Life Sciences Commons^™

Food Safety And Functionality Assessment Of Kombucha Systems Through Bacillus Cereus Spore And Probiotic Inoculations, Alexandria L. Bromley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kombucha is a SCOBY-fermented tea beverage known for its taste, sensorial qualities, and high endogenous microbial load. In recent years, kombucha has become a popular functional food with a compound annual growth rate of 25% from 2015 to 2020 in American kombucha sales alone, and sales are predicted to keep increasing significantly over the next decade. However, kombucha is lacking in scientific research, and there is still much to be explored regarding its safety and native probiotic content. This research looked into the various routes of contamination of several kombucha systems as well as the feasibility of the producing a …

Positive Correlation Between A3 Subunit Of Glycinin And Firmness Of Tofu Made From Soybeans Grown In Three Locations Over Two Years, Ruiqi Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Producing desirable firmness is important in manufacturing tofu from soybeans. This study’s objective was to explore the environmental impact (location and year) on soybean chemical components and identify the correlations between chemical composition and the firmness of tofu made from soybeans planted in three locations over two years. Seventeen soybean Plant Introductions (PI) from the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection and eight check varieties were planted in Mississippi, Virginia and Missouri in 2017 and 2018. Protein subunit composition, protein secondary structure, phytic acid content, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ content were determined. The result showed that A₃ subunit content was …

Implementing Food Science-Based Instruction In Career Technical Education Courses, Jasmine D. Hendrix

Theses and Dissertations

Students are exposed to food concepts in agriculture-based career technical education (CTE) courses which provide a gateway for students to become more aware of food science career pathways. Professional development for Mississippi (MS) CTE teachers is needed to effectively implement food science-based instruction since there is not a food science curriculum framework adopted in MS. The objective of this study was to assess a food science professional development training for MS CTE teachers that would increase their self-perceived knowledge of food science, self-perceived ability to conduct food science skills, and their self-efficacy to implement food science-based instruction. Thirty-one teachers participated …

Consumer Characteristics, Acceptance And Knowledge Of, And Preferences For Kombucha, Matthew Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Consumer interest in fermented and functional foods, including kombucha, continues to grow at exponential rates. However, there is limited research on consumer demographics, preferences, beliefs, and behaviors related to kombucha consumption. The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of current kombucha consumers, better understand their preferences and buying habits, and identify groups that could be likely kombucha consumers in the future. These preferences and identifying factors were determined via an online consumer survey. The online survey was launched in February 2021. A total of 2,149 participants met the inclusion criteria of living in the United States, being …

How Are Agricultural Research Projects Conceiving Innovation? An Assessment Of The European Union Multi-Actor Projects, Samuel Brea Martinez-Collado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Horizon research programs are the European Union’s lighthouse for innovation and research concerning the agri-food chain, the management of natural resources, and the bioeconomy. Their innovation strategy approach is one that pursues the practical application of the research via the collaboration of all actors involved. Such strategy is the reflection of a Multi-Actor Approach as their procedure to enhance innovation. This paper presents the main trends and directions 101 Multi-Actor Projects (MAPs) are following on said approach towards innovation. The analysis is based on the use of well-defined “pathways” and “measures” proposed in the Guidelines for Evaluation of Innovation in …

Porous Food Microparticles As Carriers Of Lipophilic Bioactive Compounds To Improve Functionalities, Inseob Choi

Doctoral Dissertations

Lipophilic bioactive compounds (LBCs) have been gaining attention due to their antioxidation and health-promotion properties. Although many delivery systems have been studied to encapsulate LBCs to increase stability and bioaccessibility of the LBCs, most of delivery systems lack of practicality for application in the food industry due to energy-extensive encapsulation processes and high-cost carrier materials used. Additionally, while a variety of encapsulating systems exist in nanoscale to achieve efficient encapsulation of LBCs, nanoscale systems with encapsulated LBCs may be subjected to reassessment of toxicity. In this dissertation, freeze-dried potato microparticles (FDPMs) and freeze-dried mushroom microparticles (FDMMs) were studied as carrier …

Health-Related Quality Of Life (Hrqol) In Sexual Minority (Sm) College Undergraduate Students, Leigh Neptune

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that disparities exist in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among sexual minority (SM) youth and adults compared to their heterosexual peers, and among college undergraduate students compared to all young adults. Yet, no studies have been conducted to date examining HRQOL, diet quality, or weight dissatisfaction at the intersection of SM and college undergraduate student status. In 2020, a cross-sectional convenience sample of college undergraduate students (N=690) from the University of Maine and Rutgers University completed an online survey consisting of items assessing demographic variables, HRQOL, diet quality, and weight dissatisfaction. Of this sample, 23.9% (n=165) …

Influence Of External Ph And Organic Acids On Internal Ph And Acid Anion Accumulation In Listeria Monocytogenes And Escherichia Coli, Savannah R. Branson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli are both among the most common microbial pathogens that cause foodborne illnesses and death. They both are capable of growing over a wide range of conditions. Organic acids are widely employed in the food industry to control growth of these pathogens to help prevent foodborne illnesses. There is substantial evidence that intracellular accumulation of organic acid anions is a major inhibitor to cell growth, and that many bacteria may combat anion accumulation by lowering their intracellular pH (pH_i). In this study, we followed the accumulation of acid anion into the cell pellet and …

Enzymatic Synthesis Of Maltodextrin Fatty Acid Esters And Their Emulsion Stabilizing And Microbial Inhibitory Properties, Namhyeon Park

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Food additives have been one of the traditional methods for preserving foods and are still in everyday use for multiple reasons. As the market size of processed foods grows, the use of food additives is increasing. Simultaneously, consumers try to avoid specific food additives or demand less processed foods because of several potential health concerns, suggesting the need for safe food additives.

In this environment, one group of food additives consisting of carbohydrates and fatty acids have received attention because of its nontoxicity and biodegradability with diverse functions. Notably, carbohydrate fatty acid compounds made of sucrose have been approved and …

Wear Behaviors Of Process Cheese With Varying Formulations And The Development Of Predictive Models On Shreddability, Jason Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Process Cheese is manufactured by grinding, mixing, and heating with agitation one or more of the same varieties of natural cheese with an emulsifying agent to create a cheese with desirable properties. After process cheese is made, it is often sliced or shredded. Some of its properties affect how well it can be sliced or shredded and can lead to loss of material due to cheese sticking to equipment or being too crumbly. The loss of material, called wear behavior can incur significant losses to cheese manufacturing operations. The purpose of this study was to produce process cheese formulations with …

Injection Of Iodoacetic Acid Into Pre-Rigor Bovine Muscle Simulates Dark Cutting Conditions, Jared Forrest Buhler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Following the harvest of an animal, muscle will continue to produce energy in an attempt to stay alive, primarily through the pathway of glycolysis. This occurs in the form of anaerobic (oxygen-free) metabolism of glucose and glycogen, which causes the meat to acidify. This acidification process is important for proper meat quality development and when insufficient glycolysis occurs it can cause a meat defect known as dark cutting. This defect causes the color of the muscle to become very dark, increases the water-holding capacity of the meat, and causes it to feel firm and dry on the surface because the …

The Electrification Of The Kitchen: On The Energy Consumption Of Common Electric Cooking Appliances, Hozen Ricchie Rose Asok Rose

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In developed countries, electricity has been gaining popularity as a source of energy for meal preparation. Utilizing electricity produced from renewable resources along with efficient electrical cooking appliances could result in sustainable clean cooking. The first objective of this research was to study the efficiency of common electrical cooking appliances—namely induction, resistance plate, resistance coil, infrared, and electric pot— by the water boiling test and the simmering test. The induction and electric pot were observed as the most efficient devices for the water boiling test. For simmering, which mimics many cooking processes, the electric pot and resistance coil were the …

Data Analytics For Sustainable Food And Agriculture Systems, Megan Lord Reavis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is altering the climate, posing a serious threat to global agriculture and food security. Agriculture and food production contribute a quarter of all GHG emissions produced, so there is a critical need to limit emissions in this area while increasing food production to feed the anticipated 10 billion people by 2050. To address the needs of the future, data-driven solutions are needed to guide decision-making and provide support for actionable climate mitigation and survival strategies. Research efforts must be focused on analyzing problems on multiple scales, identifying new ways to …

Efficacy Of Selected Powdered Floor Treatments And Turmeric Rhizome Powder Against Salmonella, E. Coli, And L. Monocytogenes On Polyurethane-Concrete Flooring Material Carriers, Robert Sidney Fuller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flooring in a food processing environment can become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in many ways including foot and equipment traffic, incoming materials, and drain backups. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) rhizome powder and seventeen other commercially available powdered floor treatments with a variety of active ingredients including quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), sodium percarbonate and similar perhydrates (SPC), urea, and borax, were investigated for reducing the levels of pathogens on flooring thereby reducing the risk of cross-contamination from the floor to food contact surfaces. Some of the commercially available floor treatments were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered antimicrobials while others were …

The Impact Of Diet Quality On Health-Related Quality Of Life In College Students, Kayla Parsons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective The objective of this research was to explore the influence of diet quality on health-related quality of life among college undergraduate students. Methods A cross-sectional convenience sample of college students completed an online survey consisting of the Center for Disease Control’s Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) modules, shortened Perceived Stress Scale, sleep questionnaire, and the National Cancer Institute’s Fruit and Vegetable Screener. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight. Independent t-test were used to compare HRQOL between students who consumed above/below average fruit and vegetable intake. Two multiple regression analyses were used to determine …

Adult-Use Cannabis And State Research Agencies An Exploratory Study And Development Of A Harm-Reduction Course, Abigail Wiegand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand of adult-use cannabis is outpacing the regulatory stride of the states that legalize recreational marijuana. This work is the product of two studies that focus on those states’ agencies that closely work with their constituents. They include those who are invested or reliant on cannabis businesses and those who consume cannabis for medical or recreational purposes. State agencies and resources are funded by those same constituents’ taxes, for which they have the responsibility to protect the public’s best interests as the industry grows. Chapter 2 describes an inquiry on what information and support is shared with adult-use …

Modeling And Quality Analysis Of Radio Frequency Heating Of Low Moisture Foods, Qianyi Chen

Masters Theses

Low moisture food is usually considered as high safety food. Since its low water activity (aw < 7), this would be a strict environment for pathogen microbes to grow in the low moisture food. However, the recent outbreaks of Salmonella in low moisture foods indicated the possibility of microbiological contamination happened during the harvesting, processing or transportation of food products. Since the bad heat conduction of conventional thermal process on low moisture food, radiofrequency (RF) treatment is a promising technology to improve the heating efficiency with its volumetric heating. Nevertheless, non-uniformity heating is still a challenge in RF technology. There are two research chapters in this study. The first research chapter was to use computer modeling to understand the improvement of applied immersion fluids on the RF heating of the cornflour. The model had a good agreement with the experiment results. The modeling results showed that the soybean oil immersion could reduce the electric field distortion to get the best heating uniformity. Also, the higher sample heating rate caused by soybean oil immersion was mainly because of higher electromagnetic power absorption and lower surface heat loss. The heating efficiency of RF was improved but less study focused on the quality analysis of flour. Therefore, the second research study is to evaluate the effect of RF and extensive hot air oven processing on the quality and functionality of all-purposed flour.

Impact Of Planting Arrangement And Drill Row Spacing For Direct-Seeded, Delayed Flood Rice, Mary Jane Lytle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Direct-seeding is the most frequently utilized planting practice in Arkansas and Mid-South rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Enhanced plant density and more rapid rice canopy formation may result from the implementation of innovative plant arrangements and spacings. Studies were initiated in 2019 and continued into 2020 to examine different cultural management practice experiments, including evaluating the impacts of planting arrangement, row spacing, and seeding rates on rice stand density, canopy coverage, grain yield, and milling yield. These small-plot trials were conducted at two locations, a silt loam site and a clay site, representative of soils produced to rice in eastern …

Gamma And X-Ray Irradiation Improve Postharvest Shelf-Life In 'Bartlett' Pears, Matthew Garcia

Food Science (MS) Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gamma and x-ray treatment on ‘Bartlett’ pear physiology during postharvest storage. Freshly harvested ‘Bartlett’ pears were irradiated with gamma irradiation at 0.412 and 0.819 kGy and x-ray irradiation at 1.03 and 1.94 kGy, then stored at 0-1 ⁰C and 95% relative humidity. The pears were removed from cold storage at 45 and 75 days and allowed to ripen at room temperature for four and two days, respectively. Respiration rate and ethylene production were measured during fruit ripening. Color, firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids contents, and occurrence of superficial scald …

Growth Kinetics Of Salmonella Spp. During Post-Harvest Storage Of Fresh And Fresh-Cut Papaya, Amandeep Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Fresh produce safety is major concern in United States. Fresh produce has been associated with numerous food-borne outbreaks each year. Salmonella has been a recurring issue in the papaya industry. Since 2010, imported papayas have been implicated in 8 multistate outbreaks associated with Salmonella spp. causing 480 illnesses, 113 hospitalization and 3 deaths. The main reason behind this problem is as fresh papaya is grown on fields where they are constantly exposed to preharvest microbial contamination through contaminated irrigation water, agricultural soil, raw manure and/or feces deposited by intruding domestic or wild animals. Moreover, majority fresh papaya is also consumed …

Physicochemical Properties And Functionality Of Pardina Lentil, Navy Bean, Garbanzo Bean, And Split Pea Starches, Jenna Laughlin, Vermont Dia, Philipus Pangloli

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Consumers’ Perception Of Gluten-Free/Clean-Label Muffins, Vanesa Chicaiza

LSU Master's Theses

The gluten-free-natural-ingredient (GF/NCL) product demand is globally increasing and driven by the growing prevalence of celiac-diseases. Nevertheless, the quality of GF product is often inferior compared to wheat-flour counterparts due to the removing of gluten, which, compromises the appearance, structure, and nutritional value. The addition of fiber into GF/NCL products has been considered to improve nutritional values while maintaining quality attributes. According to the US-FDA, a product containing ≥2.5 grams of fiber/serving can be claimed as a “good-source-of-fiber.” However, adding dietary fiber to baked products affects their qualities, and hence possibly lowering product acceptability.

The main objective of this research …

Consumers' Perception Of Food Containing Insect Protein Affected By Serving Condition And Questionnaire Protocol, Yupeng Gao

LSU Master's Theses

Edible insects are a new sustainable protein source compared to meat. Western consumers show aversion to the prospect of insects as food due to unfamiliarity, food neophobia, and negative emotions. This dissertation research explored consumers’ emotional perception of insect-based food products presented under different testing conditions and examined the influence of other people’s emotional expressions towards consumers’ purchase decisions. To identify and rate emotion intensities, tests were conducted using three presenting formats including text, image, and an actual product; all of which were applied for both cookies containing insects and without insects. In addition to these presenting formats, news of …

Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing Of Foodborne Bacteria Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Joshua Gukowsky

Doctoral Dissertations

The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria around the world has become a major public health issue, and it is essential that effective detection methods exist for identifying these organisms and preventing them from spreading throughout our food systems and into the environment. The goal of this research is to develop a novel analytical procedure that is capable of easily identifying antibiotic resistance in bacterial samples, and also provides more information about the biochemical characteristics of the bacteria and their responses to antibiotic exposure. Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), an analytical technique that uses light scattering to produce a spectrum based on …

Factors Affecting Sensory Acceptance Of Thickened Liquids Used In Dysphagia Management, Allison N. Cox

Masters Theses

Between 4-16% of adults in the United States have experienced difficulty swallowing at some point during their lives. Difficulty swallowing, or clinically referred to as dysphagia, poses increased concern when drinking beverages. While no treatment is currently available, it is often recommended that liquids be thickened to improve the safety of swallowing and prevent liquids from being aspirated in the lungs. However, thickened liquids are poorly accepted by individuals with dysphagia. Taste and flavor suppression has been shown in various thickened liquid matrices, but the mechanisms for understanding these changes in perception are quite complex. Additionally, literature focused on dysphagic …

Antioxidant Synergism Between Α-Tocopherol And A High Phosphatidylserine Modified Lecithin, Harshika Arora

Masters Theses

Phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine (PS) have been shown to work synergistically with tocopherols to extend the shelf life of oil-in-water emulsions. However, the high cost of PS prevents it from being used as a food additive. This work investigated the potential use of a high PS enzyme-modified lecithin to be used along with α-tocopherol to extend the lag phase of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized using Tween 20. Phospholipase D from Streptomyces sp. and L-serine were used to modify lecithin to increase PS concentration. Enzyme activity was optimized as a function of pH and temperature using a high PC soybean lecithin. The …

Antioxidant Combination Of High Phosphatidylserine (Ps) Lecithin With Mixed Tocopherol In Soybean Oil-In-Water Emulsion: Effect Of Ph And Salt, Princy Agnihotri

Masters Theses

Lipid oxidation is one of the major challenges faced by the food industry as it contributes to the loss of nutritional quality and loss of flavor in food products. Studies have shown that naturally occurring phospholipids like phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) can regenerate oxidized tocopherols and help delay the lipid oxidation in bulk oils and oil-in-water emulsions. Since consumers desire simpler and cleaner labels, without chemically synthesized antioxidants, this research is of great interest. The combination of PS and PE with tocopherols has already been studied. However, PS was a better antioxidant in combination with tocopherols in the oil-in-water …

Effect Of High-Pressure Processing On Quality And Shelf Life Of Green Fresh Juice Produced From A Blend Of Fruit And Vegetable, Ahlam Abdulla Al Hammadi

Theses

The technology of high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) in food processing started to take huge attention in food industries due to its ability to increase the shelf life of processed products by inactivating food-borne microorganisms and undesired enzymes that cause changes not acceptable to the consumers. Because of the treatments take place at low temperatures and because no chemical preservatives are added, advantageous and give more value to the product and match consumer demand for healthy products.

Aims: The aim of this thesis was to study the effect of HPP on certain quality parameters of green fruit juice compared to the …

Sensory Evaluation Of Camel Milk, Reem Amer Al Kaabi

Theses

Camel milk is one of the most important sources of nutrients for humans in numerous arid and semiarid environments. Consumer acceptability and sensory analysis are decisive for the commercialization of camel milk. It is essential to understand the sensory qualities of camel milk because of its unfamiliarity and its typical sensory profile, which is different from that of bovine milk. This study aimed to evaluate a trained panel qualitative description of sensory characteristics as well as consumer acceptability and attitude towards pasteurized non-flavoured, flavoured, and camel milk powders. In the consumer acceptability test, samples were evaluated based on acceptability with …

Three Lc-Ms Plant Metabolomics Studies Of Hop (Humulus) Species: Wild H. Neomexicanus, Drought Stress, And Agricultural Terroir, Taylan Morcol

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The hop plant (Humulus L., Cannabaceae) is a dioecious, perennial, twining vine with a long history of human use. Nowadays, hop plants are generally grown for their inflorescences (“cones”), which are used in brewing for their phytochemical metabolites. Many of these metabolites are involved in plant stress response and communication. Genetics and environment are two major factors that affect plant metabolism. In three separate metabolomics studies, this project examined the effects of both genetic and environmental factors on hop phytochemistry.

In the first study, 23 hop genotypes were grown in two different locations in the Pacific Northwest region of …