Life Sciences Commons^™

Broth: Enhancing Market Opportunities And Improving Sustainability Of Maine Farmed Seaweed, Zachary M. Bonelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seaweed is becoming popular across the world as consumers learn about the variety of seaweed-based products and their health benefits. Sugar kelp is one of Maine’s seaweed varieties that is locally grown each year. Sugar kelp and similar species contain many useful nutrients including iodine, calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. Even though the health benefits of seaweed have been proven, locally-sourced seaweed has not yet become any more popular in Maine. Part one of this study identified suitable processing steps for a sugar kelp-based broth. Part two assessed how consumers’ demographics and food neophobia, as …

Development Of Kefir Products Using Aronia Or Elderberries And The Impacts Of Fermentation On The Health-Promoting Characteristics Of Aronia Polyphenols, Xue Du

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is a global health problem. The consumption of dietary polyphenols may help to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and slow the progression of diabetic complications. Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) and elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. ssp. canadensis) fruits are rich in polyphenols and exhibit health-promoting properties, but they are underutilized. Aronia and elderberries are rarely consumed raw due to the astringent mouth feel. New food products are needed to increase their consumption. Kefir, a fermented dairy beverage, was chosen to be the matrix for incorporating berries due to: 1) the protein matrix can help …

Flower Visitation In Relation To Pollen And Nectar Nutrition: Implications For Pollinator Habitat And Conservation, Megan E. Leach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollination of both wild and crop plants is at a crossroads; honey bee populations are experiencing losses at a higher rate than ever before, and some native bee species are declining in abundance to the point of being listed as endangered species. A few examples of these threats include pesticide exposure, habitat loss, and climate change. In response to bee population declines, conservation efforts have been initiated to increase habitat quality for bees by planting pollinator reservoirs or gardens. Plants provide nutrition to bees in the form of pollen and nectar. Several studies have shown links between higher nutritional quality …

Development And Shelf Life Evaluation Of A Novel Fermented Seaweed Sauerkraut Utilizing Commercially Important Maine Seaweeds, Sarah M. Brochu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fermented vegetables can provide consumers with important health benefits, particularly due to the presence of probiotics. These fermented products have gained popularity with American consumers over the past decade. Therefore, a lacto-fermented seaweed sauerkraut, containing seaweed and cabbage, was developed to address this trend and to create a value-added seaweed product with extended refrigerated shelf life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of kelp species and seaweed incorporation level on the fermentative success, microbial safety, consumer acceptability, and refrigerated shelf life of seaweed sauerkraut for 60 days post inoculation.

Six treatments with varying levels (25%, 50%, …

The Effect Of Wild Blueberry Anthocyanins And Phenolic Acids On Innate Immunity: The Compliment System, Vasiliki Papakotsi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ingestion of berries containing polyphenols is associated with lower risk of inflammatory, metabolic, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. Diet has been shown to modulate the activation of the complement system, a set of over 50 proteins present in the circulation and tissues that reacts in response to damage or microbial encounter and is critical for the maintenance of homeostasis. Imbalanced activation is tightly correlated with inflammation and various pathologies. Wild blueberries are a rich source of anthocyanins and phenolic acids, which can be found in plasma shortly after consumption. Given the involvement of both complement and polyphenols in the modulation of …

Extraction And Purification Of (E)-Resveratrol From The Bark Of Maine's Native Spruces, Panduka S. Piyaratne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resveratrol is a plant secondary metabolite which protects plants from pathogenic invasions and acts as a remedial agent against injury, stress, and tissue damage by UV radiation. With its characteristic stilbene structure, resveratrol adopts (E) and (Z) isomeric forms. However, the (E) isomer is the most biologically active and abundant form of resveratrol in nature.

(E)- Resveratrol confers a variety of benefits to human health and well-being. Besides its antioxidant activity, the role of (E)-resveratrol as an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, cardioprotection, and anticancer agent has been a widely explored research interest. …

Development Of A Bacteriophage-Based Portable Biosensor For The Detection Of Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) Strains In Food And Environmental Matrices, Irwin A. Quintela

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A fast and reliable on-site foodborne pathogens screening can reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations and economic loss. It can also circumvent conventional laboratory-based tests with minimal sample treatments and shorter turnaround time. Rapid detection of biological hazards has been largely dependent on immunological agents (ie antibodies). Antibodies are expensive to manufacture and experience cross-reactivity, instability with shorter shelf life. Our aim was to improve the screening process of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains in food and environmental matrices by developing a novel, inexpensive handheld bacteriophage-based amperometric biosensor that can directly detect live STEC cells.This biosensor development began …

Detrital Protein Contributes To Oyster Nutrition And Growth In The Damariscotta Estuary, Maine, Usa, Cheyenne M. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oyster aquaculture is an expanding industry that relies on identifying and utilizing natural estuarine conditions for the economically viable production of a filter-feeding crop. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is the principal species currently cultured in Maine. In addition to preferentially consumed phytoplankton, various detrital complexes (non-algal and/or non-living organic matter) may provide some nutrition to C. virginica between times of phytoplankton abundance. Here I investigated the importance of detrital proteins in supporting the growth of oysters cultured in the upper Damariscotta Estuary. Oyster aquaculture in this area is highly successful and previous reports indicate that labile detrital protein …

Highlands (Matthew E.) Records, 1800s?-2003, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

Finding Aids

Matthew Edward Highlands was a pioneer in the food processing industry. He was born on June 19, 1905 in Huntington, Indiana, but would relocate to Maine and attend school in Berwick, Maine. Highlands attended the University of Maine and graduated in 1928 with a degree in bacteriology. In 1943, Highlands earned a master's degree in food technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In 1936, Highlands was appointed an assistant professor in bacteriology and food technology at the University of Maine. Highlands would stay in this position until 1942 when he entered the U.S. Army's World War II efforts …