria outnumber other gut microbes by orders of magnitude, eukaryotes are consistently found in the human gut, and are represented primarily by the fungi. Compiling 36 studies spanning from 1917 to 2015, we found at least 267 distinct fungal taxa have been reported from the human gut, and seemingly every new study includes one or more fungi not previously described from this niche. This diversity, while impressive, is illusory. If we examine gut fungi, we will quickly observe …

Identification And Phylogeny Of The First T Cell Epitope Identified From A Human Gut Bacteroides Species, Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz, Payal Joglekar, Yi-Ji Shen, Kuan Y. Chang, Daniel A. Peterson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Host T cell reactivity toward gut bacterial epitopes has been recognized as part of disease pathogenesis. However, the specificity of T cells that recognize this vast number of epitopes has not yet been well described. After colonizing a C57BL/6J germ-free mouse with the human gut symbiotic bacteria Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, we isolated a T cell that recognized these bacteria in vitro. Using this T cell, we mapped the first known non-carbohydrate T cell epitope within the phylum Bacteroidetes. The T cell also reacted to two other additional Bacteroides species. We identified the peptide that stimulated the T cell by …

Orally Administered Extract From Prunella Vulgaris Attenuates Spontaneous Colitis In Mdr1a-/- Mice, Kelley M.K. Haarberg, Meghan J. Wymore Brand, Anne-Marie C. Overstreet, Catherine C. Hauck, Patricia A. Murphy, Jesse M. Hostetter, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Michael J. Wannemuehler

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

AIM: To investigate the ability of a Prunella vulgaris (P. vulgaris) ethanolic extract to attenuate spontaneous typhlocolitis in mdr1a^-/- mice.

METHODS: Vehicle (5% ethanol) or P. vulgaris ethanolic extract (2.4 mg/d) were administered daily by oral gavage to mdr1a^-/- or wild type FVB^WT mice from 6 wk of age up to 20 wk of age. Clinical signs of disease were noted by monitoring weight loss. Mice experiencing weight loss in excess of 15% were removed from the study. At the time mice were removed from the study, blood and colon tissue were collected for analyses that …

Resistant Starches For The Management Of Metabolic Diseases, Laure B. Bindels, Jens Walter, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Purpose of review—Recent clinical trials and animal studies indicate that resistant starches (RS) may be beneficial therapeutic tools for the management of metabolic diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize these findings and discuss the established and proposed mechanisms by which RS exert their benefits. We also examine open questions regarding how RS improve metabolism and propose future research directions for the field.

Recent findings—Data from both humans and animal models clearly support a role for RS in improving a variety of metabolic features; however, discrepancies do exist regarding specific effects. Concomitant improvements in both insulin …

Probiotics And Methods Of Obtaining Same, Jens Walter, Bob Thomas, Thomas Burkey

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

This disclosure describes novel probiotics, and also describes novel methods by which such probiotics can be obtained.

Correlation Of Periodontal Pathogens In Concurrent Endodontic-Periodontal Diseases, Amela Lačević, Federico Foschi, Lejla Pojskić, Naris Pojskić, Kasim Bajrović, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study investigated the correlation between Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans at dual sites in concurrent endodonticperiodontal diseases.

Material and methods: Samples were collected from endodontium and periodontium in cases of concurrent endodontic-periodontal diseases from thirty participants. The sensitivity and specificity of SYBR Green real-time PCR was used to identify the targeted species. Absolute number of targeted genome copies in tested samples were extrapolated from respective calibration curve.

Results: No statistical difference was found in the number of detected endodontic-periodontal pathogens between the endodontium and periodontium. The Pearson test detected significant correlation (P<0.001) between targeted bacteria; T. forsythia, F. nucleatum, and P. gingivalis from endodontic-periodontal lesions. Synergistic component observed separately in endodontic biofilm was found only between T. forsythia and F. nucleatum (r=0.380, P=0.03) while in periodontal biofilm T. forsythia, F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis gave high synergism result (P<0.0001). Correlation analysis showed that T. forsythia in primary endodontic infection and in periodontal lesion was significantly decreased with the increase of patients age (r=-0.308, P=0.017).

Conclusions: Correlation …

Ability Of The Gut Microbiota To Produce Pufa-Derived Bacterial Metabolites: Proof Of Concept In Germ-Free Versus Conventionalized Mice, Céline Druart, Laure B. Bindels, Robert Schmaltz, Audrey M. Neyrinck, Patrice D. Cani, Jens Walter, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Nathalie M. Delzenne

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Scope—The gut microbiota is able to modulate host physiology through the production of bioactive metabolites. Our recent studies suggest that changes in gut microbiota composition upon prebiotics supplementation alter tissue levels of PUFA-derived metabolites in mice. However, in vivo evidence that gut microbes produces PUFA-derived metabolites is lacking. This study aimed to decipher the contribution of gut microbes versus that of the host in PUFA-derived metabolite production.

Methods and results—To achieve this goal, we compared the proportion of PUFA-derived metabolites and the expression of fatty acid desaturases in germ-free (GF) and conventionalized (CONV) mice fed either a low …

Fungi Inhabiting The Healthy Human Gastrointestinal Tract: A Diverse And Dynamic Community, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, Stephen D. Kachman, Jaehyoung Kim, Ryan Legge, Inés Martínez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Fungal DNA was selectively amplified, and the ITS region sequenced, from fecal samples taken from 45 healthy human volunteers at one (21 volunteers) or two (24 volunteers) time points. Seventy-two operational taxonomic units, representing two phyla and ten classes of fungi, were recovered. Candida yeasts, notably C. tropicalis (present in 51 samples), and yeasts in the Dipodascaceae (39 samples), dominated, while 38 OTUs were detected in a single sample each. Fungi included known human symbionts (Candida, Cryptococcus, Malassezia and Trichosporon spp.), common airborne fungi (Cladosporium sp.) and fungi known to be associated with food ( …

A Prototype On-Line Aotf Hyperspectral Image Acquisition System For Tenderness Assessment Of Beef Carcasses, Govindarajan Konda Naganathan, Kim Cluff, Ashok Samal, Chris Calkins, David D. Jones, Carol Lorenzen, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A prototype on-line acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)-based hyperspectral image acquisition system (λ = 450– 900 nm) was developed for tenderness assessment of beef carcasses. Hyperspectral images of ribeye muscle on stationary hanging beef carcasses (n = 338) at 2-day postmortem were acquired in commercial beef slaughter or packing plants. After image acquisition, a strip steak was cut from each carcass, vacuum packaged, aged for 14 days, cooked, and slice shear force tenderness scores were collected by an independent lab. Beef hyperspectral images were mosaicked together and principal component (PC) analysis was conducted to reduce the spectral dimension. Six different textural …

The Gut Microbiota Of Rural Papua New Guineans: Composition, Diversity Patterns, And Ecological Processes, Ines Martinez, James C. Stegen, Maria X. Maldonado-Gomez, A. Murat Eren, Peter M. Siba, Andrew R. Greenhill, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Although recent research revealed an impact of westernization on diversity and composition of the human gut microbiota, the exact consequences on metacommunity characteristics are insufficiently understood, and the underlying ecological mechanisms have not been elucidated. Here, we have compared the fecal microbiota of adults from two non-industrialized regions in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with that of United States (US) residents. Papua New Guineans harbor communities with greater bacterial diversity, lower inter-individual variation, vastly different abundance profiles, and bacterial lineages undetectable in US residents. A quantification of the ecological processes that govern community assembly identified bacterial dispersal as the dominant process …

Diversity Of Yeast And Mold Species From A Variety Of Cheese Types, Nabaraj Banjara, Mallory J. Suhr, Heather E. Hallen-Adams

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

To generate a comprehensive profile of viable fungi (yeasts and molds) on cheese as it is purchased by consumers, 44 types of cheese were obtained from a local grocery store from 1 to 4 times each (depending on availability) and sampled. Pure cultures were obtained and identified by DNA sequence of the ITS region, as well as growth characteristics and colony morphology. The yeast Debaryomyces hansenii was the most abundant fungus, present in 79 % of all cheeses and 63 % of all samples. Penicillium roqueforti was the most common mold, isolated from a variety of cheeses in addition to …

Food Fish Identification From Dna Extraction Through Sequence Analysis, Heather E. Hallen-Adams

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

This experiment exposed third and fourth year undergraduates and graduate students taking a course in advanced food analysis to DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequence analysis. Students provided their own fish sample, purchased from local grocery stores, and the class as a whole extracted DNA, which was then subjected to PCR, gel electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing. Students retrieved their sequences and identified their fish using the NCBI BLAST nucleotide database. Slightly more than half of the samples yielded sequences identical or close to expected (based on the identification of the fish on the packaging); some other samples …

Processing Effects On Four Prebiotic Carbohydrates Supplemented In An Extruded Cereal And A Low Ph Drink, Rebbeca M. Duar, Pei Tze Ang, Michelle Hoffman, Randy Wehling, Robert W. Hutkins, Vicki Schlegel

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Prebiotic carbohydrates are added as functional ingredients to a variety of processed foods. Data on the stability of prebiotics during food processing in complex matrices remain limited. The objective of this project was to determine the stability of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulin, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and resistant starch (RS₂), when added as ingredients (1% w/w) to an extruded cereal and a low pH drink. The cereal was prepared using different screw speeds and barrel temperatures. GOS was not affected by any of the extrusion conditions, whereas inulin decreased significantly at 140 and 170°C. FOS levels decreased in all extrusion conditions, …

Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction For Detecting Mycoplasma Hyosynoviae And Mycoplasma Hyorhinis In Pen-Based Oral, Tonsillar, And Nasal Fluids, João Carlos Gomes Neto, Leslie Bower, Barbara Z. Erickson, Chong Wang, Matthew Raymond, Erin L. Strait

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Mycoplasma (M.) hyorhinis and M. hyosynoviae are pathogens known to cause disease in pigs post-weaning. Due to their fastidious nature, there is increased need for culture-independent diagnostic platforms to detect these microorganisms. Therefore, this study was performed to develop and optimize quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays to rapidly detect M. hyorhinis and M. hyosynoviae in pen-based oral fluids as well as nasal and tonsillar fluids as proxies for samples used in swine herd surveillance. Two methods of genomic DNA extraction, automated versus manual, were used to compare diagnostic test performance. A wean-to-finish longitudinal study was also carried out to demonstrate …

Food Processing And Allergenicity, Kitty C. M. Verhoeckx, Yvonne M. Vissers, Joseph L. Baumert, Roland Faludi, Marcel Feys, Simon Flanagan, Corinne Herouet-Guicheney, Thomas Holzhauser, Ryo Shimojo, Nieke Van Der Bolt, Harry Wichers, Ian Kimber

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Food processing can have many beneficial effects. However, processing may also alter the allergenic properties of food proteins. A wide variety of processing methods is available and their use depends largely on the food to be processed.

In this review the impact of processing (heat and non-heat treatment) on the allergenic potential of proteins, and on the antigenic (IgG-binding) and allergenic (IgE-binding) properties of proteins has been considered. A variety of allergenic foods (peanuts, tree nuts, cows’ milk, hens’ eggs, soy, wheat and mustard) have been reviewed.

The overall conclusion drawn is that processing does not completely abolish the allergenic …

The Microbiome Of Uncontacted Amerindians, Jose C. Clemente, Erica C. Pehrsson, Martin J. Blaser, Kuldip Sandhu, Zhan Gao, Bin Wang, Magda Magris, Glida Hidalgo, Monica Contreras, Óscar Noya-Alarcón, Orlana Lander, Jeremy Mcdonald, Mike Cox, Jens Walter, Phaik Lyn Oh, Jean F. Ruiz, Selena Rodriguez, Nan Shen, Se Jin Song, Jessica Metcalf, Rob Knight, Gautam Dantas, M. Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Most studies of the human microbiome have focused on westernized people with life-style practices that decrease microbial survival and transmission, or on traditional societies that are currently in transition to westernization. We characterize the fecal, oral, and skin bacterial microbiome and resistome of members of an isolated Yanomami Amerindian village with no documented previous contact with Western people. These Yanomami harbor a microbiome with the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group. Despite their isolation, presumably for >11,000 years since their ancestors arrived in South America, and no known exposure to antibiotics, they harbor …

Humanized Microbiota Mice As A Model Of Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Disease, James Collins, Jennifer M. Auchtung, Laura Schaefer, Kathryn A. Eaton, Robert A. Britton

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Clostridium difficile disease is the leading antibiotic-associated cause of diarrhea and nosocomial acquired infection in the western world. The per annum burden in the USA alone amounts to 250,000 cases with 14,000 ascribed deaths and medical costs in excess of a billion dollars. Novel models for the study of C. difficile infection are therefore pertinent.

Results: Germ free C57BL/6 mice gavaged with a healthy human fecal microbiota maintained a stable “humanized” microbiota over multiple generations when housed under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions. As with mice containing a conventional microbiota, treatment with a five-antibiotic cocktail followed by a single dose …

Cultivation Of Stable, Reproducible Microbial Communities From Different Fecal Donors Using Minibioreactor Arrays (Mbras), Jennifer M. Auchtung, Catherine D. Robinson, Robert A. Britton

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Continuous-flow culture models are one tool for studying complex interactions between members of human fecal microbiotas because they allow studies to be completed during an extended period of time under conditions where pH, nutrient availability, and washout of waste products and dead cells can be controlled. Because many of the existing well-validated continuous-flow models are large and complex, we were interested in developing a simpler continuous-flow system that would allow microbial community dynamics to be examined in higher throughput while still maintaining complex microbial communities. To this end, we developed minibioreactor arrays (MBRAs), small volume bioreactors (15 ml) that …

Stalk Strenght And Sugar Content Of 55 Dual-Purpose Sorghum Inbreds, S. F. Chen, M.-G. C. Danao, P. J. Brown

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

In 2012, sorghum was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an “advanced” bioenergy feedstock in cases where both the grain and stover are both used for energy production (USEPA, 2012). It is desirable, therefore, to develop taller varieties of sorghum to increase biomass yields. However the taller the plant gets, the more susceptible it becomes to lodging, reducing grain yield in the end. Additionally the ability to characterize the storage stability of new sorghum varieties in terms of moisture content and free sugars content is advantageous. In this study, high throughput assays to characterize stalk strength based …

Steps In Metagenomics: Let’S Avoid Garbage In And Garbage Out, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Is metagenomics a revolution or a new fad? Metagenomics is tightly associated with the availability of next-generation sequencing in all its implementations. The key feature of these new technologies, moving beyond the Sanger-based DNA sequencing approach, is the depth of nucleotide sequencing per sample.¹ Knowing much more about a sample changes the traditional paradigms of “What is the most abundant?” or “What is the most significant?” to “What is present and potentially sig­nificant that might influence the situation and outcome?” Let’s take the case of identifying proper biomarkers of disease state in the context of chronic disease prevention. Prevention …

Metagenomics For Bacteriology, Erika Del Castillo, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The study of bacteria, or bacteriology, has gone through transformative waves since its inception in the 1600s. It all started by the visualization of bacteria using light microscopy by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, when he first described “animalcules.” Direct cellular observation then evolved into utilizing different wavelengths on novel platforms such as electron, fluorescence, and even near-infrared microscopy. Understanding the link between microbes and disease (pathogenicity) began with the ability to isolate and cultivate organisms through aseptic methodologies starting in the 1700s. These techniques became more prevalent in the following centuries with the work of famous scientists such as Louis Pasteur …

Metagenomics For Microbiology: Preface, Jacques Izard, Maria C. Rivera

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

It is well known that only a small fraction of extant microbial life has been identified. Metagenomics, the direct sequencing and characterization of genes and genomes present in complex microbial ecosystems (e.g., metagenomes), has revolutionized the practice of microbiology by bypassing the hurdle of pure culture isolation. Metagenomics shows promise of advancing our understanding of the diversity, function, and evolution of the uncultivated majority.

Metagenomics as a field arose in the 1990s after the application of molecular biology techniques to genomic material directly extracted from microbial assemblages present in diverse habitats, including the human body. The application of metagenomic approaches …

In Vivo Selection To Identify Bacterial Strains With Enhanced Ecological Performance In Synbiotic Applications, Janina A. Krumbeck, Maria X. Maldonado-Gomez, Ines Martınez, Steven Frese, Thomas E. Burkey, Karuna Rasineni, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Edward N. Harris, Robert W. Hutkins, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

One strategy for enhancing the establishment of probiotic bacteria in the human intestinal tract is via the parallel administration of a prebiotic, which is referred to as a synbiotic. Here we present a novel method that allows a rational selection of putative probiotic strains to be used in synbiotic applications: in vivo selection (IVS). This method consists of isolating candidate probiotic strains from fecal samples following enrichment with the respective prebiotic. To test the potential of IVS, we isolated bifidobacteria from human subjects who consumed increasing doses of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) for 9 weeks. A retrospective analysis of the fecal microbiota …

Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For Detecting Sesame Seed In Foods, Stef J. Koppelman, Gülsen Söylemez, Lynn Niemann, Ferdelie E. Gaskin, Joseph L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Small amounts of sesame can trigger allergic reactions in sesame-allergic patients. Because sesame is a widely used food ingredient, analytical methods are needed to support quality control and food safety programs in the food industry. In this study, polyclonal antibodies against sesame seed proteins were raised, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection and quantification of sesame seed residue in food. A comparison was made between this ELISA and other assays, particularly focusing on recovery of sesame seed residue from different food matrices. The developed ELISA is sensitive with a lower limit of quantification of 0.5 …

Effect Of Chemical Modifications On Allergenic Potency Of Peanut Proteins, Ramon Bencharitiwong, Hanneke P. M. Van Der Kleij, Stef J. Koppelman, Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Modification of native peanut extracts could reduce adverse effects of peanut immunotherapy.

Objective: We sought to compare native and chemically modified crude peanut extract (CPE) and major peanut allergens Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 in a mediator-release assay based on the rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cell line transfected with human Fce receptor.

Methods: Native Ara h 2/6 was reduced and alkylated (RA), with or without additional glutaraldehyde treatment (RAGA). CPE was reduced and alkylated. Sera of subjects with peanut allergy (16 males; median age 7 years) were used for overnight RBL-passive sensitization. Cells were stimulated …

Comparison Of Six Commercial Elisa Kits For Their Specificity And Sensitivity In Detecting Different Major Peanut Allergens, Shyamali Jayasena, Mieke Smits, Daniëlle Fiechter, Aard De Jong, Julie Nordlee, Joe Baumert, Steve L. Taylor, Raymond H. Pieters, Stef J. Koppelman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Six commercial peanut enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were assessed for their ability to recover peanut from the standard reference material 2387 peanut butter and also for their specificity in detecting four major peanut allergens, Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3, and Ara h 6. The percentage recovery of peanut from peanut butter differed across different kits as well as at different sample concentrations. The highest recovery was observed with the Romer and R-Biopharm kits, while four other kits were found to underestimate the protein content of the reference peanut butter samples. Five of the kits were most …

Sourdough Lactic Acid Bacteria As Antifungal And Mycotoxin-Controlling Agents, Yousef I. Hassan, Ting Zhou, Lloyd B. Bullerman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Sourdough starter cultures are rich sources of endogenous lactic acid bacteria. The extended shelf lives of sourdough breads are attributed to a large array of organic acids and low-molecular-weight metabolites produced during the fermentation process. Different species belonging to the lactic acid bacteria group of microorganisms, mainly Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc, are increasingly gaining the attention as possible means for inhibiting mold growth in animal feed and human food chains. In addition, certain lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from sourdough starters were also shown to reduce mycotoxins concentrations in contaminated products either by binding or degradation. This short review will …

Host Genetic Architecture And The Landscape Of Microbiome Composition: Humans Weigh In, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Comparative analyses of the control of mammalian microbiomes by host genetic architecture reveal striking conserved features that have implications for the evolution of host–microbiome interactions.

Promises And Prospects Of Microbiome Studies, Maria C. Rivera, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Since Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, first microscopic observations of the unseen microbiota and the more recent realization that little of the microbes in the biosphere are known, humans have developed a deep curiosity to fully understand the inner workings of the microbial realm. Our ability to characterize the complexity of microbial communities in their natural habitats has dramatically improved over the past decade thanks to advances in high-throughput methodologies. By eliminating the need to isolate and culture individual species, metagenomics approaches have removed many of the obstacles that hindered research in the ecology of mixed microbial consortia, providing valuable information about …