Food Science Commons^™

Linking Animal Behavior To Useful Natural Repellents, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

A little monkey business is revealing a few clues about natural remedies that animals use to protect themselves against biting insects and arthropods.

Certain species of animals, such as monkeys and birds, anoint themselves with citrus, other plants, and creatures like millipedes. To find out more about this behavior and to determine if any chemicals in the anointing substances effectively deter ticks and mosquitoes, scientists are examining responses to natural compounds.

Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service Henry A. Wallace Beltsville [Maryland] Agricultural Research Center (BARC) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) at the National Zoological Park in Front …

An Atlas For Guatemala, A Tool For Conserving World Crops, Karen Williams, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

With exotic names like ayote de caballo (a wild squash), friajolito (a wild bean), and teocinte (a wild relative of corn), Guatemala’s native plants seem very different from the agricultural bounty produced by farmers in the United States and other countries. But many of these native plants carry genes that may be vital to global food security. A new tool, developed by a team that includes Agricultural Research Service scientists, will make it easier to find and preserve these important plants. The tool is an interactive atlas designed to provide Guatemalan scientists and land managers with information on where these …

Wasted Food: What We Are Doing To Prevent Costly Losses, Robert L. Fireovid

Agricultural Research Magazine

Like many other public and private organizations, the Agricultural Research Service is very concerned about how much food goes to waste between farm and fork—both nationally and internationally.

By reducing losses in our food systems, U.S. growers, processors, and others can enhance America’s ability to feed itself and the world. By the same token, slashing waste may provide new opportunities to reduce costs along the entire supply chain and make better use of increasingly limited natural resources.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimated— in 2008—that the amount of food lost annually at just the retail and …

Measuring And Managing Impacts Of Manure Spills, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

Manure spills happen for a range of reasons—a manure spreader rolls over, a hose breaks, a storage pond overflows after a relentless downpour. Whatever the cause, these events are such a threat to the environment that states have emergency teams to deal with the hazard.

Typically, the responders build dams to contain the spill and then pump out the contaminated water. Although cleanup efforts start as quickly as possible, a fish kill in a nearby stream is often the first evidence that a spill has taken place.

Another problem is that sediments in the contaminated water channel can capture phosphorus …

March 2013 Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine

The Agricultural Research Service has about 100 labs all over the country.

Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Davis, California 3 research units ■ 117 employees Corvallis, Oregon 3 research units ■ 127 employees

Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit, Prosser, Washington 1 research unit ■ 35 employees

Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Kimberly, Idaho 1 research unit ■ 34 employees

U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, Arizona 3 research units ■ 80 employees

Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, Montana 2 research units ■ 59 employees

Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Houston, Texas 1 research unit ■ 8 employees …

Trickery And Other Methods Explored To Vanquish Potato Cyst Nematodes, Roy Navarre, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

The pale cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, is one bad roundworm.

Unchecked, it invades the roots of potato and other host crops to feed, obstructing the free flow of nutrients and causing stunted growth, wilted leaves, and other symptoms that can eventually kill the plant. Severe infestations in potato fields can cause yield losses of up to 80 percent.

To make matters worse, female G. pallida nematodes form hard, round cysts that safeguard their eggs from predators and parasites, inhospitable conditions, or a scarcity of food. As many as 30 years may pass before the eggs hatch (cued by a …

How Does A Mom's Nutrition Affect Her Children's Health?, Robert A. Waterland, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

In some rural villages of the tiny West African nation of The Gambia, food is generally less available during August and September—the peak of the rainy season—than during a typically dry March through May. Now, a study led by molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland of the USDA-ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, has shown that functioning of certain genes in kids conceived during the rainy season differs from that in children conceived during the dry season.

The difference may be explained by a relatively new science referred to as “epigenetics.” The variation appears to be permanent, and in …

A Desert Shrub’S Crystallized Protein Sheds Light On Photosynthesis, Michael Salvucci, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Plants use an enzyme known as “rubisco” to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, with energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil, build up the shoots, leaves, and stems that make up the plant itself. Scientists have known that for years. They also have known that temperatures are important. When it gets too hot, a rubisco helper protein called “rubisco activase” shuts down, photosynthesis stops, and the plant stops growing. Heat literally unravels the activase protein, and when it does, the result is a less bountiful harvest. Different plants shut down photosynthesis at different temperatures, and the …

Agricultural Research Magazine, March 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Weight Loss, Cortisol, and Your Brain: Scientists Explore Connections

6 How Does Mom’s Nutrition Affect Her Children’s Health? Epigenetics May Provide New Insights

8 Enhancing Yogurt With Healthful Fiber From Oats

9 An Atlas for Guatemala, a Tool for Conserving World Crops

10 Linking Animal Behavior to Useful Natural Repellents

12 Cultural Practices To Maintain Soil Quality and Address Climate Change

15 A Desert Shrub’s Crystallized Protein Sheds Light on Photosynthesis

16 Measuring and Managing Impacts of Manure Spills

18 Trickery and Other Methods Explored To Vanquish Potato Cyst Nematodes

20 Measuring the Potential of Switchgrass …

Cultural Practices To Maintain Soil Quality And Address Climate Change, Upendra Sainju, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

For decades, farmers in Montana and the Dakotas have produced impressive yields of barley and wheat. But that bounty has come at a cost. Tilling the soil in the region’s crop-fallow production systems has robbed the soil of nutrients and organic matter and reduced crop yields. In fact, the region’s soils have lost up to 50 percent of their organic matter in the last 50 to 100 years, and scientists say that current practices are unsustainable.

Agriculture also contributes about 25 percent of the human-made carbon dioxide and 70 percent of the human-made nitrous oxide being released into the atmosphere. …

Measuring The Potential Of Switchgrass Pellets, Paul Adler, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

President Barack Obama wants U.S. scientists to pursue an “all-of-the-above” strategy in developing new sources of domestic energy. Agricultural Research Service agronomist Paul Adler is providing complete cost-benefit breakdowns for using switch-grass pellets instead of fuel oil to heat homes and businesses in the Northeast.

“There have been a lot of studies on bioenergy potential,” says Adler, who works at the ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit in University Park, Pennsylvania. “Most of them are focusing on transportation, but we still need a viable, commercial, bio-based fuel substitute for petroleum. In the meantime, our studies suggest that we …

Weight Loss, Cortisol, And Your Brain Scientists Explore Connections, Nancy L. Keim, Kevin D. Laugero, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Americans everywhere are struggling to lose weight—and to keep from putting those lost pounds right back on. For many, it’s discouraging to have their best efforts fail while those of other dieters succeed.

Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service’s Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, California, are conducting studies that may provide new insights into the underlying causes of this disparity in dieting success.

Given America’s obesity epidemic, such research is timely and relevant. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 35 percent of U.S. adults and 18 percent of kids and adolescents age 6 through …

Enhancing Yogurt With Healthful Fiber From Oats, Mukti Singh, Sanghoon Kim, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Adding about one-quarter teaspoon of a fiber-rich component of oats boosts the nutritional value of low-fat yogurt without noticeably affecting the taste or texture of this increasingly popular dairy food.

Oat fiber is of interest to foodmakers and nutritionists alike. Studies with volunteers have shown that it can lower serum cholesterol, which may help improve heart health.

Agricultural Research Service food technologist Mukti Singh, chemist Sanghoon Kim, and their colleagues experimented with adding fiber-containing oat beta-glucan to what’s known in the dairy industry as “low-fat yogurt mix.” It is made up of low-fat milk and a selection of common, safe-to-eat …

Detecting Errors In Generating A Certificate Of Analysis, Breanne Harlan

Dairy Science

Many companies rely on a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to accompany the delivery of their product or material. The COA, required by law, prevents customers from questioning whether a product is safe and ensures manufacturers confirm every product tested passes the Food and Drug Administration’s required specifications. Previous to this project, Kraft Foods Springfield copied their test results for each product from their data warehouse software, called Systems, Applications, and Products onto a Word document to create a COA. This was a systematic approach to detect the possible occurrences of error and reduce the time spent on generating a COA. …

Effect Of Post Manufacture Thermal Dip Treatment On Proteolysis Of Commercial String Cheese During Storage, Melissa Karen Hsu

Master's Theses

String cheese, a Mozzarella cheese, has the unique ability to string in fibrous strands when pulled apart. Graders judge string cheese by its stringy texture; samples with copious amounts of string are awarded high ratings. But just as the texture of natural cheeses softens with time, the stringy texture of string cheese can diminish with age too.

Age related softening in cheese is due primarily to an important biochemical event known as proteolysis, which is attributed to inherent milk proteinases, residual coagulant activity, and enzymes from the lysis of starter culture microorganisms. It is hypothesized that a post manufacture heat …

Interactive Displays On Environmental Stewardship For General Agricultural Audiences, Leslie J. Johnson, Charles Shapiro

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Extension displays are not always easy to develop. Interactive displays for general audiences are even more difficult. Each year, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln develops multiple displays for Husker Harvest Days, a Nebraska-based agricultural trade show. The University’s 2012 theme was “Strengthening the State of Beef”. The Animal Manure Management workgroup, along with others working in environmental stewardship at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln came together to develop a backdrop titled “Nebraska’s beef industry thrives by its stewardship”. Along with the backdrop, multiple interactive displays were used to grab the attention of an agricultural audience not necessarily involved …

Chemotaxonomic Study Of Citrus, Poncirus And Fortunella Genotypes Based On Peel Oil Volatile Compounds - Deciphering The Genetic Origin Of Mangshanyegan (Citrus Nobilis Lauriro), Cuihua Liu, Dong Jiang, Yunjiang Cheng, Xiuxin Deng, Feng Chen, Liu Fang, Zhaocheng Ma, Juan Xu

Publications

Volatile profiles yielded from gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis provide abundant information not only for metabolism-related research, but also for chemotaxonomy. To study the chemotaxonomy of Mangshanyegan, its volatile profiles of fruit and leaf and those of 29 other genotypes of Citrus, Poncirus, and Fortunella were subjected to phylogenetic analyses. Results showed that 145 identified (including 64 tentatively identified) and 15 unidentified volatile compounds were detected from their peel oils. The phylogenetic analysis of peel oils based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) demonstrated a good agreement with the Swingle taxonomy system, in which the three genera of Citrus, Poncirus, and …

The Space Age Sugar Shack, Stephen G. Saupe

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Consumer Evaluation Of Low Sodium Mozzarella Cheese And Development Of A Novel Method For Evaluating Emotions, Lauren Alyse Collinsworth

Master's Theses

Mozzarella cheese is currently the highest consumed cheese in the United States. The popularity of mozzarella cheese is typically attributed to the high consumption rates of pizza cheese and string cheese; both of which are low moisture part skim (LMPS) mozzarella cheese. A single serving of LMPS mozzarella cheese contains approximately 8% of the daily value (DV) for sodium, a mineral which is currently consumed in excess among most Americans. On average, one in three Americans has hypertension. This condition is strongly associated with excessive sodium intake, and it is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke in …

Temperament Plays Key Role In Cattle Health, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

Do you know someone who’s temperamental? What about an animal? Amazingly, cattle can be temperamental too, which influences how they should be handled, how they perform, and even how they react to viruses that cause diseases.

For cattle, temperament is defined as the reactivity or fear response to humans or handling. Terms used to describe temperamental animals include “flighty,” “excitable,” and “high strung.” These animals can potentially injure themselves or their handlers.

Beef cattle experience stressful events during routine management practices— weaning, transportation, social mixing, and vaccination. These practices have been shown to induce secretion of the stress-related hormones cortisol …

Rolling Out Cover Crops For Higher Yields And Improved Soil Quality, Ted S. Kornecki

Agricultural Research Magazine

Growers who use cover crops are increasingly turning to a tool that can flatten out their actively growing fields, usually in a single pass. Known as a “roller/ crimper,” the technology can help reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for herbicides and is ideal for organic farmers and growers interested in reducing herbicide use.

Cover crops can improve soil quality; and in organic operations, they play a major role in keeping weeds in check. Crimpers boost those benefits. They have been used for years in South America and are beginning to catch on in the United States, says Ted Kornecki, …

Identifying Compounds To Help Control Bed Bugs, Mark Feldlaufer

Agricultural Research Magazine

When planning an attack on bothersome pests, it’s a good idea to know your enemies, especially if they happen to be bed bugs. These small, flat, blood-feeding insects—an uncommon problem since the 1950s—have once again become a menace in homes, apartments, hotels, shelters, and even places of work in the last 10 years.

Despite extensive efforts to determine whether bed bugs transmit disease-causing pathogens, no evidence indicates that they are a problem other than their biting, blood feeding, and dirty habits. However, some people have severe reactions to bed bug bites, and getting rid of the insects can be costly. …

Lifting All Boats With Organic And Conventional Research, Matt Smith

Agricultural Research Magazine

At first glance, the divide between organic and conventional farming appears to be of Grand Canyon proportions. But when it comes to research, the distance between organic and conventional farming practices is not nearly so great.

The Agricultural Research Service has a national program that specifically carries out studies aimed at helping organic farmers to compete in the marketplace by finding ways to cost-effectively produce abundant amounts of high-quality, safe products to meet consumer demands.

Consumer demand for organically produced goods has shown double-digit growth for well over a decade, providing market incentives for U.S. farmers across a broad range …

Studying Manure In Cows, In Feedlots, And In Fields, Lisa M. Durso, John Gilley, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

Agricultural Research Service scientists at the Agroecosystems Management Research Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska, have been conducting some very thorough investigations on the microbes that dwell in cattle manure—what they are, where they thrive, where they struggle, and where they may end up. “When we look at potential pathogens that can cause foodborne illness, we need to look at the whole bacterial ecosystem,” says ARS microbiologist Lisa Durso. “For instance, some people used to think all cattle have the same bacteria in their gastrointestinal [GI] tracts. But we’ve found some big differences; so if we say, ‘Oh, it’s just manure,’ we …

State Department’S Gift Of Dogwoods To Japan In Honor Of 100th Anniversary Of Cherry Tree Gift, Richard Olsen, Sharon Durham

Agricultural Research Magazine

More than 100 years ago, the Japanese government presented flowering cherry trees as a gift to the U.S. government. Those wonderful living gifts have blossomed along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin, as well as at other locations around Washington, D.C., since then.

In April 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a gift of 3,000 flowering dogwood trees to Japan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the United States.

The job of finding the right dogwoods belongs to scientists at the U.S. National Arboretum, in Washington, D.C. Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist Richard Olsen …

February 2013- Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine

The Agricultural Research Service has about 100 labs all over the country.

Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

U.S. Agricultural Research Station, Salinas, California 1 research unit ■ 51 employees

Pullman, Washington 6 research units ■ 136 employees

Akron, Colorado 1 research unit ■ 28 employees

Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, Lubbock, Texas 4 research units ■ 113 employees

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska 6 research units ■ 113 employees

Lincoln, Nebraska 2 research units ■ 81 employees

Auburn, Alabama 2 research units ■ 46 employees

Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, …

Robust Results From Long-Term Research On Organic Cover Cropping, Eric Brennan, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

“We can obtain important results from short-term field studies, but they don’t always capture year-to year variability. Long-term research often provides more reliable results that farmers need,” says Agricultural Research Service horticulturist Eric Brennan.

Brennan speaks from personal experience. In 2003, he and a team of University of California-Davis collaborators began a 2-year field study that evolved into a unique long-term investigation of high value organic cropping. The project, the Salinas Organic Cropping Systems trial, is being conducted on an ARS research farm and is now in its 10th year of certified organic production. Brennan, who works in the ARS …

New Tools For Studying The Root Of The Matter, Leon V. Kochian, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Like any structure, a root has its own architecture. Some roots burrow straight down into the soil. Others scatter web-like tentacles. However they turn out, root systems play a critical role in the health and survival of today’s crops. That’s why Agricultural Research Service scientists in Ithaca, New York, have developed a new tool for studying root architecture, one that brings them out in three-dimensional color. It’s a major step forward in a challenging field.

Studying root-system architecture can be extremely difficult because the opaque nature of soils makes it hard to capture and visualize the root structures. Also, field …

Travel Patterns Of Wind-Blown Soil Microbes, Veronica Acosta-Martinez, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

When strong winds carry away soil, microbes in the soil can act like hitchhikers and go along for the ride. With help from a wind tunnel and the latest DNA technology, Agricultural Research Service scientists are shedding light on the travel patterns of these soil-borne hitchhikers. The work has implications for soil health and could lead to management practices that minimize the damage to soils caused by wind erosion.

Scientists have been studying wind-eroded soils since the 1930s, but few studies have focused on wind’s effect on soil microbes. Microbes drive a number of critical processes, such as releasing enzymes …

Emerging Enemy Of Veggies Unmasked, Carolee T. Bull, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Chic, trendy veggies like arugula and baby broccoli, and familiar stand-bys like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, are vulnerable to attack by a once-puzzling pathogen. Agricultural Research Service plant pathologist Carolee T. Bull and colleagues have, in laboratory, greenhouse, and field research, detected, identified, renamed, and classified the plant-killing microbe that’s now officially known as Pseudomonas cannabina pv. alisalensis. “Pv.” stands for “pathovar” and indicates that the microbe is a specific pathogenic form, or strain, of a species.

Their work has sorted out some of the taxonomic confusion surrounding classification of the large, complex group of harmful bacteria in …