Food Science Commons^™

Comparison Of Real-Time Pcr And Elisa-Based Methods For The Detection Of Beef And Pork In Processed Meat Products, Adam T. Perestam, Kayleigh K. Fujisaki, Omar Nava, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Two commonly used methodologies for species detection within processed meat products are real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a DNA-based method, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a protein-based method. In this study, a real-time PCR assay was compared to a commercial ELISA kit based on sensitivity, specificity, agreement among duplicate samples, cost, time, and ease of use. Fifteen reference samples containing known percentages (0.1–99.9%, w/w) of pork and beef were analyzed in duplicate using both methods. Thirty commercial products, including sausages, pet treats, and canned meats, were also tested in duplicate with each method. Reference sample analysis showed real-time PCR was …

Gluten-Free And Casein-Free Dietary Intervention For Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Avalon Derlacki

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In the United States, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) had a prevalence of 1 in 150 children in 2000. In the year 2012, the prevalence of ASD in the United States jumped to 1 in 68 children (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Due to the increase in diagnoses of ASD, researchers have sought out different ways to help decrease maladaptive symptoms associated with ASD’s. Many parents of children diagnosed with ASD administer a gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet to their children in hopes of reducing their maladaptive symptoms. The project hypothesis states that if a child under the age …

Use Of The Mitochondrial Control Region As A Potential Dna Mini-Barcoding Target For The Identification Of Canned Tuna Species, Jacquelyn K. Mitchell, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, a DNA mini-barcoding methodology was developed for the differentiation of species commonly found in canned tuna. Primers were designed to target a 236-base pair (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial control region (CR) and a 179-bp fragment of the first internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the ability to differentiate 13 tuna species on the basis of the CR mini-barcode, except in a few cases of species introgression. Supplementary use of ITS1 allowed for differentiation of introgressed Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga), while differentiation of introgressed Atlantic …

Comparative Evaluation Of The Effect Of Methyl Bromide Fumigation And Phytosanitary Irradiation On The Quality Of Fresh Strawberries, Tamar Serapian, Anuradha Prakash

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Fresh strawberries are highly perishable and have a short shelf-life especially when the cold chain is not maintained. Strawberries exported to Asia are currently fumigated with methyl bromide for phytosanitary purposes, which exposes strawberries to warm temperatures for several hours and air freight without temperature control, resulting in a shelf life of just a few days in the destination country. Irradiation offers an efficacious alternative to fumigation and can be performed on cold fruit. This study was conducted to compare the quality of strawberries subject to methyl bromide fumigation or irradiation followed by simulated commercial air freight shipment of strawberries …

Effect Of Green Tea On Interaction Of Lipid Oxidation Products With Sarcoplasmic And Myofibrillar Protein Homogenates Extracted From Bovine Top Round Muscle, Nahathai Stapornkul, Tatiana Prytkova, Lilian Were

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The interaction between lipid oxidation products and bovine sarcoplasmic (SP) and myofibrillar protein (MP) homogenates in the presence of green tea was investigated. To monitor the effect of green tea on lipid oxidation, aldehydes were measured while effect on protein was monitored via changes in myoglobin, thiols, and tryptophan fluorescence over nine days of refrigerated storage. The presence of SP and MP decreased free aldehydes in the buffers. The SP bound more aldehydes than MP. The tea compounds exhibited more favorable binding energies than aldehydes near histidine 64 close to the heme moiety of myoglobin. Addition of tea lowered tryptophan …

Dna Barcoding Reveals Mislabeling Of Game Meat Species On The U.S. Commercial Market, Charles Quinto, Rebecca Tinoco, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Game meats represent a valuable specialty market in the United States that has high economic incentives associated with mislabeling. However, there is limited information on this topic. The purpose of this study was to conduct a market survey of game meats sold within the United States and identify instances of mislabeling using DNA barcoding. Products were also examined for the presence of threatened or endangered species. Fifty-four samples of whole-cut game meats were collected from online distributors in the United States and sequenced across a 658 base-pair region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The resulting DNA …

Identification Of Species In Ground Meat Products Sold On The U.S. Commercial Market Using Dna-Based Methods, Dawn Kane, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The objective of this study was to test a variety of ground meat products sold on the U.S. commercial market for the presence of potential mislabeling. Forty-eight ground meat samples were purchased from online and retail sources, including both supermarkets and specialty meat retailers. DNA was extracted from each sample in duplicate and tested using DNA barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. The resulting sequences were identified at the species level using the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). Any samples that failed DNA barcoding went through repeat extraction and sequencing, and due to the possibility of a …

Effect Of Phytosanitary Irradiation And Methyl Bromide Fumigation On The Physical, Sensory, And Microbiological Quality Of Blueberries And Sweet Cherries, Karen Thang, Kimberly Au, Cyril Rakovski, Anuradha Prakash

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The objective of this study was to determine whether irradiation could serve as a suitable phytosanitary treatment alternative to methyl bromide (MB) fumigation for blueberries and sweet cherry and also to determine the effect of phytosanitary irradiation treatment on survival of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes on these fruit. ‘Bluecrop’ blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) and ‘Sweetheart’ cherries (Prunus avium) were irradiated at 0.4 kGy or fumigated with methyl bromide and evaluated for quality attributes during storage.

Results

Irradiation caused an immediate decrease in firmness of both fruit without further significant change during storage. Fumigated fruit, in …

Success Stories And Emerging Themes In Conservation Physiology, Christine L. Madliger, Steven J. Cooke, Erica J. Crespi, Jennifer L. Funk, Kevin R. Hultine, Kathleen E. Hunt, Jason R. Rohr, Brent J. Sinclair, Cory D. Suski, Craig K. R. Willis, Oliver P. Love

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The potential benefits of physiology for conservation are well established and include greater specificity of management techniques, determination of cause–effect relationships, increased sensitivity of health and disturbance monitoring and greater capacity for predicting future change. While descriptions of the specific avenues in which conservation and physiology can be integrated are readily available and important to the continuing expansion of the discipline of ‘conservation physiology’, to date there has been no assessment of how the field has specifically contributed to conservation success. However, the goal of conservation physiology is to foster conservation solutions and it is therefore important to assess whether …

Antioxidant Effect Of Spent, Ground, And Lyophilized Brew From Roasted Coffee In Frozen Cooked Pork Patties, Katrina Maryse Malixi Jully, Criselda Toto, Lilian Were

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The ability of light and dark roasted coffee (1 g/kg) in varying application forms (spent ground [SCG], whole ground [WGC], or lyophilized brew [LBC]) to inhibit lipid and protein oxidation in cooked pork patties stored at −18 °C was monitored over 3 months. Malondialdehyde (MDA) for the negative control (NC) increased from 0.31 to 1.11 mg MDA/kg pork over 3 months, while pork with coffee or rosemary oleoresin had lower values at month 3 (0.054–0.40 mg MDA/kg pork). The NC had the highest values for hexanal, octanal, and nonanal (2.59, 0.10, and 0.13 mg/kg pork, respectively), while light and dark …

Effects Of Degree Of Roast And Application Form Of Incorporated Coffee On Inhibition Of Oxidation In Raw Refrigerated Minced Pork And Sensory Analysis Of Cooked Pork Patties With Added Coffee, Tiffany Hashimoto, Lilian Were, Criselda S. Toto, Fred Caporaso

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Roasted coffee is a source of antioxidants, but antioxidant Maillard reaction products and phenolic compound levels vary depending on degree of roast and form of coffee. The research objective was to evaluate the antioxidant effect of light and dark roasted coffee added to refrigerated minced pork (0.1 g/kg) as spent, ground, and lyophilized brewed coffee. After three weeks, all treated pork samples had TBARS values that were significantly lower than that of the negative control and comparable to rosemary. Metmyoglobin levels of meat treated with dark brew were higher than all other treatments after 3 weeks, while light brew had …

Identification Of Species In Commercially Sold Game Meats Using Dna Barcoding, Charles Quinto, Rebecca Tinoco, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Game meats represent a multibillion dollar industry in the United States with high economic incentives associated with species substitution and mislabeling. However, there is currently a lack of information regarding the prevalence of mislabeled game meat on the U.S commercial market. The purpose of this study was to conduct a market survey of whole-cut game products sold within the United States to identify incidences of mislabeling using DNA barcoding. Identified species were also examined for classification as a threatened or endangered species. Fifty-four whole-cut game meat samples were collected from online distributors in the United States and sequenced across the …

Effect Of Phytosanitary Irradiation On The Quality Of Chandler Pummelo (Citrus Maxima (Burm.) Merr.), Akanksha Jain, J.J. Ornelas-Paz, Karina Rodriguez, Anuradha Prakash

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In this study, we evaluated the chemical and physiological effect of low-dose gamma irradiation on the post-harvest quality of Chandler Pummelos (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.), an emerging crop of interest in the U.S. Chandler pummelos from a local grower in California were irradiated at target doses of 150 Gy and 1000 Gy. Irradiated and untreated pummelos were stored at 12 °C for 3 weeks and at 20 °C for the 4th week to reflect three weeks of sea shipment at ideal temperature for storage of pummelos and an additional week of retail under ambient conditions. Irradiation reduced hardness of the …

Identification Of Species In Ground Meat Products Sold On The U.S. Commercial Market Using Dna-Based Methods, Dawn Kane

Food Science (MS) Theses

Mislabeling of ground meat products is a form of food fraud that can lead to economic deception and interfere with dietary restrictions related to allergens or religious beliefs. In various parts of the world, including Ireland, Mexico and Turkey, high levels of meat mislabeling have been reported between 2000-2015. However, there is currently a lack of information regarding this practice in the United States. Therefore, the objective of this study was to test a variety of ground meat products sold on the U.S. commercial market for the presence of potential mislabeling. Forty-eight ground meat samples were purchased from online and …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Of Listeria Monocytogenes To Bacteriophage Listex™ P100 In Alfalfa Sprouts (Medicago Sativa), Tushar Sawant

Food Science (MS) Theses

The seed germination process during sprout production provides suitable environmental conditions for the growth of pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes. A potential way to control this bacterial growth is through the use of bacteriophages, which are naturally occurring viruses that specifically attack bacterial targets and have been shown to be effective antimicrobials in some foods. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of L. monocytogenes to bacteriophage on alfalfa sprouts during seed germination and subsequent refrigerated storage at 4 °C. Alfalfa sprout seeds were dip-inoculated with 5.5 x 105 CFU/ml L. monocytogenes serogroups 1 …

Identification Of Meat Species In Pet Foods Using A Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr) Assay, Tara A. Okuma, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Product mislabeling, adulteration, and substitution are increasing concerns in highly processed foods, including pet foods. Although regulations exist for pet foods, there is currently a lack of information on the prevalence of pet food mislabeling. The objective of this study was to perform a market survey of pet foods and pet treats marketed for domestic canines and felines to identify meat species present as well as any instances of mislabeling. Fifty-two commercial products were collected from online and retail sources. DNA was extracted from each product in duplicate and tested for the presence of eight meat species (bovine, caprine, ovine, …

Microbial Safety And Quality Of Fresh Herbs From Los Angeles, Orange County, And Seattle Farmers’ Markets, Donna J. Levy, Nicola K. Beck, Alexandra L. Kossick, Taylor Patti, J. Scott Meschke, Melissa Calicchia, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: Farmers' markets have been growing in popularity in the United States, but the microbial quality and safety of the food sold at these markets is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the microbial safety and quality of fresh basil, parsley and cilantro sold at farmers' markets in the Los Angeles, Orange County and greater Seattle areas.

RESULTS: A total of 133 samples (52 basil, 41 cilantro and 40 parsley) were collected from 13 different farmers' markets and tested for Salmonella and generic Escherichia coli. One sample (parsley) was confirmed positive for Salmonella and 24.1% of …

A Dna Mini-Barcoding System For Authentication Of Processed Fish Products, Shadi Shokralla, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Sara M. Handy, Ian King, Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Species substitution is a form of seafood fraud for the purpose of economic gain. DNA barcoding utilizes species-specific DNA sequence information for specimen identification. Previous work has established the usability of short DNA sequences—mini-barcodes—for identification of specimens harboring degraded DNA. This study aims at establishing a DNA mini-barcoding system for all fish species commonly used in processed fish products in North America. Six mini-barcode primer pairs targeting short (127–314 bp) fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase I (CO1) DNA barcode region were developed by examining over 8,000 DNA barcodes from species in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration …

What’S Cookin’ Good Lookin’: The Rise And Phenomena Of The Female Foodie Performer Through Social Media, Alison Weiss

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Once seen in black and white terms as human sustenance or luxury, eating has become not only a hobby, but an obsession. Whereas chefs and cooks were previously regarded as average, behind-the-scenes workers, they have now stepped out from the kitchen and into the spotlight, becoming celebrated public idols – and performers. With images tailored to different demographics right down to their clothing and hairstyles, chefs and cooks no longer merely prepare food: they put on a show. The foodie phenomena has been pioneered by females, largely in part to the parallel-running infatuation with health, fitness, and food trends that …

Comparison Of Tetrad And Degree Of Difference Sensory Testing Methods In Evaluating The Quality Of Flour Tortillas, Kristine Futalan, Criselda Toto, Heather Mcdonald

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Tetrad test is a forced choice discrimination method that has recently gained popularity in the sensory evaluation of foods. It has demonstrated superiority over the triangle test both in theory and practice with its proven relatively large statistical power. Tetrad does have one potential drawback, the use of a fourth sample that may cause panelist fatigue. There have been many studies comparing the Tetrad method with other difference tests such as triangle, 3- AFC, and 2- AFC however, there has been little research comparing the Tetrad and Degree of Difference test (DOD). This project compared the precision and power …

Assessment Of The Effects Of Caffeine, Gallic Acid, And Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate On Cell Inhibition, Pim-3 And E. Cadherin Protein Levels In Two Lines Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Lena Haddad, Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. In addition to being an exceptionally aggressive form of cancer, it is particularly difficult to treat because it is usually diagnosed in late stages after the onset of metastasis (1). Consequently, the current treatments used, including chemotherapy and radiation, have been rendered ineffective (2). As a result, focus has been placed on using dietary alternatives which are known to possess chemopreventive properties (3). Previous studies have indicated that Gallic acid (an important phytochemical in pomegranates) and Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (the …

Detection And Identification Of Salmonella Enterica, Escherichia Coli, And Shigella Spp. Via Pcr-Esi-Ms: Isolate Testing And Analysis Of Food Samples, Sarah E. Pierce, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Chorng-Ming Cheng, Kai-Shun Chen, Donna M. Williams-Hill, William B. Martin, Marc W. Allard

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

An assay to identify the common food-borne pathogens Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Shigella, and Listeria monocytogenes was developed in collaboration with Ibis Biosciences (a division of Abbott Molecular) for the Plex-ID biosensor system, a platform that uses electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) to detect the base composition of short PCR amplicons. The new food-borne pathogen (FBP) plate has been experimentally designed using four gene segments for a total of eight amplicon targets. Initial work built a DNA base count database that contains more than 140 Salmonella enterica, 139 E. coli, 11 Shigella, and 36 Listeria patterns and 18 other Enterobacteriaceae organisms. …

Family Members' Influence On Family Meal Vegetable Choices, Tionni R. Wenrich, J. Lynne Brown, Michelle Miller-Day, Kevin J. Kelley, Eugene J. Lengerich

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—Characterize the process of family vegetable selection (especially cruciferous, deep orange, and dark green leafy vegetables); demonstrate the usefulness of Exchange Theory (how family norms and past experiences interact with rewards and costs) for interpreting the data.

Design—Eight focus groups, two with each segment (men/women vegetable-likers/dislikers based on a screening form). Participants completed a vegetable intake form.

Setting—Rural Appalachian Pennsylvania.

Participants—61 low-income, married/cohabiting men (n=28) and women (n=33).

Analysis—Thematic analysis within Exchange Theory framework for qualitative data. Descriptive analysis, t-tests and chi-square tests for quantitative data.

Results—Exchange Theory proved useful for understanding that regardless …

1% Calcium Chloride Treatment In Combination With Gamma Irradiation Improves Microbial And Physicochemical Properties Of Diced Tomatoes, Anuradha Prakash, Pei-Chen Chen, Richard L. Pilling, Nicole Johnson, Denise Foley

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a combination of a 1% calcium chloride dip with low dose irradiation on microbial populations, and biochemical and physical properties, of fresh diced tomatoes during a two-week storage period. Vine tomatoes at the light-red stage (trial 1) and Celebrity tomatoes at the table ripe stage (trial 2) were diced, dipped in 1% CaCl2, and irradiated at 1 kGy from a Co-60 source. Tomatoes were also contaminated with cocktail of nalidixic-acid resistant Salmonella strains (S. Poona, S. Hartford, S. Gaminara, S. Michigan, and S. Montevideo) and subjected to gamma irradiation. …

The Pet Food Recall Puzzle: Who, What, Why, And How Much, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Last spring, North America was gripped in the largest pet food recall in history. News outlets reported tens of thousands of dogs and cats becoming ill, and many dying, as a result of ingesting contaminated pet food. Several pet owners have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors of the pet food products. I think this is an excellent real-life science story to use with students to show science investigation in action, and to discuss the intersections between the role of regulatory agencies and the public.

In order to understand the case, you first have to know the facts. We'll …

Effect Of Age And Tissue Weight On The Cadmium Concentration In Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea Gigas), Rosalee S. Hellberg, Michael T. Morrissey, Dan Cheney

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study investigated the influence of age and tissue weight on cadmium (Cd) levels in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). Oysters from 4 different age groups (1, 2, 3, and 4 y) were collected at an oyster farm in Willapa Bay, Washington. To examine the effects of age, 60 oysters from each group were sorted into 3 composites of 20, and Cd analysis was carried out on all composite samples. To study the effects of tissue weights, 25 oysters from each of the 4 age groups were collected and analyzed individually for Cd. All oyster Cd concentrations were below …

Irradiation D Values Of Salmonella Spp. In Diced Tomatoes Dipped In 1% Calcium Chloride, Anuradha Prakash, Nicole Johnson, Denise Foley

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Outbreaks of salmonellosis have been associated with eating raw domestic tomatoes. In this study, we examined the efficiency of combined irradiation and a 1% calcium chloride dip to reduce the population of Salmonella enterica strains on diced tomatoes. Tomatoes were contaminated with nalidixic acid-resistant strains of S. Hartford, S. Montevideo, or a mixture of 5 strains (S. Hartford, S. Montevideo, S. Poona, S. Michigan, S. Gaminara). We irradiated tomatoes at various doses up to 0.9 kGy from an electron beam source to conduct a D-value study (decimal reduction time required to eliminate 90% of the organism). Surviving Salmonella populations were …

Are You What You Eat? An Inside Look At High-Tech Food, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

If we abide by the familiar saying "you are what you eat," it is understandable that people may be concerned with the incredible advances in food science technology and their possible impacts on human health. For example, in recent years high-tech scientific processes such as genetic modification, irradiation, and cloning have all been used to increase the safety of food supply, create foods that are more appealing to eat and easier to produce, and increase crop yields. This article will summarize a few hot topics in food science, address what is currently known about the safety of these processes, and …

Activity And Nature Of Plasminogen Activators Associated With The Casein Micelle, B. Ismail, L. H. Choi, Lilian M. Were, S. S. Nielsen

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

In fresh milk, plasminogen, the zymogen form of plasmin (PL), is the predominant form. Therefore, plasminogen activators (PA) can contribute significantly to PL activity in milk. Both tissue-type PA (tPA) and urokinase-type PA (uPA) exist in milk; however, contradictory findings have been reported for which type of PA is most closely associated with the casein micelles. Little is known about the factors that might lead to variations in the individual activities of the PA. The objective of this work was therefore to investigate possible factors that might affect the association of tPA and uPA with the casein micelle and their …

Pesticides, People, And The Environment: A Complex Relationship, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The writer provides information on pesticides, the controversies surrounding their use, and pesticide safety.