Food Chemistry Commons^™

Rnai-Mediated Control Of Aflatoxins In Peanut: Method To Analyze Mycotoxin Production And Transgene Expression In The Peanut/Aspergillus Pathosystem, Renee S. Arias, Phat M. Dang, Victor S. Sobolev

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 25% of the food crops in the world are contaminated with aflatoxins. That represents 100 million tons of food being destroyed or diverted to non-human consumption each year. Aflatoxins are powerful carcinogens normally accumulated by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in cereals, nuts, root crops and other agricultural products. Silencing of five aflatoxin-synthesis genes by RNA interference (RNAi) in peanut plants was used to control aflatoxin accumulation following inoculation with A. flavus. Previously, no method existed to analyze the effectiveness of RNAi in individual peanut transgenic events, …

Chemical Disinfectants For The Inactivation Of The Emerging Foodborne Aichi Virus, Andres Ignacio Arreaza

Masters Theses

Aichi virus (AiV) is an emerging virus responsible for gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Improved decontamination methods are being researched to control AiV spread. The effects of common hard surface disinfectants including benzalkonium chloride (BAC), potassium peroxymonosulfate (KPMS), tribasic sodium phosphate (TSP) as well as sodium metasilicate (SMS) and calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)₂) [calcium hypochlorite] against AiV need to be explored. The objective of this research was to determine their effects against AiV using suspension and carrier tests over various contact times at room temperature. Phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.2 as control), 0.64% BAC, 10% KPMS, 10% TSP, 0.16 and 0.3% …

Phenolic Rich Extracts Obtained From Small Red Beans In Preventing Macrophage Mediated Chronic Inflammation, Nidhi Sharma

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

Small red beans, commonly called Mexican beans, are a part of the legume family, the genus Phaseolus vulgaris, i.e., dry edible beans or the common bean. In addition to being a rich source of nutrients, small red beans also contain phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins that have shown a plethora of health benefits against such conditions as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In particular, the phenolic compounds common to the red beans have been reported to protect against chronic inflammation that if left unchecked can lead to various other chronic degenerative diseases. These …

Biotransformation Of Polymethoxyflavones By Gut Microbiome And Molecular Characterization Of Polymethoxyflavones By Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Changchu Ma

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs), a unique class of flavonoids found in citrus fruits has shown beneficial bioactivities. Biological fate of PMFs in the gastrointestinal tract is critical for their bioactivities. PMFs can be biotransformed to produce various metabolites with different bioactivities, and PMFs can also interact with the food matrix, which in turn affects their bioactivities. Therefore, we investigated the biotransformation of two PMFs, namely nobiletin (NBT) and 5-hydroxylnobiletin (5HN) by the gut microbiome. Mice were fed with NBT or 5HN, and small intestinal contents were collected and subjected to anaerobic fermentation by gut microbiome isolated from mice and human volunteers. HPLC …

Fabrication, Characterization And Biological Fate Of Phytochemical Delivery System, Jingjing Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymethoxyflvones (PMFs) are a group compounds with promising cancer preventing activities and many other health benefits. There's a growing interest in fabricating delivery systems for PMFs as well as other phytochemicals due to their low water solubility. Firstly, we use nanoemulsion delivery system to encapsulate β-carotene. Sonication assisted method was developed to dissolve β-carotene to ensure minimum degradation. Powdered nanoemulsion was obtained after spray dry and freeze dry. Sample obtained after freeze dry showed better physiochemical characteristics. Then we use protein nanoparticle delivery system to encapsulate PMF_S. The nanoparticle delivery system was fabricated by mixing the aqueous phase …

Pro- And Antioxidant Effects Of Phospholipids On Lipid Oxidation In Bulk Oil, Leqi Cui

Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to explore how phospholipids at concentrations similar as in refined vegetable oils impact bulk oil lipid oxidation. The possible formation of association colloids and synergism with primary antioxidants are considered. The results provided a better understanding of the pro- and antioxidant activities of phospholipids. Lipid oxidation leads to quality deterioration by generating off-flavor, nutrient loss, color alteration, texture changes, and even generation of potential toxic products. Phospholipids are important minor components in edible oil that play a role in lipid oxidation. Surface active phospholipids have an intermediate hydrophilic–lipophilic balance value, which allows them to …

Structural Design Approaches For Creation Of Reduced Fat Products, Bicheng Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

In awake of the health issues related with high-calorie diet, there was a strong focus in the development of reduced-fat products in the food industry. However, fat plays an important role in determining the quality attributes of food products such as texture, appearance, flavor and stability, therefore there has been limited success for reduced-fat products. This thesis project thus targeted liquid and semi-solid products such as dressings, sauces, and aimed to address problems associated with low-fat by utilizing structural designed approach. The first part of this project focused on using controlled aggregation of protein-stabilized lipid droplets to regulate the microstructure …

Magic Milk – A Moving Picture!, Elizabeth Park

The STEAM Journal

The art and science behind 'Magic Milk'.

Method Development For Vitamin C Quantification In Two Complex Matrices, Hannah D. Hutt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following liquid chromatographic (LC) method developments and applied research studies were done using two complex food matrices, potatoes and elderberries, which are common to the state of Maine. Potatoes are Maine’s largest agricultural crop, a staple food in most U.S. households, and are, from an analytical standpoint, considered a complex matrix due to the high starch content that can be difficult to remove without degrading or removing nutrients in the process. Elderberries are an emerging crop in the U.S. because of their antioxidant and anti-viral properties and are found growing wild, throughout Maine. Elderberries are also considered a complex …

Physicochemical And Toxicological Assessment Of Antimicrobial Ε-Polylysine-Pectin Complexes, Cynthia L. Lopez Pena

Doctoral Dissertations

ε-Polylysine is an appealing FDA-approved, all natural antimicrobial biopolymer effective against a wide range of microorganisms. Its implementation is greatly limited by its strong cationic charge, which has been linked to instability in food systems, perceived astringency and bitterness, and the ability to inhibit lipid digestion. Previous studies have shown that controlled complexation of ε-polylysine with anionic pectin is able to prevent instability and astringency in simplified model food systems, while maintaining the antimicrobial character of polylysine. Isothermal titration calorimetry, micro-electrophoresis, microscopy, and turbidity analyses of the stability of electrostatic pectin-polylysine complexes in the presence of strongly anionic κ-carrageenan, and …

Improving Antimicrobial Activity Of Lauric Arginate By Combination With Essential Oils For Novel Applications, Qiumin Ma

Doctoral Dissertations

Lauric arginate (LAE) and essential oils (EOs) are highly efficacious in broth media but are required at much higher concentrations in food products to inhibit foodborne pathogens. Because high levels of LAE and EOs affect organoleptic properties of food products, this dissertation was studied for the potential of lowering their usage concentrations by using them in combination. Antimicrobial activities of LAE and EO used alone or in combination were characterized in Chapter 2. Synergistic and antagonistic effects of LAE-EO combinations and cinnamon leaf oil/eugnol/thymol were observed for inhibiting Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7, respectively. …

Self-Assembled Casein Nanostructures To Deliver Novel Functionalities, Kang Pan

Doctoral Dissertations

The nanoscale micellar structure of caseins can be manipulated by mechanical forces, solvent quality, and pH to reduce turbidity, encapsulate hydrophobic compounds, and improve dispersion stability and rheological properties. The goal of this dissertation was to control the nanostructure of self-assembled caseins to deliver functionalities. The combination of treatments at pH 11.0 and acidification with citric acid was first studied to produce translucent skim milk dispersions at pH 5.5-7.0, resulting from the significantly reduced dimensions of reassembled casein nanoparticles. Using sodium caseinate (NaCas), soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS), and high-speed homogenization, a food grade delivery system was studied to encapsulate thymol …

Gallic Acid-Grafted Chitosan Films As Antioxidant Food Packaging, Ping Guo

Masters Theses

Chitosan is the second most abundant natural polysaccharide in the nature. Due to its biodegradability and film forming ability, chitosan has the potential to be used as an alternative to petroleum-based polymers for food packaging. The presence of a primary amine as well as primary and secondary hydroxyl groups enable chitosan to be chemically modified with various functional groups. Gallic acid (GA) is a natural occurring antioxidant (AOX), which can be grafted to chitosan using by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The first project deals with the effect of ethanol (EtOH) concentration on efficiency of grafting GA onto chitosan. …

Spray Fabrication Of Layer-By-Layer Antimicrobial N-Halamine Coatings, Anna Denis-Rohr

Masters Theses

Antimicrobial coatings in which the active agent (e.g. N-halamine) can regenerate activity represent a promising way to prevent microbial cross-contamination. A reported method for applying coatings containing antimicrobial N-halamines is layer-by-layer (LbL) application of polyelectrolytes, which form N-halamines upon cross-linking. Prior reports on dip layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication have demonstrated the potential of this coating technology; however, spray LbL fabrication would enable more rapid coating and represents a more commercially translatable application technique. In this work, dip and spray LbL methods were used to coat polypropylene (PP) with N-halamine containing bilayers consisting of cross-linked polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Further …

Mangiferin As A Biomarker For Mango Anthracnose Resistance, Herma Pierre

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mangos (Mangifera indica L.) are tropical/subtropical fruits belonging to the plant family Anacardiaceae. Anthracnose is the most deleterious disease of mango both in the field and during postharvest handling. It is most commonly caused by the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex. Mangiferin, a xanthanoid compound found in at least twelve plant families worldwide (Luo et al., 2012), is present in large amounts of the leaves and edible mangos. Even though this compound plays a pivotal role in the plant’s defense against biotic and abiotic stressors, no correlations been made between the compound and mango anthracnose resistance.

Mangos were collected, grouped …

Effects Of Soybean Pectin On Blood Glucose And Insulin Responses In Healthy Men, Melissa Ann Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of soy pectin on postprandial plasma glucose and insulin responses in healthy adult males␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ intestinal microbiota to determine if differences in weight or body mass index would be linked to differences in microbiota populations. Pectin is a soluble fiber with demonstrated health benefits such as the ability to lower blood glucose and cholesterol, increase satiety leading to lower caloric intake, improve insulin resistance and lower inflammation. These benefits suggest that pectin may help in prevention and treatment of type II diabetes. Soy pectin is extracted from hulls, a waste product …

Evaluation Of Xanthan/Enzymatically Modified Guar Gum Mixtures In Oil-In-Water Emulsions, Pavan Kumar Chityala

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Oil-in-water emulsions have wide range of applications in food industry because of their structure-forming properties, and as delivery systems of polyunsaturated fatty acids into foods. The thermodynamic instability of oil and water, and high susceptibility of unsaturated fatty acids to oxidation lead to physical and oxidative stability in oil-in-water emulsions. These instability processes are generally controlled by incorporating proteins and polysaccharides into oil-in-water emulsions. The objective of this study was to evaluate xanthan/enzymatically modified guar (XG/EMG) polysaccharides on the physical and oxidative stability of 2 wt% whey protein stabilized oil-in-water emulsions containing 20% v/v menhaden fish oil. Enzymatic modified guar …

A Study Whether Humans Can Produce Free Fatty Acids For Tasting, Emily Bacher

Student Scholarship

A growing concern throughout the world, especially the United States, is the health of our population. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) performed in 2009-2010, approximately 35% of both men and women in the United States are obese (Flegal, 2012). In 2005, more than 300,000 deaths in the United States were attributed to obesity. However, the World Health Organization listed obesity as one of ten most preventable health risks (Wilborn, 2005).
Why, then, do we as a society struggle so much with our weight? Some, such as Swinburn, believe this trend of obesity can be attributed …

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

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

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

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

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

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

Observing Enzymatic Production Of Fatty Acids In The Mouth, Neelam J. Mulji

Student Scholarship

As one of the leading preventable medical conditions in the world, obesity persists to exist within the global population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is defined as excessive fat accumulation. A more quantitative definition is Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a ratio of height and mass of an individual. Key benchmark levels, BMI > 25 defining overweight and BMI > 30 defining obese, have been implemented for decades in understanding and defining the population at risk. Figure 1 demonstrates the percentages of each national population's obesity occurrences. Alarmingly increasing rates of obesity within the adult as well as …

Synergistic Interfacial Properties Of Casein And Small Molecule Surfactants For Fabrication Of Essential Oil Nanoemulsions, Dan Su

Masters Theses

Nanoemulsions of essential oils are important for delivery of flavors and antimicrobial preservatives in food systems. The overall goal of this work was to study the formation and properties of essential oil nanoemulsions fabricated with sodium caseinate (NaCas) or its hydrolysates and small molecule surfactants (SMSs). The first group of lemon oil nanoemulsion was prepared with NaCas and Tween 20 using a phase inversion temperature (PIT) method. The combination of NaCas and Tween 20 reduced the turbidity and droplet dimension of emulsions than using them individually. Heating at 90 °C for >1 h resulted in transparent nanoemulsions for samples with …

Preparation And Characterization Of Acid-Induced Gels At Ph 1.0-4.0 And Thermal-Stable Dispersions At Ph 5.5-6.0 Using Preheated Whey Protein, Kangkang Li

Masters Theses

Whey protein (WP) is a good source for producing protein-rich products, including satiety foods and beverages. Thermal aggregation of WP during sterilization or pasteurization impacts food quality important to shelf-stable beverages. Preheating WP improves the thermal stability at neutral acidity, and forming complexes with other molecules to provide charge and/or steric hindrance can be used to improve thermal stability of WP at acidic conditions. Conversely, aggregation properties of preheated WP upon acidification can be used to create unique functional properties. Therefore, studying properties of preheated WP can broaden its application in the food industry.

Gelation of preheated WP and pectin …

Effects Of Chemical And Enzymatic Modifications On The Starch-Inclusion Complex Formation, Emily Arijaje

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Starch-inclusion complexes have been proposed as delivery tools for bioactive molecules; however complexation yield is generally low with low solubility, which may limit the bioavailability of the included molecule. It was proposed that chemical (acetylation) and/or enzymatic (isoamylase and beta-amylase) modifications of starches prior to complex formation with fatty acids of different structures, including stearic, oleic and linoleic acid, may help increase complexation yield and solubility of the resulting starch complexes. Potato starch had a significantly higher complexation yield than common corn and high amylose (~70%) corn starches after debranching combined with a beta-amylase treatment. Debranched waxy maize starch and …

Application Of Essential Oil Compounds And Bacteriophage To Control Staphylococcus Aureus, Anisha Ghosh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens, causing various diseases in humans and animals. In addition, S. aureus is a common foodborne pathogen. As methicillin- resistant S. aureus (MRSA) becomes increasingly prevalent, controlling this pathogen in animals and humans with standard antibiotic treatment has become challenging. Combinations of different antimicrobial agents represent one of the most promising approaches for combating multidrug - resistant bacteria both for treatment of clinical disease as well as in food. Two such antimicrobials with potential application in the food industry include essential oils (EO) and host-specific bacteriophage (phage). The objectives of this study …

Characterization Of Cellulase Enzyme Inhibitors Formed During The Chemical Pretreatments Of Rice Straw, Kalavathy Rajan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Production of fuels and chemicals from a renewable and inexpensive resource such as lignocellulosic biomass is a lucrative and sustainable option for the advanced biofuel and bio-based chemical platform. Agricultural residues constitute the bulk of potential feedstock available for cellulosic fuel production. On a global scale, rice straw is the largest source of agricultural residues and is therefore an ideal crop model for biomass deconstruction studies. Lignocellulosic biofuel production involves the processes of biomass conditioning, enzymatic saccharification, microbial fermentation and ethanol distillation, and one of the major factors affecting its techno-economic feasibility is the biomass recalcitrance to enzymatic saccharification. Preconditioning …

Corn Characterization And Development Of A Convenient Laboratory Scale Alkaline Cooking Process, Shreya N. Sahasrabudhe

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

Nixtamalized (alkaline cooked) corn (Zea mays L.) products are increasing in popularity due to their affordable cost, ease of production, and the diversity of products that can be made using similar unit operations. The nixtamal produced after alkaline cooking depends on the processing parameters used during cooking and steeping, as well as the physicochemical properties of the corn hybrids used. Processors incur high costs in narrowing down hybrids suitable for a given process, or they must be able to adjust cooking conditions to obtain the desired end-product characteristics. Improper processing generates large quantities of waste. Researchers have developed small …

Soil Total Organic Carbon And Farmers’ Perceptions Associated With Bokashi Application In Cerro Punta, Panama, Emma Searson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sustainable use and maintenance of agricultural soils are important for maintaining long-term agricultural productivity and environmental quality. These issues are especially important in Cerro Punta, known as the breadbasket of Panama, which is experiencing severe erosion. While current practices and agrochemical usage damage soil health and function over time, application of organic material improves soil physic-chemical properties such as nutrient and total organic carbon (TOC) content. Bokashi, a fermented organic soil amendment with effective microorganisms (EM), is thought to be especially beneficial due to its ability to augment populations of soil microbes, which deliver plant-available nutrients to crops and improve …

Rationalizing Nanoemulsion Formation For Encapsulation, Protection And Delivery Of Bioactive Food Components, Ying Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to design and develop novel food-grade nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for the encapsulation, protection and delivery of lipophilic bioactive food components. These delivery systems could be widely applied in aqueous-based fortified food products, such as beverages, salad dressing and yogurt etc. Both the low- and high-energy methods could be used for fabricating nanoemulsions (r < 100 nm). The microfluidization method could form nanoemulsions at low surfactant-to-oil ratios (SOR < 0.1), but it required the use of high-energy inputs and expensive equipment. On the other hand, the spontaneous emulsification method could also form ultrafine emulsions and moreover it was simple and inexpensive, but it required much higher surfactant-to-oil ratios (SOR > 0.5) for forming nanoemulsions. Q-Naturale^® is a natural food-grade surfactant, which is got from the bark of the Quillaja saponaria Molina tree. By using high pressure homogenization (microfluidization), Q-Naturale^® could form relatively small droplets (d < 200 nm) at low surfactant-to-oil ratios (SOR < 0.1), but the droplets were not as small as those produced using Tween 80 under similar conditions (d < 150 nm). The emulsions formed by using Q-Naturale^{® …}

Human Anatomy And Physiology Preparatory Course (1st Edition), Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

The overall purpose of this preparatory course textbook is to help students familiarize with some terms and some basic concepts they will find later in the Human Anatomy and Physiology I course.

The organization and functioning of the human organism generally is discussed in terms of different levels of increasing complexity, from the smallest building blocks to the entire body. This Anatomy and Physiology preparatory course covers the foundations on the chemical level, and a basic introduction to cellular level, organ level, and organ system levels. There is also an introduction to homeostasis at the beginning.