Food Science Commons^™

Vegetarian Diets, Maybe Not As Healthy As You Think, Darryl Goh, Debbie Chan, Merson Hoo, Ian Wong

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

Many are approaching vegetarianism as a viable diet option in recent years, presuming that adopting a vegetarian diet would provide health benefits. This paper explores the possibilities of physical and mental effects that vegetarianism may have on humans and its extent by the use of regression analysis. To measure the possible impacts vegetarian diets may hold on both the physiology and physical aspects of humans, we have utilized the measures of life expectancy and prevalence of depression respectively. Cross-sectional data were examined from sources such as the World Health Organization, Our World In Data and the World Bank, with figures …

Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Fried In Recycled Palm Oil: Implications For Nutrition And Health, Aemiro Tadesse Zula, Derese Tamiru Desta, Mary S. Willis

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Fish constitutes a occasional food for the Sidama people of Hawassa, the capital city of Ethiopia’s Sidama Region and the site of a large endorheic lake. Freshly-caught fish, especially Nile tilapia or koroso in Local name, are typically fried prior to consumption. Despite the sensory qualities, fried foods are not always advisable due to the impact of frying on the nutritional quality of food. This study was designed to assess the nutritional quality of Nile tilapia that had been fried in the same palm oil over six consecutive frying cycles. The raw fish were purchased from the Lake Hawassa fish …

A Living City: Food Accessibility And Urban Growth In New York City, Kat Coleman

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper examines the way in which food equity and localization initiatives, specifically in New York City, are a vital response to urban growth and sustainable food demand. Improvements to the current food system in the form of changing the way food is produced, procured, stored, transported, and distributed improves nutrition and contributes to urban sustainability. Chapter 1 provides data on urban environmental justice issues related to food equity, drawing on research from the United Nations and food justice organizations in New York City. Chapter 2 explores the ethical issues surrounding food access and food justice in an increasingly urban …

Techniques To Improve The Volume, Texture And Nutritional Quality Of Gluten-Free Bread, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This article highlights the use of soy flour to improve the protein and fiber of gluten free bread. Also, the use of an extrusion process on soybean and corn flour blends improves the volume and texture of the bread. A full listing of the ingredients and method for production of higher quality gluten free bread is included.

Evaluation Of Chili Pepper (Capsicum Annuum), Tiger Nuts (Cyperus Esculentus), And Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) As Sources Of Antioxidant Compounds For The Potential Of Antiaging-Like Activity, Chelsea Toyer

Theses

Aging is a natural process that living organisms go through as they become older. In humans and other animals, aging is accompanied by several morphological changes, including the formation of wrinkles. Wrinkles are also caused by various environmental factors such as excessive exposure to sun or pollution, and continuous sleep deprivation. These environmental factors cause oxidation of skin cells and the degradation of subcutaneous fatty acids, leading to the formation of wrinkles. Skin care and wrinkle treatment products are part of a multimillion-dollar industry. Plant-based products are an alternative method for treating wrinkles and premature aging. Several antioxidants naturally found …

Cahs Researchers Receive Provisional Patent For Potential Plant Sweetener, Aruna Weerasooriya, Godson Osuji, Laura Carson, Peter Ampim, Subhani Bandara, Eric Obeng, Sela Woldesenbet

Datasets Collection

The plant is a perennial herb native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is commonly known as the Aztec sweet herb, bushy lippia, honey herb, or hierba dulce, used as a natural sweetener and medicinal herb in its native Mexico and parts of Central America. The Aztecs used it and introduced it to the Spanish when they arrived. A compound called Hernandulcin, whose sweetness is about 1,000 times higher than in sucrose, provides the plant’s sweet taste.The plant has low Hernandulcin production in its tissues. Despite its sweetness, it isn’t used in the natural sweetener …

Has Maize Overtaken Our Reality? A Personal Briefing, Biochemical Comparison, Agrigenomics, And History Of Maize, Nader Pahlevan

Honors Theses

Maize (Zea mays ssp. Mays) is a revolutionary cereal grain that has raced to the world’s most popular staple crop, transforming societies and impacting history. This paper aims to build and portray the story maize has created through its journey to world domination. The important details that encompass this literature are maize’s cultural significance in my life’s story, the comparison of various starches broken down into amylose and amylopectin ratios, a summative historical account on maize’s spread throughout numerous parts of the old world, and the genetical analysis of maize that explains the key features that have led …

Bringing Biochemistry Home: Transforming Milk Into Yogurt, Ashley King

Honors Theses

Communicating the beauty and complexity of biochemistry to students in a large classroom during the pandemic: what a challenge! We undertook a novel endeavor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry by introducing a mandatory kitchen chemistry experiment in a lecture course. Milk, the epitome of our identity as mammals, also contains all of the major biochemical macromolecules studied in Biochemistry I. Further, the making of yogurt invokes physical processes that are the major processes and molecular forces that dominate the content of the course. Here, we report the results of massive parallel experiment conducted in the kitchens of the …

Trunctrimmer: A First Step Towards Automating Standard Bioinformatic Analysis, Z. Gunner Lawless, Dana Dittoe, Dale R. Thompson, Steven C. Ricke

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bioinformatic analysis is a time-consuming process for labs performing research on various microbiomes. Researchers use tools like Qiime2 to help standardize the bioinformatic analysis methods, but even large, extensible platforms like Qiime2 have drawbacks due to the attention required by researchers. In this project, we propose to automate additional standard lab bioinformatic procedures by eliminating the existing manual process of determining the trim and truncate locations for paired end 2 sequences. We introduce a new Qiime2 plugin called TruncTrimmer to automate the process that usually requires the researcher to make a decision on where to trim and truncate manually after …

Influence Of Encapsulation Of Supplemental Amino Acids On Their Utilization In Broilers, Ethan A. Collins

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was developed to assess whether microencapsulation of amino acids (AA) improves their absorption to increase broiler growth performance and reduce nitrogen excretion compared to standard feed-grade AA. Five hundred and sixty Ross 708 male broilers were randomly distributed to 70 battery cages and reared for 21 days. Reported data is grouped into periods: 0-7 days, 0-14 days, and 0-21 days. A total of 5 treatment diets were fed: an industry-based control and 4 diets with decreased levels of methionine, lysine, and threonine in either encapsulated or free forms, with or without a botanical feed additive. Encapsulated AA increased …

Effects Of Retail Case Environment And Led Lighting Temperature On Color Of Ground Beef Patties, Mesa Kutz

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to explore different type of retail cases and case environments, primarily lighting, to quantify the impact on shelf life. Coarse ground 80:20 beef from a local retail establishment was acquired between 7 and 10 d from the box date and fine ground through a 9.5 mm grinder plate, and then formed into 150.25 g patties with an automatic patty forming machine. Each patty was then individually packaged in PVC-overwrap packages and randomly assigned to one of the four different treatments: open, multideck cases with 3000 K lighting (OPEN3000),open 3500 K lighting (OPEN3500),enclosed, …

Color And Structural Modifications Of Alkaline Extracted Sunflower Protein Concentrates And Isolates Using L-Cysteine And Glutathione, Akira Ishii

Food Science (MS) Theses

Sunflower protein can be extracted at alkaline pH with sulfites or organic solvent de-phenolization of sunflower seed meals if greening is unwanted. This greening is promoted at alkaline pH when chlorogenic acid (CGA) oxidizes and reacts with free amine groups from amino acids, such as lysine. Thiol-containing dough conditioners: L-cysteine hydrochloride and reduced glutathione (GSH) were investigated as an alternative de-greening strategy to de-phenolization. Varying pH from 7 to 11 and concentration of 0.82 to 5.6 mM were randomly assigned by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to evaluate the combined and additive greening inhibition effect of thiol and extraction pH. The …

Optimization Of Broken Rice Consumption Through Understanding The Confluence Of Sensory And Economic Preferences, Matthew Greer Richardson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The authors were perplexed by the seeming dichotomy between the majority 70% of Haitian consumers being chronically food insecure, but still preferring to pay premium international market prices for long-grain rice that constitutes 30% of the calories in this poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal percent broken rice in regards to price specifically to Haiti. Optimization between quality and price point is seen as the best rice for the price, and can be found through combining individual preferences with willingness to pay. Broken rice (brokens) garner a significantly discounted price …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Sanitizer Efficacy To Remove Listeria Monocytogenes, Salmonella Spp., And Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Biofilms From Food Processing Surfaces, Ashlynn Robinson

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sanitizing in food production environments is essential to prevent, reduce, and/or eliminate foodborne pathogens. Biofilms consist of one or more different types of microorganisms and can grow on numerous types of surfaces (Costerton,1999). SLRs provide transparency about what steps were taken to acquire the sources included in the analysis (Liberati et al.,2009; Moher et al., 2009). The references obtained from the databases were based on specific eligibility criteria to ensure reproducible results. The inclusion criteria included six surface types (stainless steel, glass, plastic, polyurethane, PVC, rubber), seven sanitizer types (anionic acid, benzalkonium chloride, iodine, iodophor, peracetic acid, quaternary ammonium, and …

Combatting Inefficient Food Waste In Nwa With Food Loops, Davis Ehlers

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is no longer a speculation that the actions of the human race have had detrimental impacts on the environment. As consumers become increasingly aware of this fact- and the fact that many of the issues are caused by bad business and environmental management, many individuals are wondering what they can do about it. This growing area of demand is where many businesses have begun to take on the challenge of being profitable while benefiting the environment at the same time, and some have even found ways to create a profit by engaging in activities that directly benefit the environment. …

Food Sensitivity In Individuals With Altered And Unaltered Digestive Tracts, Walker Carson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) against food proteins has become the subject of much discussion with regards to its role in adverse food reactions. An estimated 20% of the population suffers from some type of food intolerance. Food sensitivity can present with a vast range of symptoms and severities. Diet can have a substantial impact on the wellbeing of individuals with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Incidentally, these diseases have been associated with elevated levels of food-specific IgG as well an increased likelihood of food sensitivity. The presence of food-specific IgG and food sensitivity in …

Risk-Based Evaluation Of Treatments For Water Used At A Pre-Harvest Stage To Mitigate Microbial Contamination Of Fresh Raspberry In Chile, Constanza Avello Lefno

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The global agricultural sectors are facing challenges of providing food for a rapidly growing population while still meeting appropriate food quality and safety standards. Chile, a South American country with great climatic and soil diversity, is positioned among the top ten agricultural exporters in the world.

Berries are considered highly prioritized produce in terms of microbiological hazards. The work presented in this thesis primarily focuses on the control of microbial contamination in water used at a pre-harvest stage, for enhanced quality and safety of raspberry products in Chile destined for export.

Two studies were conducted to achieve the goals. In …

Novel Sources Of Food Allergens, Lee Palmer

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technological advancement and globalization have led to the spread of foods to countries where the food does not yet have a documented history of consumption, in other words, novel foods. Novel foods also encompass truly novel foods, foods that have been processed in a novel manner, and novel means of exposure. With novel foods comes the potential of food allergens that pose an uncharacterized risk to those with food allergies. Food allergies are an increasingly important facet of public health. Therefore, a deeper understanding of novel foods as well as methods to evaluate consumers’ potential risk is necessary. Literature reviews …

Gut Community Response To Wheat Bran And Pinto Bean, Shuen Leow

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is general consensus among the scientific community that dietary fibers reduce the risk of Western diseases through their fermentation by beneficial microbial communities in the human gut. However, dietary fibers in wheat bran (WB) and pinto bean (PB) are incompletely fermented by the gut microbiota. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify gut microbial communities that can increase fermentation of dietary fibers from these foods to maximize their disease-preventing properties. The goal of this study was to identify such communities with increased capacity to ferment the dietary fibers in WB and PB. To accomplish these goals, a stepwise …

3d Printing Of High Viscosity Fluids And Its Application In 3d Printing Of Prosthetic Teeth., Abhilash Aditya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The advancement in technology has brought forward non-conventional manufacturing methods that are efficient and advantageous for specific applications. 3D printing is one such outcome, whose applications stretch from biomedical applications to daily products. 3D printing is a rapidly growing technology, and innovative research developments have proven versatility in creating physical objects. Simplification and constant improvement in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) operation result from decades of research. However, 3D printing is material-specific and contributes to shortcomings in the technology. The build-material dictates the extrusion parameters, including the material discharge rate and head speed for a continuous flow. Customization being the prime …

Evaluation Of Irrigation And Nutrient Management Strategies In Rice Using Alternative Irrigation Methods, Justin Lee Chlapecka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As water resources gain value across the Mid-South, alternative irrigation strategies of rice (Oryza sativa L.) have garnered increasing attention. In 2015, an estimated 1.7% of Arkansas rice hectarage used alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation and 0.9% used furrow irrigation. As of 2020, 2.5% used AWD and 16.9% used furrow irrigation, the latter accounting for near 99,000 ha in Arkansas. Little information exists in the scientific literature in relation to management of rice grown in the Mid-South without a conventional flood. This fact coupled with the rapid adoption rate, especially for furrow-irrigated rice (FIR), during the last five years …

Impact Of Different Plant-Based Foods Consumption On The Composition And Diversity Of Gut Microbiota, Ayoub Al Othaim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plant-based diets are primarily derived from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables. Such patterns are associated with health benefits by promoting general health and preventing many diseases and metabolic disorders. Fruits and vegetables are key sources of high-quality nutrients such as dietary fibers and polyphenols. Since they are rich in dietary fibers and polyphenols, whole fruits and vegetables represent unique and somewhat understudied modulators of the gut microbiota and its associated functions. This study aims to (i) investigate the impact of varying dilutions of cherry juices concentrate on the composition of the murine gut microbiota, (ii) investigate the impact of …

Multi-Response Surface Optimisation Of Extrusion Cooking To Increase Soluble Dietary Fibre And Polyphenols In Lupin Seed Coat, Liezhou Zhong, Zhongxiang Fang, Mark L. Wahlqvist, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Stuart K. Johnson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The seed coat of the legume lupin which is rich in insoluble dietary fibre is a major by-product in human food applications. Extrusion cooking has been demonstrated to increase desirable soluble dietary fibre in the Australian sweet lupin seed coat. In this study, processing condition of twin-screw extrusion cooking was optimised using a central composite rotatable design to increase soluble dietary fibre in lupin seed coat from 44.17 g/kg up to 113.69 g/kg dry basis. The high levels of polyphenols in the seed coat were retained. The optimal extrusion conditions which achieved maximum levels of soluble dietary fibre, total free …

Declining Knowledge On Paper Food Storage And Preparation Household Food Waste And Sustainability, Luke Ramirez-Bryan, Amir Golmohamadi

Nutrition Student Work

In 2020 in the U.S alone over 40 million tons of food was wasted. Part of this this waste is attributed to discarded fruits and vegetables and equals to 7% of croplands’ yearly production. Reducing food waste can be an important factor in improving environmental and social sustainability. Lack, or inadequate, knowledge of food preparation, storage, and cooking has contributed to this loss. One method of reducing food wastes is decreasing the amount of waste in households by using nutrition education intervention such as training local communities to improve their cooking skills and general food storage and preparation knowledge. Consumers …

Low Sugar Oat Products Are More Sustainable, Why Are They Not On The Shelves Of Supermarkets?, Nicole Heth

Nutrition Student Work

Excess sugar in individuals’ diets may lead to weight related health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Sugar in processed foods is used to add sweetness and intensify flavor this is common in products such as oatmeal and granola bars. Reducing the amount of sugar in food products can contribute to all three pillars of sustainability environmental, economic and social. The goal of this report is to show the steps of developing a reduced sugar oatmeal food product up to the point that it is ready for conducting a sensory evaluation. This report and possible presentation at the WCU’s research …

The Return To A More Basic And Traditional Approach To Foodways And The Three Pillars Of Sustainability, Tommy Benedetti

Nutrition Student Work

The declining health of the planet, of humans and even of local economies can all be traced directly back to where our food comes from and how it is prepared. Returning to more basic and traditional food practices would benefit the issues stated previously in a multitude of ways. Putting an emphasis on local, fresh and in turn mainly healthier foods will allow individuals to form a deeper connection with where their food comes from. Through developing this deeper association with and understanding of the origins of their food, people will be able to revisit a more meaningful relationship with …

Water Footprint And The Impact On Food Production And Environmental Sustainability, Syreeta Morgan, Amir Golmohamadi

Nutrition Student Work

Freshwater is in short supply but the demand for it is constantly growing. Water footprint is used to indicate the amount of fresh water that any given process or activity uses. Growing and processing animal products have a much higher water footprint than crops such as fruits and vegetables. More information and research must be carried out regarding water footprints to improve overall sustainability and use of fresh water. Continuous research on developing policies, and more sustainable habits, must be developed to conserve the current freshwater resources. The objective of this research is preparing a report that can be used …

Research Progress On Formation Mechanism And Influencing Factors Of Egg Yolk Gel, Zhang Gen-Sheng, Xu Yi-Meng, Yu Shi-You, Pan Lei

Food and Machinery

In this review, gelation process, physicochemical properties and formation mechanism of egg yolk gel induced by heat, alkali and freezing were introduced. On this basis, the effects of different factors on heat-induced gel, alkali-induced gel and freezing-induced gel were elaborated, and the research direction of egg yolk gel was prospected.

Effects Of Ultrasound-Assisted Glycation On The Allergenicity Of Β-Lactoglobulin During Digestion, Ma Qiu-Ping, Wang Hui, Tu Zong-Cai, Wen Ping-Wei, Hu Yue-Ming

Food and Machinery

The method of indirect competitive ELISA, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to study the ultrasound-assisted glycation with lactose (UAG) on changes in allergenicity and structure of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) during digestion in vitro. The results showed that the allergenicity and the degree of hydrolysis of UAG modified β-Lg had a reduced during gastrointestinal digestion. Glycation limited β-Lg to form a smaller particle structure during gastric digestion, then aggregated during intestinal digestion. The fluorescence intensity first increased and then decreased, and the maximum emission wavelength appeared red shift. These results indicated that UAG modification could effectively …

Study On Quality Kinetics Of Fermented Sour Meat During Cooking, Wu Hui-Lin, Li Miao-Yun, Zhao Li-Jun, Zhao Gai-Ming, Zhu Yao-Di

Food and Machinery

Kinetic analysis was carried out on the dynamic changes of ripening factors (color, shear force) and superheating factors (water activity, water content) during the heating process of fermented sour meat in 70~80 ℃water bath. The results showed that the changes of ripening factor (color, shear force) and superheating factor (water activity, water content) of fermented sour meat were all in accordance with the first-order kinetic equation, the Z value of brightness value was 63.751 ℃ and the E_a value was 4.016 kJ/mol; The Z value of redness change was 35.500 ℃, E_a value was 4.029 kJ/mol, and the …