Other Food Science Commons^™

Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom

Honors Theses and Capstones

Started in Fall 2015, Project OASIS (Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary capstone project with the goal of designing a sustainable and affordable small-scale aquaponic system for use in developing nations to tackle the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship between fish and vegetables growing together in a recirculating system. The project’s goals were to minimize energy consumption and construction costs while using universally available materials. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to create transient and steady-state models of fish tanks to visualize velocity profiles, streamlines, and particle movement. …

Physico-Chemical, Rheological And Baking Properties Of Proso Millet, Manjot Singh

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Due to climate change, water scarcity, increasing population and rising food prices, agriculture and food security has been affected worldwide. Cereal grains being a major part of world food supply also act as important energy source in human diet. In order to counter food insecurity, alternative grains are being explored, and millet being drought-resistant has the potential to serve as an alternative grain due to its comparable nutritional composition with other major cereals and its gluten free proteins. The evidence that gluten sensitivity is one of the increasing food intolerances is driving an increasing demand for gluten-free foods. However, gluten …

Effect Of Phytosanitary Irradiation And Methyl Bromide Fumigation On The Physical, Sensory, And Microbiological Quality Of Blueberries And Sweet Cherries, Karen Thang, Kimberly Au, Cyril Rakovski, Anuradha Prakash

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The objective of this study was to determine whether irradiation could serve as a suitable phytosanitary treatment alternative to methyl bromide (MB) fumigation for blueberries and sweet cherry and also to determine the effect of phytosanitary irradiation treatment on survival of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes on these fruit. ‘Bluecrop’ blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) and ‘Sweetheart’ cherries (Prunus avium) were irradiated at 0.4 kGy or fumigated with methyl bromide and evaluated for quality attributes during storage.

Results

Irradiation caused an immediate decrease in firmness of both fruit without further significant change during storage. Fumigated fruit, in …

The Groundwork For Food Criticism: How Normative Aesthetic Judgments Are Possible With Regards To Tastes, Jacob Caldwell

Senior Independent Study Theses

Issues of tastes and smells are often relegated to an ancillary or minor rank of importance in the domain of aesthetics, if recognized at all as legitimate objects of aesthetic inquiry and experience. This essay aims, firstly, to carve out a space of legitimacy for the aesthetics of tastes, and secondly, to clarify what aesthetic inquiry with regards to tastes must look like. In order for the above to be decisively established, the following positions will be argued for: (1) tastes are real, (2) our ordinary or scientific conception of what tastes are, upon which our reasons for doubting the …

A Simulation Platform For Accurate Prediction Of In-Bin Drying And Storage Of Rough Rice, Houmin Zhong

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural air (NA), in-bin drying and storage of rough rice generally maintains high grain quality, but the associated slow movement and occasional stagnation of the drying front during the process may result in problems of rice quality reduction, mold growth, and mycotoxin development, especially for rough rice in the top layers of the bin. Using modeling techniques to simulate in-bin rough rice drying in typically-encountered field scenarios may provide a tool for rapidly predicting the grain condition as drying progresses. The objectives for this study were to (1) investigate accurate models for predicting equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of rough rice …

Preference Mapping Of Whole Grain And High Fiber Products: Whole Wheat Bread And Extruded Rice And Bean Snack, Ashley J. Bernstein

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

The rise of unhealthy lifestyles and diets among Americans is leading to an influx of health-conscious consumers on the search for more nutritious, health-promoting food options that match their taste preferences. The aim of this research is to determine consumer preferences and specific attributes of whole grain and high fiber products that drive acceptability through descriptive analysis and preference mapping on whole wheat breads and an extruded pinto bean and brown rice flour snack puff.

Commercial whole wheat breads, characterized by 26 appearance, aroma, flavor, and texture attributes, were separated into two distinct groups. The first group consisted of attributes …

Assessing The Sociocultural Impact Of Special Events In The Context Of Germanfest In Nebraska, Usa, Yanli Wang

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The present study examined the sociocultural impact of special events based on the cultural festival of GermanFest in Syracuse, Nebraska. A total of 143 (71.5%) local residents responded to the self-administered survey. The dimensions of the sociocultural impact, the important reasons for celebrating the festival, the relationship among festival stakeholders, the levels of community involvement, and the improvement of the quality of life in the community as impacts of the festival and demographic information were investigated separately.

The Festival Social Impact Attitude Scale (FSIAS) was utilized to identify the dimensions of the sociocultural impact of GermanFest. Three dimensions were identified …

Hospital Practices Related To Breastfeeding In Mississippi: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Amir Alakaam

Dissertations

Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest rates and the weakest support in respect to breastfeeding in the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Hospital practices supporting breastfeeding such as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (TSSB) can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates and duration (Rosenberg, Stull, Adler, Kasehagen, & Crivelli-Kovach, 2008). The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding practices in Mississippi hospitals based on two levels of the Socio-Ecological Model: the organizational level (phase I) examined the hospital practices based on the level of implementation of the TSSB; the individual level (phase II) examined knowledge …

Antioxidant Effect Of Spent, Ground, And Lyophilized Brew From Roasted Coffee In Frozen Cooked Pork Patties, Katrina Maryse Malixi Jully, Criselda Toto, Lilian Were

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

The ability of light and dark roasted coffee (1 g/kg) in varying application forms (spent ground [SCG], whole ground [WGC], or lyophilized brew [LBC]) to inhibit lipid and protein oxidation in cooked pork patties stored at −18 °C was monitored over 3 months. Malondialdehyde (MDA) for the negative control (NC) increased from 0.31 to 1.11 mg MDA/kg pork over 3 months, while pork with coffee or rosemary oleoresin had lower values at month 3 (0.054–0.40 mg MDA/kg pork). The NC had the highest values for hexanal, octanal, and nonanal (2.59, 0.10, and 0.13 mg/kg pork, respectively), while light and dark …

Effects Of Food Label Education On Consumers' Sensory Perception And Awareness In Chicken Meat, Shilpa Samant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recently, sustainability and process-related label claims have gained immense popularity especially for meat products like chicken. Apart from providing consumers with required product information, these labels have an impact on consumer perception and purchase behavior. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing label information affects consumers’ awareness and attitude toward the claims found on chicken products. Additionally, it was analyzed if enhanced label understanding affects consumers’ sensory and quality perceptions along with purchase intent. A total of 110 participants were randomly distributed into 1 of 3 types of education sessions: (1) reading a flyer (passive learning), (2) …

A Prototype On-Line Aotf Hyperspectral Image Acquisition System For Tenderness Assessment Of Beef Carcasses, Govindarajan Konda Naganathan, Kim Cluff, Ashok Samal, Chris Calkins, David D. Jones, Carol Lorenzen, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A prototype on-line acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)-based hyperspectral image acquisition system (λ = 450– 900 nm) was developed for tenderness assessment of beef carcasses. Hyperspectral images of ribeye muscle on stationary hanging beef carcasses (n = 338) at 2-day postmortem were acquired in commercial beef slaughter or packing plants. After image acquisition, a strip steak was cut from each carcass, vacuum packaged, aged for 14 days, cooked, and slice shear force tenderness scores were collected by an independent lab. Beef hyperspectral images were mosaicked together and principal component (PC) analysis was conducted to reduce the spectral dimension. Six different textural …

Predictive Modeling Of Oxygen Transmission Through Micro-Perforations For Packaging Applications, Ayman Abdellatief, Bruce A. Welt, Jason Butler, Eric Mclamore, Arthur Teixeira, Sanjay Shukla

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Methods for creating precise perforations in respiring produce packaging are being increasingly adopted. Knowledge of oxygen transfer through perforated packaging and oxygen distribution in packages is necessary for successful packaging design of fresh produce. An approach to modeling perforated packaging performance was developed using a cylindrical chamber with precision perforations using Fick’s second law. The model was simulated using two techniques including Finite Element Method (FEM) using commercially available software and Finite Volume Method (FVM) through programming. Perforations were approximated as a source term in the second method. Both simulation techniques showed trends similar to experimental data.

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 …

Identification Of Species In Ground Meat Products Sold On The U.S. Commercial Market Using Dna-Based Methods, Dawn Kane

Food Science (MS) Theses

Mislabeling of ground meat products is a form of food fraud that can lead to economic deception and interfere with dietary restrictions related to allergens or religious beliefs. In various parts of the world, including Ireland, Mexico and Turkey, high levels of meat mislabeling have been reported between 2000-2015. However, there is currently a lack of information regarding this practice in the United States. Therefore, the objective of this study was to test a variety of ground meat products sold on the U.S. commercial market for the presence of potential mislabeling. Forty-eight ground meat samples were purchased from online and …

Characterization Of A Sample Population Of Dental Hygiene Patients With And Without Periodontal Disease As Determined Through Fatty Acid And Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Caitlin R. Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to compare the fatty acid and fruit and vegetable intake of people with and without periodontal disease. Periodontal disease affects approximately 15 percent of the developed world population. Participants filled out a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for both fruit and vegetable and fat intake. A sample of whole blood (EDTA) was collected to determine the fatty acid profile of participants’ red blood cell (RBC) membrane. This analytical procedure determines the average fatty acid intake of the participant over the previous 90 to 120 days. Participants were classified as case (n=10, patients diagnosed with periodontal disease) or …

Effect Of Sensory Cues On Hand Hygiene Habits Among A Diverse Workforce In Food Service, Robert Pellegrino

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poor hand hygiene is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the foodservice industry. A series of complex motivational interventions must be employed to permanently change the behavior of workers, to increase their compliance and sustain appropriate levels of proper hand hygiene. Unlike the healthcare industry, which uses large, costly multi-modal behavior modification strategies, the foodservice industry must deploy rapid, cost-efficient strategies that are focus on accommodating these goals with the constraints of high employee turnover rates and diverse demographics. This research was twofold, 1) examining differences in emotions and hand hygiene behavior among participants of two cultures when handling …

Optimizing Care Through Rd Checks, Suzanne Ickes Rd, Ldn, Melissa Faura Rd, Ldn, Ann Flickinger Ms, Rd, Ldn, Kristin Titus Rd, Ldn

Clinical Nutrition Service

No abstract provided.

Western Farmers’ Markets In Kathmandu: Vendor Perspectives, Caroline Saunders

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to understand Western farmers’ markets (FMs) in Kathmandu by understanding vendors’ motivations for attending FMs; and further, their perspectives on the purpose and potential for expansion of FMs in Kathmandu’s food economy. In the US and Europe, FMs are often seen in the literature as a component of a social movement (SM) called the ‘alternative food movement’ (AFM) concerned with environmental sustainability and social justice within the processes of food production and consumption (Isenhour 2012). FMs, a type of direct market that offer face-to-face interaction between producers and consumers, are a site for the transmission of values …

Identification Of Meat Species In Pet Foods Using A Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr) Assay, Tara A. Okuma, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Product mislabeling, adulteration, and substitution are increasing concerns in highly processed foods, including pet foods. Although regulations exist for pet foods, there is currently a lack of information on the prevalence of pet food mislabeling. The objective of this study was to perform a market survey of pet foods and pet treats marketed for domestic canines and felines to identify meat species present as well as any instances of mislabeling. Fifty-two commercial products were collected from online and retail sources. DNA was extracted from each product in duplicate and tested for the presence of eight meat species (bovine, caprine, ovine, …

New Functionally-Enhanced Soy Proteins As Food Ingredients With Anti-Viral Activity, Aizhan Sabirzhanovna Turmagambetova, Nadezhda Sergeevna Sokolova, Andrey Pavlinovich Bogoyavlenskiy, Vladimir Eleazvich Berezin, Mary Ann Lila, Diana M. Cheng, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Respiratory viruses are a major public health problem because of their prevalence and high morbidity rate leading to considerable social and economic implications. Cranberry has therapeutic potential attributed to a comprehensive list of phytochemicals including anthocyanins, flavonols, and unique A-type proanthocyanidins. Soy flavonoids, including isoflavones, have demonstrated anti-viral effects in vitro and in vivo. Recently, it was demonstrated that edible proteins can efficiently sorb and concentrate cranberry polyphenols, including anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, providing greatly stabilized matrices suitable for food products. The combination of cranberry and soy phytoactives may be an effective dietary anti-viral resource. Anti-viral properties of both cranberry juice-enriched …