Life Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Implications Of Modern Food Production: An Analysis For The Conscious Consumer, Jessica T. Coming

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project explores the pathways by which agriculture affects the environment and determines which foods have the greatest climate, water, and land impacts. Agricultural effects on the environment are extensive, from loss of habitat and declines in regional biodiversity to disruption of global nutrient cycles and climate change. Global food production accounts for 26-34% of annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, makes up 38-46% of habitable land, and is responsible for 70% of freshwater extraction. The effect of agriculture on the environment is most significantly dictated by what type of food is being produced. Animal-based food products consistently have the highest …

The Relationship Between Food Retailers And Distributors, Madison Seigler, Julia Anderson, Aidan Morton, Cassandra Williams, Victoria Bloomgren, Jacob Tutty

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Our understanding of the science of anthropogenic climate change and its immediate and indirect impacts has grown within the last decade.Alongside anincrease in concern for the inequities within the industrialized food system, climate change is impacting agriculture and the communities that depend on it in myriad ways. These challenges have catalyzed investment in sustainable agriculture, “eat local” food movements, and rethinking of all aspects of food systems, including consumers, producers, retailers, and distributors. The body of literature on food systems primarily focuses on the connection between consumers and retailers; however, there is a notable absence of literature on the relationships …

Chicken Waste As A Nutrient Source For Red Potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum) In A Hydroponic System, Allison Houtz, David Foster

Honors Projects and Presentations: Undergraduate

The purpose of this study was to determine the viability of growing potatoes hydroponically with chicken waste as an alternative, more sustainable nutrient source in substitute of fish waste in an aquaponics system. Hydroponics is a growing form of sustainable agriculture which utilizes a water-based method to deliver nutrients to plants. Hydroponics is a preferable alternative as it uses 90% less water than traditional agriculture, and does not contribute to common agricultural issues such as land degradation. A popular form of hydroponics is aquaponics, which combines hydroponic technology with aquaculture. The fish waste in this system is the sole source …

Feeding The Future Meat Doesn’T Come Cheap, Lukas C. Southard

Capstones

Cultured – or as it is referred to by companies innovating the technology clean – meat is expected to be the next innovation to change the way the world gets its animal protein. Meat from animal cells grown in a lab seems like science fiction but it is around the corner from hitting your supermarket shelves. The technology has been developed but how these companies intend on scaling up their production to meet retail demands remains a mystery. So far companies have relied on seed and early stage investment from venture capital companies and private sources to fund research. Predictions …

Why Csas Matter: (Re)Localizing For People-Based Food Networks, Gretchen Alexander

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis details the history of Claremont Market Shares, a Community Sourced Agriculture (CSA) project based out of Claremont, California. By using this project as a jumping off point for discussing local food networks, buzzwords such as "organic" and "local" are analyzed and re-defined. I argue for a people-based food network model over the currently popular 'place-based' that prioritizes producer-consumer relationships. The CSA functions as a sustainable model of this ideology.

Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad: How Slaughterhouse Safety Hasn’T Kept Up With The Times, Emily Ziemski

Capstones

From legal loopholes and outdated rules to undetectable infections and understaffing, the United States Department of Agriculture may not be doing all it can to make sure the American public’s health isn't at risk. As the people of the United States consume over 500 million pounds of beef a year, food safety policy and slaughterhouses are falling behind in proper procedural measurements in the beef industry.

emziemski.com/capstone

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 …

From Empty Lot To Garden Plot: Urban Agriculture In Chula Vista, Jennifer E. Gutierrez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of how agriculture can be incorporated into the fabric of the city of Chula Vista, which has both uniquely urban and suburban areas. The proposal is to integrate agriculture as a design tool to reconnect to the city’s agricultural past and as a model for cities of the future. First, I discuss Chula Vista’s history and contemporary context, including demographics. I review the existing urban agriculture policies Chula Vista has and compare them to other cities in California. The second part of the project is concerned with how to choose and develop a site for …

Mechanisms Of Nutrition Bar Hardening: Effect Of Hydrolyzed Whey Protein And Carbohydrate Source, Shaun P. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The influence of increasing hydrolyzed protein content on the microstructure and hardness of high protein nutrition bars was investigated to determine the mechanism of hardening during storage. Bars with various hydrolyzed protein levels were manufactured using differing ratios of 0, 25, 50, 75, 100% (wt. /wt.) of partially hydrolyzed whey protein isolate (HWPI) to an intact (non-hydrolyzed) whey protein isolate (WPI) which made up approximately 38% of the total bar composition. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (42%) and vegetable shortening (20%) constituted the rest of the ingredients. Accelerated aging was performed by storing bars at 32 ^oC for 36 …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Lactose-Amines With Respect To Oil-In-Water Emulsion Stability, Nidhi Garg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fatty amines (hexadecyl-amine) can be esterified to lactose via Schiff-base formation at temperatures of 60° C. Extending the time of the reaction results in a darker colored product due to the Maillard reaction. Due to the amphiphilic properties of the lactose-amines, the emulsion stabilization characteristics were investigated.

In this study, synthesis of lactose-amines was done at four different heating and cooling cycles from 4 to 24 hours. Lactose-amines processed for 24 hours and 12 hours of constant heating and cooling cycles are named as 24H and 12H, respectively. Lactose-amines 4H and 8H were processed for 4 and 8 hours of …

The Mexicans' And Mexican-Americans' Contribution To The Development Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas And Its Citrus Industry, Camilo A. Martinez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The little-discussed Mexican and Mexican-American contribution to the development of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas into the great citrus producing area that it is today is exposed in general terms in this thesis. Due credit has been given to the Burgos, Tamaulipas, residents who came to the Valley during and after the Mexican Revolution in search of stability and better wages. In spite of the abuses they suffered, some of them decided to stay. Their children (now Mexican-Americans), are still contributing to the citrus industry today, although not in the strenuous way their parents did.

The Valley owes …