Food Science Commons^™

Adaptation To Tolerate High Doses Of Arabinoxylan Is Associated With Fecal Levels Of Bifidobacterium Longum, Edward C. Deehan, Zhengxiao Zhang, Nguyen K. Nguyen, Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz, Janis Cole, Alessandra Riva, David Berry, Carla M. Prado, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Dietary fiber supplements are a strategy to close the ‘fiber gap’ and induce targeted modulations of the gut microbiota. However, higher doses of fiber supplements cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that differ among individuals. What determines these inter-individual differences is insufficiently understood. Here we analyzed findings from a six-week randomized controlled trial that evaluated GI symptoms to corn bran arabinoxylan (AX; n = 15) relative to non-fermentable microcrystalline cellulose (MCC; n = 16) at efficacious supplement doses of 25 g/day (females) or 35 g/day (males) in adults with excess weight. Self-reported flatulence, bloating, and stomach aches were evaluated weekly. Bacterial taxa …

Identification Of Carbohydrate Gene Clusters Obtained From In Vitro Fermentations As Predictive Biomarkers Of Prebiotic Responses, Car Reen Kok, Devin J. Rose, Juan Cui, Lisa Whisenhunt, Robert Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background Prebiotic fibers are non-digestible substrates that modulate the gut microbiome by promoting expansion of microbes having the genetic and physiological potential to utilize those molecules. Although several prebiotic substrates have been consistently shown to provide health benefits in human clinical trials, responder and non-responder phenotypes are often reported. These observations had led to interest in identifying, a priori, prebiotic responders and non-responders as a basis for personalized nutrition. In this study, we conducted in vitro fecal enrichments and applied shotgun metagenomics and machine learning tools to identify microbial gene signatures from adult subjects that could be used to predict …

Increased Dietary Trp, Thr, And Met Supplementation Improves Performance, Health, And Protein Metabolism Of Weaned Piglets Under Mixed Management And Poor Housing Conditions, Joseane Penteado Rosa Gonçalves, Antonio Diego Brandão Melo, Qinnan Yang, Marllon José Karpeggiane De Oliveira, Danilo Alves Marçal, Manoela Trevisan Ortiz, Pedro Righetti Arnaut, Ismael França, Graziela Alves Da Cunha Valini, Cleslei Alisson Silva, Nate Korth, Natasha Pavlovikj, Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos, Henrique Gastmann Brand, John Kyaw Htoo, João Carlos Gomes-Neto, Andrew K. Benson, Luciano Hauschild

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A sanitary challenge was carried out to induce suboptimal herd health while investigating the effect of amino acids supplementation on piglet responses. Weaned piglets of high sanitary status (6.33 ± 0.91 kg of BW) were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement into two similar facilities with contrasting sanitary conditions and two different diets. Our results suggest that increased Trp, Thr, and Met dietary supplementation could support the immune systems of piglets under a sanitary challenge. In this manner, AA+ supplementation improved the performance and metabolism of piglets under mixed management and poor sanitary conditions. No major temporal microbiome …

Bermad: Batch Effect Removal For Single-Cell Rna-Seq Data Using A Multi-Layer Adaptation Autoencoder With Dual-Channel Framework, Xiangxin Zhan, Yanbin Yin, Han Zhang

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Motivation: Removal of batch effect between multiple datasets from different experimental platforms has become an urgent problem, since single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) techniques developed rapidly. Although there have been some methods for this problem, most of them still face the challenge of under-correction or over-correction. Specifically, handling batch effect in highly nonlinear scRNA-seq data requires a more powerful model to address under-correction. In the meantime, some previous methods focus too much on removing difference between batches, which may disturb the biological signal heterogeneity of datasets generated from different experiments, thereby leading to over-correction.

Results: In this article, we …

High-Fat Diet Feeding Exacerbates Hiv-1 Rectal Transmission, Saroj Chandra Lohani, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Qingsheng Li

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

High-fat diet (HFD) is well known to impact various aspects of gut health and has been associated with many diseases and inflammation. However, the impact of HFD feeding on HIV-1 rectal transmission has not yet been well addressed. With an increasing threat of HIV-1 infection in men who have sex with men (MSM), where the rectal route is the primary mode of infection, it is imperative to understand the impact of HFD on gut microbiota and inflammation and consequently, its effect on HIV-1 rectal transmission. Here, we utilized our double humanized bone marrow, liver, thymus (dHu-BLT) mouse model to assess …

Twenty-Eight Years Of Gm Food And Feed Without Harm: Why Not Accept Them?, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Since the first genetically engineered or modified crops or organisms (GMO) were approved for commercial production in 1995, no new GMO has been proven to be a hazard or cause harm to human consumers. These modifications have improved crop efficiency, reduced losses to insect pests, reduced losses to viral and microbial plant pathogens and improved drought tolerance. A few have focused on nutritional improvements producing beta carotene in Golden Rice. Regulators in the United States and countries signing the CODEX Alimentarius and Cartagena Biosafety agreements have evaluated human and animal food safety considering potential risks of allergenicity, toxicity, nutritional and …

Twenty-Eight Years Of Gm Food And Feed Without Harm: Why Not Accept Them?, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Since the first genetically engineered or modified crops or organisms (GMO) were approved for commercial production in 1995, no new GMO has been proven to be a hazard or cause harm to human consumers. These modifications have improved crop efficiency, reduced losses to insect pests, reduced losses to viral and microbial plant pathogens and improved drought tolerance. A few have focused on nutritional improvements producing beta carotene in Golden Rice. Regulators in the United States and countries signing the CODEX Alimentarius and Cartagena Biosafety agreements have evaluated human and animal food safety considering potential risks of allergenicity, toxicity, nutritional and …

Formation Of Hollow Solid Lipid Microparticles From Natural Waxes Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Purlen Sezer Okur, Deniz Ciftci, Ozan Ciftci

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

In this study, the potential of natural waxes, namely, candelilla wax (CLW) and carnauba wax (CW), was explored to form extra-hard shell hollow solid lipid particles using a particle formation process based on supercritical fluid technology. Melting behavior and volumetric expansion of CLW and CW in pressurized CO₂ were investigated as a function of pressure. The melting point of waxes decreased linearly with increasing pressures up to a certain level; then stayed constant regardless of further elevated pressures. The highest melting point depressions of 13.0% and 8.3% were observed for CLW and CW at 140 and 130 bar CO …

Radiofrequency Inactivation Of Salmonella In Black Pepper And Dried Basil Leaves Using In-Package Steaming, Surabhi Wason, Rossana Villa-Rojas, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Radiofrequency (RF) heating has been extensively studied for pasteurizing low‐moisture foods. Currently, bulk foods are treated with radiofrequency; potential cross‐contamination may occur during packaging of pasteurized products. As an alternative, in‐package RF processing was evaluated for Salmonella inactivation on black peppercorns and dried basil leaves and prevention of cross‐contamination during storage postprocessing. Inpackage steaming refers to the process in which the samples were heated in a steam vent package to generate and retain steam during the treatment. This treatment achieved good heating uniformity which could be because of the circulation of steam within the package. One‐way steam vent allowed the …

Value-Added Green Processing Of Tomato Waste To Obtain A Stable Free-Flowing Powder Lycopene Formulation Using Supercritical Fluid Technology, Purlen Sezer Okur, Ozan Ciftci

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The tomato processing industry generates large amounts of waste, which creates disposal problems and negatively impacts the environment. Tomato waste contains lycopene, high-value health- and wellness-promoting bioactive, and it is a potential source of natural lycopene for food and nutraceutical applications. However, isolation of lycopene from its source requires toxic solvents, and lycopene is unstable during storage. The objective of this study was to extract lycopene from tomato waste and to convert it to a shelf-stable and easy-to-use free-flowing powder form using green extraction and particle formation processes based on supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) technology. Lycopene was extracted using SC-CO2 …

Dbapis: A Database Of Anti-Prokaryotic Immune System Genes, Yuchen Yan, Jinfang Zheng, Xinpeng Zhang, Yanbin Yin

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Anti-prokaryotic immune system (APIS) proteins, typically encoded b y phages, prophages, and plasmids, inhibit prokaryotic immune systems (e.g. restriction modification, to xin-antito xin, CRISPR-Cas). A growing number of APIS genes have been characterized and dispersed in the literature. Here we developed dbAPIS ( https:// bcb.unl.edu/ dbAPIS ), as the first literature curated data repository for experimentally verified APIS genes and their associated protein families. The key features of dbAPIS include: (i) experimentally verified APIS genes with their protein sequences, functional annotation, PDB or AlphaFold predicted structures, genomic context, sequence and structural homologs from different microbiome / virome databases; (ii) classification …

Salmonella Enterica Induces Biogeography-Specific Changes In The Gut Microbiome Of Pigs, Joao Carlos Gomes-Neto, Natasha Pavlovikj, Samantha A. Naberhaus, Bailey Arruda, Andrew K. Benson, Amanda J. Kreuder

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Swine are a major reservoir of an array of zoonotic Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica lineage I serovars including Derby, Typhimurium, and 4,[5],12:i:- (a.k.a. Monophasic Typhimurium). In this study, we assessed the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome composition of pigs in different intestinal compartments and the feces following infection with specific zoonotic serovars of S. enterica (S. Derby, S. Monophasic, and S. Typhimurium). 16S rRNA based microbiome analysis was performed to assess for GI microbiome changes in terms of diversity (alpha and beta), community structure and volatility, and specific taxa alterations across GI biogeography (small and large intestine, feces) …

Human Alcohol-Microbiota Mice Have Increased Susceptibility To Bacterial Pneumonia, Kelly C. Cunningham, Deandra R. Smith, Daniel Villageliú, Christi M. Ellis, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Jeffrey D. Price, Todd A. Wyatt, Daren L. Knoell, Patricia E. Molina, David A. Welsh, Derrick R. Samuelson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Preclinical studies have shown that chronic alcohol abuse leads to alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiota that are associated with behavior changes, physiological alterations, and immunological effects. However, such studies have been limited in their ability to evaluate the direct effects of alcohol-associated dysbiosis. To address this, we developed a humanized alcoholmicrobiota mouse model to systematically evaluate the immunological effects of chronic alcohol abuse mediated by intestinal dysbiosis. Germ-free mice were colonized with human fecal microbiota from individuals with high and low Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores and bred to produce human alcohol-associated microbiota or human control-microbiota F1 progenies. …

Presence, Co-Occurrence, And Daily Intake Estimates Of Aflatoxins And Fumonisins In Maize Consumed In Food-Insecure Regions Of Western Honduras, Luis Sabillón, Jackeline Alvarado, Alejandra Leiva, Rodrigo Mendoza, Raúl Espinal, John F. Leslie, Andreia Bianchini

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Foodborne mycotoxins are a significant food safety risk in developing countries. Our objective was to determine the occurrence of and exposure levels to aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) in maize intended for human and animal consumption in food-insecure regions of western Honduras. Total AFs and FBs were quantified with a monoclonal antibody-based affinity spectrofluorimetric method. FBs were detected in 614/631 samples of maize destined for human consumption at 0.3 to 41 mg/kg (mean, 2.7 mg/kg). Of the 614 positive samples, 147 had FB levels exceeding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory threshold of 4.0 mg/kg. AFs were detected …

Mtco1-Based Population Structure And Genetic Diversity Of Pacific Oyster Crassostrea Gigas Populations Acquired From Two Farms In South Korea, Thanh T. Biet, Su-Jin Park, Hong-Keun Park, Dongjin Park, Youn-Hee Choi

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Since the early 1990s in South Korea, climatic and anthropogenic factors have incurred the reduction of the wild seeds of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, which raised concerns about losing genetic diversity and accelerating genetic deterioration. We assessed the genetic diversity of C. gigas populations from two farms (Tongyeong and Gadeokdo) on the southern coast, where about 80% of the cultivated oysters in Korea are produced. Tongyeong showed slightly higher diversity than Gadeokdo, but both populations had a similar genetic structure characterized by low nucleotide diversity. Comparative haplotype analyses provided data supporting genetic features of the populations that include …

Design, Biological Evaluation, And Computer-Aided Analysis Of Dihydrothiazepines As Selective Antichlamydial Agents, Luana Janaína De Campos, Mohamed A. Seleem, Jiachen Feng, Kelly Mari Pires De Oliveira, João Víctor De Andrade Dos Santos, Shivdeep Hayer, Jonathan B. Clayton, Sharvath Kathi, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette, Martin Conda-Sheridan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) causes the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the United States. The lack of drug selectivity is one of the main challenges of the current antichlamydial pharmacotherapy. The metabolic needs of CT are controlled, among others, by cylindrical proteases and their chaperones (e.g., ClpX). It has been shown that dihydrothiazepines can disrupt CT-ClpXP. Based on this precedent, we synthesized a dihydrothiazepine library and characterized its antichlamydial activity using a modified semi-high-throughput screening assay. Then, we demonstrated their ability to inhibit ClpX ATPase activity in vitro, supporting ClpX as a target. Further, our lead …

Proximate Composition, Retained Water, And Bacterial Load For Two Sizes Of Hybrid Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus × Ictalurus Punctatus) Fillets At Different Process Steps, Manirul Haque, Juan L. Silva

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The catfish processors in the US are required to state the maximum percentage of retained water content (RWC) on the product label. The objectives of our study were to quantify the RWC of processed hybrid catfish fillets from proximate composition and the bacterial load at different processing points. Water content was determined using oven-dry (AOAC950.46,1990) and Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Protein and fat content were determined by NIR spectrometer. Psychrotrophic (PPC) and Total Coliform (TCC) counts were enumerated using 3MPetrifilmTM. The fillets’ overall baseline water, protein, and fat content were 77.8, 16.7 and 5.7%, respectively. The RWC of final fresh and …

Use Of Organic Acid Mixtures Containing 2-Hydroxy-4-(Methylthio) Butanoic Acid (Hmtba) To Mitigate Salmonella Enterica, Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) And Aspergillus Flavus In Pet Food Kibbles, Aiswariya Deliephan, Janak Dhakal, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, Charles G. Aldrich

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Post-processing operations of extruded pet food kibbles involve coating the product with fats and flavorings. These processes increase the risk for cross-contamination with food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and mycotoxin-producing molds such as Aspergillus spp. after the thermal kill step. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of two types of organic acid mixtures containing 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMTBa), Activate DA™ and Activate US WD-MAX™, against Salmonella enterica, STEC and Aspergillus flavus when used as a coating on pet food kibbles were evaluated. Using canola oil and dry dog digest as fat and flavor …

Dose And Route Of Administration Determine The Efficacy Of Prophylactic Immunotherapy For Peanut Allergy In A Brown Norway Rat Model, Tiffany Kirkaldy Spaanager Sztuk, Neil Marcus Rigby, Lasse Nørskov-Nielsen, Stef J. Koppelman, Ana Isabel Sancho, Niels-Peter Hell Knudsen, Justin Marsh, Philip Johnson, Shashank Gupta, Alan Robert Mackie, Jeppe Madura Larsen, Katrine Lindholm Bøgh

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (IT) is emerging as a viable option for treatment of peanut allergy. Yet, prophylactic IT remains unexplored despite early introduction of peanut in infancy was shown to prevent allergy. There is a need to understand how allergens interact with the immune system depending on the route of administration, and how different dosages of allergen may protect from sensitisation and a clinical active allergy. Here we compared peanut allergen delivery via the oral, sublingual (SL), intragastric (IG) and subcutaneous (SC) routes for the prevention of peanut allergy in Brown Norway (BN) rats.

Methods: BN rats were …

Mitigation Of Salmonella On Food Contact Surfaces By Using Organic Acid Mixtures Containing 2-Hydroxy-4-(Methylthio) Butanoic Acid (Hmtba), Aiswariya Deliephan, Janak Dhakal, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, Charles G. Aldrich

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Contaminated surfaces can transmit pathogens to food in industrial and domestic food-handling environments. Exposure to pathogens on food contact surfaces may take place via the cross-contamination of pathogens during postprocessing activities. Formaldehyde-based commercial sanitizers in recent years are less commonly being used within food manufacturing facilities due to consumer perception and labeling concerns. There is interest in investigating clean-label, food-safe components for use on food contact surfaces to mitigate contamination from pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of two types of organic acid mixtures containing 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMTBa), Activate DA™ and Activate US WD-MAX™, …

Mitigation Of Salmonella On Food Contact Surfaces By Using Organic Acid Mixtures Containing 2-Hydroxy-4-(Methylthio) Butanoic Acid (Hmtba), Aiswariya Deliephan, Janak Dhakal, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, Charles G. Aldrich

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Contaminated surfaces can transmit pathogens to food in industrial and domestic food-handling environments. Exposure to pathogens on food contact surfaces may take place via the cross-contamination of pathogens during postprocessing activities. Formaldehyde-based commercial sanitizers in recent years are less commonly being used within food manufacturing facilities due to consumer perception and labeling concerns. There is interest in investigating clean-label, food-safe components for use on food contact surfaces to mitigate contamination from pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of two types of organic acid mixtures containing 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMTBa), Activate DA™ and Activate US WDMAX …

Positive Health Outcomes Associated With Live Microbe Intake From Foods, Including Fermented Foods, Assessed Using The Nhanes Database, Colin Hill, Daniel J. Tancredi, Christopher J. Cifelli, Joanne L. Slavin, Jaime Gahche, Maria L. Marco, Robert Hutkins, Victor L. Fulgoni Iii, Daniel Merenstein, Mary Ellen Sanders

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Live dietary microbes have been hypothesized to contribute to human health but direct evidence is lacking.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether the dietary consumption of live microbes is linked to improved health outcomes.

Methods: Data from the NHANES 2001–2018 were used to assess microbial intake and their adjusted associations with selected physiological parameters (e.g., blood pressure, anthropometric measures, and biomarkers) among adults aged 19 y and older. Regression models were constructed to assess the microbial intake with each physiological parameter and adjusted for demographics and other covariates. Microbial intake was assessed as both a …

The Waxy Mutation In Sorghum And Other Cereal Grains Reshapes The Gut Microbiome By Reducing Levels Of Multiple Beneficial Species, Qinnan Yang, Mallory J. Suhr Van Haute, Scott E. Sattler, Devin J. Rose, Anthony Juritsch, Jing Shao, Kristin A. Beede, Robert J. Schmaltz, Jeff Price, John Toy, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Waxy starches from cereal grains contain >90% amylopectin due to naturally occurring mutations that block amylose biosynthesis. Waxy starches have unique organoleptic characteristics (e.g. sticky rice) as well as desirable physicochemical properties for food processing. Using isogenic pairs of wild type sorghum lines and their waxy derivatives, we studied the effects of waxy starches in the whole grain context on the human gut microbiome. In vitro fermentations with human stool microbiomes show that beneficial taxonomic and metabolic signatures driven by grain from wild type parental lines are lost in fermentations of grain from the waxy derivatives and the beneficial signatures …

Germination And Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion Of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) In Exhibiting In Vitro Antioxidant Activity In Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells, Ashley Newton, Kaustav Majumder

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Plant-based proteins, in particular pulse proteins, have grown in popularity worldwide. Germination, or sprouting, is an effective method to release peptides and other dietary compounds. However, the combination of germination and gastrointestinal digestion in enhancing the release of dietary compounds with potential health-beneficial biological activity has yet to be entirely elucidated. The present study illustrates the impact of germination and gastrointestinal digestion on the release of dietary compounds with antioxidant activity from chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.). Germination up to 3 days (D0 to D3) increased the peptide content by denaturing chickpea storage proteins and increased the degree of hydrolysis …

Peanut Allergen Ara H 6 Is Detectable In Blood Transfusion Products, Fleur A. C. Jansen, Klaske Van Norren, Joseph L. Baumert, Annegeet Van Den Bos, Joannes F. M. Jacobs, Stef J. Koppelman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Peanut allergen Ara h 6 is known to maintain IgE‐binding capacity upon exposure to digestive enzymes1 and its presence in circulation after consumption of peanut has been demonstrated.2,3 Therefore, it has been speculated that food‐derived allergens could be transferred via blood transfusion products, causing an allergic reaction in food-allergic recipients.4,5 However, in published case reports, presence of food allergen in donated material could not be confirmed due to lack of remaining transfusion material and/or lack of sensitive analytical methods. Using a newly developed sensitive immune‐assay for detecting Ara h 6 in human serum, we now report to what extent consumed …

Intestinal Gas Production By The Gut Microbiota: A Review, Erasme Mutuyemungu, Mukti Singh, Sean Liu, Devin J. Rose

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

In addition to causing embarrassment, intestinal gas can be associated with more serious symptoms. This review provides an overview of gas production by the human gut microbiome and outlines foods associated with intestinal gas. Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, Roseburia, Clostridium, Eubacterium, Desulfovibrio, and Methanobrevibacter are among the most abundant microbes responsible for intestinal gas. More than 99% of intestinal gas is composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, while less than 1% is composed of other odiferous compounds. Food groups associated with intestinal gas include pulses, vegetables, fruits, grains, and, for some individuals, dairy. These foods are …

Tvir: A Comprehensive Vegetable Information Resource Database For Comparative And Functional Genomic Studies, Tong Yu, Xiao Ma, Zhuo Liu, Xuehuan Feng, Zhiyuan Wang, Jun Ren, Rui Cao, Yingchao Zhang, Fulei Nie, Xiaoming Song

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Vegetables are an indispensable part of the daily diet of humans. Therefore, it is vital to systematically study the genomic data of vegetables and build a platform for data sharing and analysis. In this study, a comprehensive platform for vegetables with a user-friendly Web interface—The Vegetable Information Resource (TVIR, http://tvir.bio2db.com)—was built based on the genomes of 59 vegetables. TVIR database contains numerous important functional genes, including 5215 auxin genes, 2437 anthocyanin genes, 15 002 flowering genes, 79 830 resistance genes, and 2639 glucosinolate genes of 59 vegetables. In addition, 2597 N6-methyladenosine (m6A) genes were identified, including 513 writers, 1058 erasers, …

Role Of Bifidobacterium Pseudocatenulatum In Degradation And Consumption Of Xylan-Derived Carbohydrates, Elizabeth Drey, Car Reen Kok, Robert Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Xylans, a family of xylose-based polysaccharides, are dietary fibers resistant to digestion. They therefore reach the large intestine intact; there, they are utilized by members of the gut microbiota. They are initially broken down by primary degraders that utilize extracellular xylanases to cleave xylan into smaller oligomers. The resulting xylooligosaccharides (XOS) can either be further metabolized directly by primary degraders or cross-feed secondary consumers, including Bifidobacterium. While several Bifidobacterium species have metabolic systems for XOS, most grow poorly on longer- chain XOS and xylan substrates. In this study, we isolated strains of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum and observed that some, including …

3d Pore Structure Characterization Of Stored Grain Bed, Charles Nwaizu, Qiang Zhang, Christiana Iluno

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

An image analysis technique for reconstruction of the complex 3D pore structure within bulk grain from 2D section images was presented. The technique relies on aligning successive 2D images of cut-sections obtained from colored-wax solidified soybean grain beds, which were then subjected to image processing using ImageJ software developed by the National Institute of Health (NIH, Bethesda, Md.) for the reconstruction and visualization of different airflow paths within the bulk grain. Porosity and tortuosity values were quantified from the 3D image volume and 3D reconstructed inter-connected airflow paths to develop empirical mathematical models for predicting porosity and tortuosity as a …

Genetic Analysis Of Seed Traits In Sorghum Bicolor That Affect The Human Gut Microbiome, Quinnan Yang, Mallory J. Suhr Van Haute, Nate Korth, Scott E. Sattler, John Toy, James C. Schnable, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Prebiotic fibers, polyphenols and other molecular components of food crops significantly affect the composition and function of the human gut microbiome and human health. The abundance of these, frequently uncharacterized, microbiome-active components vary within individual crop species. Here, we employ high throughput in vitro fermentations of pre-digested grain using a human microbiome to identify segregating genetic loci in a food crop, sorghum, that alter the composition and function of human gut microbes. Evaluating grain produced by 294 sorghum recombinant inbreds identifies 10 loci in the sorghum genome associated with variation in the abundance of microbial taxa and/or microbial metabolites. Two …