Life Sciences Commons^™

Combating Childhood Obesity: Changing Our Environment, Anna Mitchell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A review of literature was conducted to identify risk factors and prevention strategies for childhood obesity. Factors contributing to childhood obesity include poor food choices, physical inactivity, and genetics. Complications of obesity include respiratory, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and endocrine diseases, cancer, gallbladder disease, poor health status, depression, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal. Since childhood obesity, largely due to the environment that children live in today, is increasing in the United States, strategies must be implemented that will contribute to the prevention of childhood obesity. Changes that promote a healthy environment must involve all aspects of society to ensure that the prevention …

Relationship Between Dietary Calcium Intake And Weight Gain Among College Freshmen At Utah State University, Cara A. Moncur

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study was conducted with the use of data from the Freshmen Health Study, a longitudinal study of college freshmen aged 18 that examined change in diet, physical activity, and weight during the first year of college at Utah State University (USU). Participants were assessed at different data collection periods including the beginning and end of their first semester attending USU. Participants' height and weight were measured and they were given a self-administered Food Frequency Questionnaire at each data collection. Simple linear and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess how dietary calcium intake related to weight change over …

Development, Evaluation, And Efficacy Of A Heart Healthy Curriculum In Two Different Education Settings; Emphasizing Food Portioning And Cooking Skills, Increased Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, Low-Fat Dairy, And Exercise, Rachel Richins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. The prevalence of CVD will increase in conjunction with the rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes and decrease in physical activity, due to the adverse effects of adiposity and atherosclerosis associated with these syndromes. Excellent inpatient, outpatient, and community-based program s are available to educate and direct healthy behavioral changes, yet the number of programs available is not sufficient for the volume of patients, nor widely distributed in all areas (particularly rural areas). There is a lack of comprehensive education programs for adults directed …

Control Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Ready-To-Eat Meat Containing Levulinate, Lactate, Or Lactate And Diacetate, Rebecca L. Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Control of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) meats is a major concern in the food industry. The objective of this study was to compare the growth of L. monocytogenes on refrigerated RTE meats containing sodium levulinate (4-oxopentanoic acid, a five carbon organic acid with GRAS status), sodium lactate, or a combination of sodium lactate and sodium diacetate. Turkey roll and bologna were prepared to contain (wt/wt) sodium lactate (2%); sodium lactate in combination with sodium diacetate (1.875% sodium lactate, 0.125% sodium diacetate); sodium levulinate (1, 2, or 3%); or no antilisterial additive. Samples were sliced, inoculated with a …

Texture Profile Analysis And Melting In Relation To Proteolysis As Influenced By Aging Temperature And Cultures In Cheddar Cheese, Taylor Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in cheese physical properties during aging are related to proteolysis by coagulant type, culture enzymes, and non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB). Storage temperature also affects aging rate. Cultures are important for flavor development , but less is understood about their role in melting and textural properties.

Our objective was to make Cheddar cheese using different cultures, to age it at 6 and 13°C, and measure physical and proteolytic properties over 12 mo to determine whether changes in texture and melting correlated with the extent of proteolysis that occurred during aging.

Cheese was manufactured using Lactococcus lactis starter culture either …

Phenotypic And Genotypic Analysis Of Amino Acid Metabolism In Lactobacillus Helveticus Cnrz 32, Jason K. Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated genetic predictions for amino acid biosynthesis and catabolism by Lactobacillus helveticus CNRZ 32, a commercial cheese flavor adjunct that reduces bitterness and intensifies flavor notes. Conversion of amino acids into volatile and nonvolatile flavor compounds by L. helveticus and other lactic acid bacteria in cheese is thought to represent the rate-limiting step in the development of mature cheese flavor and aroma. One of the primary mechanisms for amino acid breakdown by these microbes involves the reversible action of enzymes involved in biosynthetic pathways, so our group investigated the genetics of amino acid biosynthesis in L. helveticus CNRZ …

The Effect Of Exopolysaccharide-Producing Streptococcus Thermophilus Mr1c On Functionality In High Moisture Cheddar-Type Cheese, Tyler J. Singleton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Differences in texture at any particular stage of ripening depend upon differences in the basic structure and the extent to which the basic structure is modified by physical parameters. Thus, very young cheeses of the same variety differ in texture because of variations in pH and in salt, moisture, and fat content. How well a cheese melts and shreds depend on its texture and physical parameters. Streptococcus thermophilus MR1C produces an exopolysaccharide (EPS) that is tightly associated with the bacterial cell wall. Addition of S. thermophilus MR1C to the cheese make will increase the moisture of the cheese 2-3% …

The Seventh Internationalconference On The Genetics Of Streptococci, Lactococci And Enterococci, R. A. Burne, D. Bessen, Jeff Broadbent, J. P. Claverys

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The Seventh International Conference on the Genetics of Streptococci, Lactococci, and Enterococci, sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology, was held 18 to 21 June 2006, overlooking the sea in Saint Malo, Bretagne, France. The conference began in 1981 as the Streptococcal Genetics meeting, at a time when the genera Enterococcus and Lactococcus were still classified as Streptococcus spp. Through the years, this meeting has served as a quadrennial platform to showcase cutting-edge advances in the dissection of the underlying genetics of growth control, metabolism, extrachromosomal elements, substrate utilization, competence development, antibiotic resistance, and virulence of this fascinating group of …

Advances In Startercultures And Cultured Foods, T. M. Cogan, J. Steele, Jeff Broadbent, N. P. Shah, Z. Ustunol

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

With 2005 retail sales close to $4.8 million, cultured dairy products are driving the growth of dairy foods consumption. Starter cultures are of great industrial significance in that they play a vital role in the manufacturing, flavor, and texture development of fermented dairy foods. Furthermore, additional interest in starter bacteria has been generated because of the data accumulating on the potential health benefits of these organisms. Today, starter cultures for fermented foods are developed mainly by design rather than by the traditional screening methods and trial and error. Advances in genetics and molecular biology have provided opportunities for genomic studies …