Food Biotechnology Commons^™

The Cultivation Of Public Perception: Cultivated Meat Narratives And Misinformation On Tiktok, Anna M. Balkus

Graduate Masters Theses

Cultivated meat is an emerging tissue engineering technology that has the potential to address major issues threatening food systems, including climate change, rapid population growth, and the spread of disease. Among technical challenges, public perception remains a significant barrier for the widespread adoption of cultivated meat. While social media has transformed communication globally, it has simultaneously contributed to corrupt online environments infected with misinformation—unintentional inaccuracies that differ from disinformation, which is spread with the intent to mislead. The way the public receives and digests information regarding new food technologies, like cultivated meat, will be shaped by their social media environment. …

Cross-Facility Reliable Deep Learning Based Beef Marbling Assessment Via Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Regression, Samuel Vinson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inconsistent quality grading in beef production leads to inefficiencies, economic disparity, and consumer mistrust. While USDA meat grading traditionally relies on skilled visual inspectors, these human evaluations suffer from cross-facility variability and subjectivity. This paper introduces the first known application of unsupervised domain adaptation regression for cross-facility beef marbling score prediction—an innovation that improves generalization across diverse environments in the beef supply chain. Utilizing numerical scores ranging from 100-900, the research employed convolutional neural networks (CNNs), including ResNet, VGG, and AlexNet architectures. The study specifically introduced and validated a unified unsupervised domain adaptation regression method using the ResNet-50 architecture to …

An Economic And Production Analysis Of Seaweed Farms In California And The Pacific Northwest, Brian Donovan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since the early 2010s, the seaweed aquaculture industry has steadily expanded in the United States, with states like Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Connecticut leading the way in the development of this emerging sector. However, information gaps remain concerning certain aspects of the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of the seaweed aquaculture industry along the West Coast of the United States; specifically in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Seaweed farmers in these states were invited to voluntarily complete surveys asking important production, economic, and commercial questions regarding their operations. Data …

Exploring The Potential Of Electromagnetic-Driven Energy Technologies In Preventing Microbial And Aflatoxin Contamination Of Grains, Abass A. Oduola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic-driven energy such as infrared (IR) technology holds great potential in deactivating Aspergillus flavus spores and prevents aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. Aflatoxins, highly toxic secondary metabolites primarily produced by Aspergillus species within the Flavi section (A. flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius), pose substantial health risks to both humans and animals due to their significant toxicity and carcinogenic properties. Detecting and quantifying the presence and proliferation of these harmful fungi on food materials can be achieved by measuring the concentration of ergosterol. Ergosterol is a sterol compound produced in the cell membranes of fungi during their growth, providing …

Development Of Fungal Hydrogels For 3d Bioprinting And Cellular Agriculture, Lauren E. Doyle

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Hydrogel scaffolds are an important component to cellular agriculture. There is a need for a sustainable alternative to the commonly used gelatin-sodium-alginate hydrogels. Specific edible fungus species may provide a suitable alternative. Many fungi possess high protein contents, ease of cultivation, and strong functional properties. However, functional characterizations and application of fungal flour and protein extracts in cellular agriculture are lacking in the literature. Therefore, this study’s objectives were to 1) Develop processes to create functional fungal protein fractions from different fungal strains and evaluate their characteristics, and 2) Quantify the printability of the resulting fungal gels for the creation …

Characteristics Of Yogurt And Culture Bacteria As Affected By Ingredients That Help Treat Leaky Gut, Ricardo Jose Santos Aleman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

At least 100 million people have leaky gut syndrome. This syndrome is associated with multiple health problems such as diabetes, celiac disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease, costing more than $3 billion per year to treat. L-Glutamine, quercetin, slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG), licorice root, maitake mushrooms, and zinc orotate have been reported to help treat leaky gut.

The objectives were to explore the characteristics of yogurt and culture bacteria as affected by ingredients that help treat leaky gut. In yogurt, the pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, viscosity, color, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, yeast and mold and …

Upcycling Imperfect Broccoli And Carrot To Healthy Snacks Using An Innovative 3d Food Printing Approach, Taylor Clary

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Vegetables are healthy foods with nutritional benefits; however, nearly one-third of the world’s fruits and vegetables are lost each year. The losses have the same nutritional value as an acceptable vegetable but have odd shapes or blemishes that make them unsuitable to consumers. 3D technology has numerous capabilities in the automotive, healthcare, and, now, food industries. Within the food industry, 3D food printing can bring customization to product design and nutrition as well as other advancements, including decreasing food waste. In this study, imperfect vegetables (i.e., broccoli and carrot) were upcycled into freeze-dried powders to improve their shelf-life before they …

Ultrasound-Based Structural And Functional Modifications Of Oat Protein: Complementary Effects Of High Pressure, Cysteine, And Flavonoids, Runnan Li

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Oat (Avena sativa L.), a specialty cereal grain belonging to the Poaceae family, is relatively abundant in nutritious protein (12–20%) and dietary fiber (β-glucan). The balanced hydrophilic/hydrophobic amino acid profile in oat protein relative to other plant sources provides numerous possibilities for formulating oat protein isolate (OPI) into a wide range of food products. Yet, there has been limited research on OPI and the application of this valuable protein source is hampered by its low solubility at neutral and mildly acidic conditions. This dissertation research aimed to elucidate the efficacy of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) for structural modification of OPI …

Evaluating Mislabeling Of Raw, Ready-To-Eat Seafood Products In Orange County, California, Courtney Kitch

Food Science (MS) Theses

Raw, ready-to-eat (RTE) seafood products have become increasingly popular globally, but they are vulnerable to species mislabeling and substitution. DNA barcoding allows for fish species identification by extracting, amplifying, and sequencing a standardized gene target. A wide variety of fish products have been studied with DNA barcoding, but notably missing are ceviche and poke, particularly in the United States. Sushi is known to be a target of mislabeling but has not been extensively studied in Orange County, CA. The objective of this study was to investigate species labeling and use of acceptable market names for sushi, poke, and ceviche sold …

Cross-Modal Associations Between Hand-Feel Touch And Oral Irritation, Ragita Cantika Pramudya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hand-feel touch cues have been shown to influence the perception of other sensory modalities and can be used as means to create expectations toward food or beverage products presented concurrently with such cues. However, to date, there has been limited research on how these hand-feel touch cues could impact oral irritation elicited by capsaicin-containing products. Because oral irritation sensation is a dynamic perception lasting a period of time, temporal methodologies, such as Time-Intensity (TI) and Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA), must be used when evaluating capsaicin-containing products. The use of temporal methodologies when examining the cross-modal effects of other cues on capsaicin irritation …

Producing Bacterial Cellulose From Coffee (Coffea Arabica) Kombucha Fermentation And Assessment Of Its Efficacy To Remove Pathogenic Bacteria From Contaminated Water And A Pollutant Dye From Aqueous Solution, Federico Bueno

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bacterial cellulose (BC), composed of cellulosic nanofibrils, is synthesized by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast during the fermentation of coffee kombucha (CK). BC may be used as a purification agent and adsorbent. The overall goal of this project was to synthesize BC from CK fermentation and assess its efficacy in removing pathogenic bacteria from contaminated water and a pollutant dye from aqueous solution. The objectives of this study were to: (1) compare BCs that were produced from different carbohydrate substrates in the fermentation of CK, (2) characterize dried BCs produced using various drying methods, (3) evaluate BC as …

Getting To The Root Cause: The Genetic Underpinnings Of Root System Architecture And Rhizodeposition In Sorghum, Farren Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Plants are some of the most diverse organisms on earth, consisting of more than 350,000 different species. To understand the underlying processes that contributed to plant diversification, it is fundamental to identify the genetic and genomic components that facilitated various adaptations over evolutionary history. Most studies to date have focused on the underlying controls of above-ground traits such as grain and vegetation; however, little is known about the “hidden half” of plants. Root systems comprise half of the total plant structure and provide vital functions such as anchorage, resource acquisition, and storage of energy reserves. The execution of these key …

How Are Agricultural Research Projects Conceiving Innovation? An Assessment Of The European Union Multi-Actor Projects, Samuel Brea Martinez-Collado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Horizon research programs are the European Union’s lighthouse for innovation and research concerning the agri-food chain, the management of natural resources, and the bioeconomy. Their innovation strategy approach is one that pursues the practical application of the research via the collaboration of all actors involved. Such strategy is the reflection of a Multi-Actor Approach as their procedure to enhance innovation. This paper presents the main trends and directions 101 Multi-Actor Projects (MAPs) are following on said approach towards innovation. The analysis is based on the use of well-defined “pathways” and “measures” proposed in the Guidelines for Evaluation of Innovation in …

Rice From Paddy To Pantry To Plate: Mitigating Rice Blast Disease With Saponins Of Medicago, Improving Shelf Life With Crispr, And Exploring Global Cuisine Through Text Analysis, Kathryn Haydon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is the staple food for more than half the world’s population, with nearly 500 million metric tons of rice consumed globally every year. Any risk of loss due to disease, waste, or spoilage is therefore noteworthy. This dissertation explores the passage of rice from paddy to pantry to plate, with special attention given to disease and storage life. The most important disease of rice is blast, caused by the ascomycete Magnaporthe oryzae, which can cause losses of ~30% every year. This study found that saponin-enriched root extracts of Medicago truncatula effectively kill fungal spores in vitro and reduce moderate …

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. …

Development Of Bio-Based Nanocomposites For Biosensor And Indicator Applications In Smart Food Packaging, Abdus Sobhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart food packaging based on biosensors has been attracting more and more interest to the industrial community because of the concerns of food quality and safety. A food packaging with biosensor has a scope to enable real-time monitoring of microbial breakdown products of packaged foods. Furthermore, one of the biggest challenges in implementing biosensor for smart packaging materials is the development of bio-sensing active materials that can leverage their electrical, thermal, biodegradable and other functional properties. In this regard, nanocellulose-based activated carbon (NAC) nanocomposite was developed using the activated carbon and nanocellulose gel using the casting method with their different …

Food Safety Risk In An Indoor Microgreen Cultivation System, Gina Marie Misra

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are immature sprouts of edible plants, sharing some similarities with sprouted seeds and petite leafy greens. Since they are most often grown in containers in buildings or greenhouses, they present a new area for food safety research at the intersection of the built environment and produce farming. Contamination by human pathogens has been extensively studied in other types of produce typically eaten raw, including sprouted seeds, which have been implicated in numerous outbreaks of salmonellosis over the last several decades. There is a paucity of knowledge about the microgreen sector of the fresh-cut industry; thus, it was determined that …

Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus Ostreatus) Stipe Peptides As In-Vitro Radical Scavenging, Ferrous Iron Chelating, & Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Compounds, Suraj Meharwade

Food Science (MS) Theses

Ferrous iron chelating, ABTS radical scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant activity of mushroom stipe peptides obtained using Protamex® and V8 protease has not been investigated. Additionally, the effects of peptides on protein carbonyl formation during myofibrillar oxidation is unknown. Oxidation of lysine, arginine, and proline in myofibrillar protein from red meat results in reduced meat quality owing to changes in water composition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant performance of <1 kDa and 1-3 kDa mushroom peptides obtained by Protamex®-V8 hydrolysis against mushroom hydrolysate, mushroom protein, and mushroom stipe for radical scavenging, ferrous chelating, and ferric reducing activity, as well as their effects on protein carbonyl formation within a protein oxidation system. <1 kDa peptides exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) in-vitro ferrous iron chelating activity and ABTS radical scavenging activity as compared to mushroom stipe and 1-3 kDa peptides. Whereas, 1-3 kDa peptides demonstrated significantly …

Sodium Propionate And Sodium Butyrate Promote Fatty Acid Oxidation In Hepg2 Cells Under Oxidative Stress, Kristina Jazmin Cook

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of disturbances that includes simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. NAFLD affects individuals that consume the typical Western diet consisting of high levels of fats and carbohydrates. The increase in circulating free fatty acids, palmitate and oleate, or lipopolysaccharides (LPS), induce oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the liver, which all contribute to NAFLD progression. In this study, we are evaluating the mRNA expression of genes associated with fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and the protein expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines related to NAFLD using the HepG2 human liver …

Physicochemical Characterization, Structural Determination, And Molecular Dynamic Modeling Of Proso Millet Proteins For Enhanced Food Functionality, Felix Akharume

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

More than one-third of Americans today incorporate plant-based protein into their diet and about 40% believed that plant-based protein is healthier than animal protein, especially Millennials. The increasing global demand for plant-based proteins driven by the high cost of animal proteins, consumers’ desire for lean protein, vegetarianism, and the need for more sustainable green protein products have necessitated research into alternate emerging and underutilized sources of protein to complement or supplement the major plant protein in the market- soy, pea, and gluten. Therefore, this dissertation is focused on the valorization of the proteins in proso millet. Specifically, this work focused …

Assessment Of Protein Quality, Lipid Metabolism, Hepatic Transcriptome And Safety Of A Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix) Derived Sarcoplasmic Protein Powder., Derek Cole Warren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fishery resources are currently operating either near optimal yield or at levels with elevated risk for fish stock depletion. A solution for overcoming limitations of natural fish resources is through utilization of less desirable fish species and fish processing by-products. Water-soluble sarcoplasm proteins consist of 25 – 30% of protein in carp, are lost in wash water during processing and can be recovered and freeze-dried to produce a protein-rich powder (CSP). The objective of this project was to evaluate the protein quality and safety of CSP, assess diets consisting of CSP or commercial milk proteins effects on lipid metabolism, and …

The Exploration Of Nanotoxicological Copper And Interspecific Saccharomyces Hybrids, Matthew Joseph Winans Phd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanotechnology takes advantage of cellular biology’s natural nanoscale operations by interacting with biomolecules differently than soluble or bulk materials, often altering normal cellular processes such as metabolism or growth. To gain a better understanding of how copper nanoparticles hybridized on cellulose fibers called carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) affected growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mechanisms of toxicity were explored. Multiple methodologies covering genetics, proteomics, metallomics, and metabolomics were used during this investigation. The work that lead to this dissertation discovered that these cellulosic copper nanoparticles had a unique toxicity compared to copper. Further investigation suggested a possible ionic or molecular mimicry …

Feeding The Future Meat Doesn’T Come Cheap, Lukas C. Southard

Capstones

Cultured – or as it is referred to by companies innovating the technology clean – meat is expected to be the next innovation to change the way the world gets its animal protein. Meat from animal cells grown in a lab seems like science fiction but it is around the corner from hitting your supermarket shelves. The technology has been developed but how these companies intend on scaling up their production to meet retail demands remains a mystery. So far companies have relied on seed and early stage investment from venture capital companies and private sources to fund research. Predictions …

The Physicochemical Properties Of Soy Protein Hydrolysate And Its Formulation And Stability With Encapsulated Probiotic, John Stricklin Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soy protein isolate (SPI) and probiotics can serve as a functional ingredient and beneficial supplement, respectively, to food formulations, but few studies focus on the compatibility of these two ingredients. The objective of this study was to prepare soy protein isolate (SPI) from defatted soybean flour and identify an optimal hydrolysis protocol to create soy protein hydrolysates (SPH) with improved solubility and functional properties and achieve an optimum encapsulation technique for probiotics and to determine the in vitro viability of encapsulated probiotic cells with SPH in a gastrointestinal environment. The SPI was prepared using an alkaline extraction procedure for solubility …

Effects Of Germination Conditions Of Brown Rice In Relation To Flour Physicochemical Properties And Bread Qualities, Wipada Wunthunyarat

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gluten-free products from rice are gaining popularity among consumers because of its hypoallergenic characteristic. The absence of gluten results in inferior bread qualities such as hard texture, reduced volume and shorter shelf-life, which can be improved by the addition of external hydrolytic enzymes. Hydrolytic enzymes are activated during germination to stimulate plant growth, and hence these enzymes may function similarly to the external enzymes to improve gluten-free bread from brown rice. Therefore, the objective of this work was to investigate the activities of amylases and protease in germinated brown rice (GBR) from long-grain and short-grain rices under different germination conditions …

In Vitro And In Vivo (Mouse Model) Investigation Of The Efficacy Of Probiotic Bacteria Lactobacillus Casei And Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Incorporated In Tomato Juice, Bennett Atta Dzandu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fruit and vegetable production in Ghana were estimated at 371,811 tons in 2017 with tomatoes ranked among the top four most cultivated vegetables. The majority of the production goes to waste due to spoilage and lack of processing. Probiotics have recently gained much attention owing to claims about their potential health benefits. However, the inability of certain probiotics to survive gastric conditions remain a potential setback. Tomatoes can be processed into value added products including those fortified with probiotics. Such value-added products can be used as protectant for the delivery of probiotics to improve gut health. The objective of this …

Characterization Of Bacterial Isolates Obtained From Commercial Poultry Feed And Retail Food Using Whole Genome Sequence Analysis And Selected Biochemical Tests, Elena George Olson

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The goals of this study is two-fold. The first part investigates bacterial isolates from commercial poultry feed and the second part deals with bacterial isolates recovered from retail food. In order to reduce pathogen contamination in poultry products identification of overall microbial populations in poultry production processing steps have always been considered an important monitoring tool for assessing sanitizer effectiveness and the corresponding responses of bacteria load levels on poultry carcasses. Bacterial isolates recovered from corn-based chicken feed were purified on aerobic plate count agar and eleven morphologically different colonies were selected for whole genome sequencing. In this part, the …

Island Invasion: The Silent Crisis In Hawaii, Sophia Janssen

Pomona Senior Theses

Keeping out invasive species may, upon first review, seem like a trivial environmental cry from ecologists and deep environmentalists; a belated wish to return to an undeveloped world where nature was pristine. However invasive species create problems that impact all of us and can have far more severe consequences than changing a stunning landscape. These problems are heightened in islands like Hawaii, where the fragile ecosystems have developed over centuries of evolution and adaptation. The introduction of a disease-carrying mosquito can put the people of Hawaii at risk to many vector-born illnesses and create an epidemic, taking human life. The …

Efficacy Of Antimicrobial Mitigation On Escherichia Coli Cfu And Growth And Development Of Hydroponic Leafy Greens, Nathan J. Eylands

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have set new standards that apply to agriculturalists producing crops eaten fresh and/or raw by consumers. This new produce safety rule, known as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), has established science-based standards for all areas of production in agriculture with regards to microbial contamination. Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 is a particular bacterium of concern under FSMA guidelines. Grower compliance is mandatory and therefore vital to the continuation of any farm. Greenhouse hydroponic growers have shown advantages in efficiency when compared to conventional farming methodology. Those, however, with recirculating hydroponic systems face unique …

The Effect Of Destoning And Enzymatic Pretreatments On The Biofuel Production From Olive Cake, Patrick Tai

Master's Theses

More than 16,000 tons of olive cake was produced in the United States in 2017. Olive cake is a by-product of olive oil extraction, which has limited animal feed potential, and poses an environmental threat when landfilled due to its high organic load and polyphenol content. This residue has potential for biofuel (bioethanol and biomethane) production because it is rich in polysaccharides such as pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. Yet, olive cake contains olive stones that can impede its conversion to biofuel. Therefore, two methods of destoning, centrifugation and screening by horizontal screw press, were first compared. Both methods removed an …