Food Science Commons^™

Mission Possible, Shashank Shah, Vijaya Sunder M

Asian Management Insights

Overcoming challenges to bring clean water to rural India.

Assessment Of The University Of Rhode Island's Dining Halls And Student Perceptions Of On-Campus Dining, Maria Cherry

Senior Honors Projects

University dining halls are understudied food environments that affect student diet quality. This study (1) assessed dining hall offerings at the University of Rhode Island (URI) using the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Healthier Campus Initiative (PAHA) criteria for healthier campus food environments and (2) evaluated student perceptions of the dining hall through a campus-wide survey (n=165). We evaluated breakfast, lunch, and dinner using spring cycle menus (16 weeks in 2019 and 4 in 2021) from two full-service dining halls totaling 29 meals in 2019, and 84 meals in 2021 to determine adherence with PAHA criteria for availability of: 1) …

An Investigation Of Social Ecological Barriers To And Facilitators Of Wic Farmers Market Nutrition Program Voucher Redemption, Renata Blumberg, Emily Fowler, Yeon Bai, Pankaj Lal, Alyssa Smolen, Ilana Dubrovsky

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

In the United States, many communities lack sufficient access to fresh produce. To improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides eligible participants vouchers through the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) that can be redeemed directly from farmers at markets or farm stands. However, FMNP voucher redemption rates in New Jersey remain lower than those in neighboring states. This article used the social ecological model to examine differences between FMNP participants who redeem vouchers (Redeemers) and those who do not (non-Redeemers) in the areas of: produce procurement practices and …

Preparation Of Proteins And Peptides From Heat-Stabilized Defatted Rice Bran Via Solid State Fermentation And Investigating For Skin Health, Ali A. Bisly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat-stabilized defatted rice bran (HDRB) is an abundant and inexpensive agro-industrial by-product of rice milling and rice oil extraction process. Furthermore, HDRB is a potential source of proteins. However, the direct protein extraction has low yield of protein due to the impact of heat stabilization and oil extraction process which made the HDRB proteins bound and interact with other components. This research is based on using solid-state fermentation (SSF), which is a natural and cost-effective approach to facilitate protein extraction from HDRB using Bacillus subtilis (natto) Takahashi as a microorganism.

Response surface methodology (RSM) analysis was used with Box-Behnken design …

Calcium Intake Among Parents And Caregivers Of Children With A Milk Allergy Or Intolerance : A Comparative Analysis, Ilana Dubrovsky-Razam

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Food allergies have become a global epidemic, affecting over 10% of the general population and 8% of children worldwide. Eliminating or limiting a food group from the diet can have adverse effects on micronutrient consumption. Milk allergies, for instance, can influence the amount of calcium consumed in the diet, particularly when limiting or excluding milk/milk-containing products from the diet. As milk products tend to be a primary source of dietary calcium, a milk allergy can serve as a barrier to meeting daily calcium needs.

Previous literature has analyzed the influence parents and caregivers have on their children’s diet, however, there …

Variations In Consumer Rejection Thresholds Of Water Samples Including Mixed-Berries Flavors, Kathryn Mccullough

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Functional flavored water has emerged as a major space in the beverage industry in recent years. However, no research has explored the point that consumers begin to reject a specific flavor concentration within a flavored water matrix (i.e., a consumer rejection threshold). The first part of this thesis aimed to determine the consumer rejection thresholds of mixed-berry flavors in both sweetened and unsweetened water samples and examine the effects of demographics, food neophobia status, and personality traits on the consumer rejection thresholds. The second part of this thesis aimed to distinguish and compare consumer rejection threshold methodologies with and without …

Evaluation Of Human Microbiota-Associated (Hma) Porcine Models To Study The Human Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Nirosh D. Aluthge

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

Research conducted in the past couple of decades has showcased the importance of the gut microbiota in human health and well-being. While many studies have reported on the differences in community membership between a disease state and a healthy state, few have investigated the mechanisms through which an aberrant microbiota contributes to a disease phenotype. One of the primary reasons for this are the many technical and ethical barriers to conducting the necessary studies directly in human individuals. Human microbiota-associated (HMA) porcine models have the potential to become important research tools which can enable the testing of hypotheses regarding host-microbiota …

Microbiological Safety And Quality Of Raw, Ready-To-Eat (Rte) Seafood Sold In Orange County, California, Grace Marquis

Food Science (MS) Theses

Raw, ready-to-eat (RTE) seafood can pose health threats due to the potential presence of foodborne pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes is a known microbiological hazard associated with raw, RTE seafood. Salmonella enterica has not traditionally been recognized as a hazard in seafood, but it is an emerging concern, with five outbreaks in seafood in the United States from 2011 to 2021. The presence of E. coli and total coliforms can indicate fecal or environmental contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological safety and quality of raw, RTE seafood sold in Orange County, CA. A total of 105 raw, …

To The Window, To The Wall: Improving Environmental Monitoring Protocols, Sarah Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Detecting microorganisms on environmental surfaces via an environmental monitoring (EM) program is part of a preventive food safety culture. Environmental monitoring should 1) verify that food safety plans are reducing cross-contamination risk from surfaces to food, 2) pinpoint microbial niches, and 3) prevent the transmission of pathogens. Environmental monitoring programs utilize EM tools, such as sponges, to sample food contact and non-food contact surfaces. However, EM tool selection is determined by the individual food firm. This dissertation evaluated and characterized factors influencing EM program effectiveness in the food industry. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on the release of microorganisms from EM …

The Impact Of Dietary Protein Supplementation As Part Of A Time Restricted Feeding Eating Pattern On Sleep, Mood, And Body Composition In Adults With Overweight Or Obesity, Rebecca L. Bowie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity in the United States continues to increase, and effective, long-term weight loss strategies are limited. Time restricted feeding (TRF) is a dietary intervention that has potential to serve as an effective long-term weight loss strategy, however more data is needed to establish the effectiveness of a TRF eating pattern on obesity and its related health outcomes. To our knowledge, manipulation of macronutrient composition during TRF intervention and the effect of TRF on sleep and mood have not been studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of protein supplementation during TRF on mood, sleep, and …

Essential Amino Acid (Eaa) Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Protein Turnover With Age, Mary Komp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle (SM) is vital for both long term health and quality of life. Recent research suggests an increase in catabolic signals with age triggers pathologic conditions, such as sarcopenia. Although results from in vitro studies model how EAA can regulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the relevance of these models to muscle protein breakdown (MPB) and the presence of physiological EAA concentrations remains to be established. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of a low, normal, and supra physiological dose of EAA (0.2, 1.0, and 3.0 x EAA) in a young (passages 2-10) and aging …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Context Specific Curriculum Design For Very Small And Small Strawberry Growers In The Southeastern United States, Thomas A. Yeargin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Outbreaks of foodborne illness due to fresh produce are a continued threat to both the publichealth and the economy in the United States. Though there are many factors which influence the perpetuation of foodborne pathogens, the inability of the food industry to curtail this issue indicates systemic failure of interventions aimed at improving food safety practices. In this dissertation, we detail the efforts made over the past few decades to provide training to food producers and food handlers as well as recommendations that have been made for improvement based on these studies. By borrowing from more advanced fields of study …

A Broken Market: Can Increased Access To Broken Rice Decrease Food Insecurity In Haiti?, Matthew Greer Richardson, Lawton L. Nalley, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Philip G. Crandall, Andrew Scruggs, Lesly Joseph, Jerome Chouloute, Wei Yang

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Haiti is a unique rice market in the sense that, despite the high poverty rates and dependency on rice as a staple, it relies on imports (80% of total consumption) of high-quality milled rice for which it pays a premium price. Haiti requires that all imported rice have a maximum of 4% broken kernels, which results in Haiti importing one of the most expensive non-fragrant long grain rice in the world. This study implements a non-hypothetical field experiment (300 observations) to elicit which rice attributes Haitians valued as revealed by their purchasing behavior in an open-air market setting. Specifically, we …

Determining Hand-Harvest Parameters And Postharvest Marketability Impacts Of Fresh-Market Blackberries To Develop A Soft-Robotic Gripper For Robotic Harvesting, Andrea Lea Myers, Anthony Gunderman, Renee Threlfall, Yue Chen

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hand-harvesting parameters and postharvest marketability attributes of fresh-market blackberries (Rubus L. subgenus Rubus Watson) were characterized to develop a prototype for a soft-robotic gripper for robotic harvesting. A custom-made, force-sensing apparatus attached to the thumb and fingers of a person hand-harvesting blackberries was developed to quantify forces used to harvest and to identify appendages for harvesting. Four cultivars of blackberries grown in Arkansas were harvested at optimal ripeness and stored at 2 °C for 21 days to determine the impact on marketability attributes (leakage, decay, and red drupelet reversion). The forces during harvest imparted by the thumb and middle …

Editorial: Fat Metabolism And Deposition In Poultry: Physiology, Genetics, Nutrition And Interdisciplinary Research, Volume I, Sami Dridi, Craig W. Maynard, Jie Wen, Elizabeth Gilbert

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial on the Research Topic: Fat metabolism and deposition in Poultry: Physiology, Genetics, Nutrition and Interdisciplinary Research, Volume I

Addressing Public Perceptions About Cell-Based Meat And Cellular Agriculture Through Metaphors, Yvette Emma Hubbard

English Theses & Dissertations

Today’s food movement places organic, holistic, and natural foods as priority. The idea aims for better human health, a farm-to-table community, and environmental sustainability. Soon a new meat alternative will become part of the ongoing food movement. What is it? Cell-based protein. It is a protein alternative to livestock protein. It is real protein from a real breathing animal. Cell-based beef for example is grown in a lab with cells from a living cow that does not have to die or be slaughtered. It is destined to become the new protein architecture on the horizon. Parts of this paper are …

Evaluating The Microbial Quality And Use Of Antimicrobials In Raw Pet Foods, Leslie Pearl Cancio

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

Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) are emerging pet foods that pose food safety risks because of the potential presence of pathogens that could cause illness to humans. In this research, the microbial quality of select RMBD products sold by pet food companies online and the use of chemical antimicrobials to reduce the microbial load in chicken liver, a common RMBD ingredient, were evaluated.

Ground meat blends and livers from four animal species (beef, pork, chicken, turkey) were purchased from four online companies that delivers directly to consumers through parcel businesses. Products were procured at three different times during one year and …

Healthy Eating At Providence College, Katelyn Breen, Alexis Carabetta, Lilah Milton, Katharine Shaughnessy

School of Business Student Scholarship

Katelyn Breen ’24, Major: Marketing

Alexis Carabetta ’24, Major: Marketing

Lilah Milton ’24, Major: Marketing

Katharine Shaughnessy ’24, Major: Marketing

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Newman, Marketing

Our marketing group surveyed 100 Providence College students about their healthy eating choices and level of satisfaction of Ray Dining Hall’s healthy eating options. From the data collected, we discovered most students are unsatisfied with Ray Dining Hall and they suggested the need for a greater variety of healthy eating options. Based on this information, our group put together three recommendations that Providence College Dining should implement: 1) provide students with healthy eating instructions; …

Development And Characterization Of Physicochemical Properties And Consumer Perception Of Gluten-Free Oat-Based Snack Bars Containing Orange Peel, Andrea R. Muela Negrete

LSU Master's Theses

Orange peel (OP) is a major byproduct from orange juice production, and is a good source of fiber and flavonoids, particularly nobiletin. Nobiletin has been reported to exhibit pharmacological activities including anti-inflammation and antioxidation. Incorporating orange peel into food products would harness economic benefit of this industrial byproduct and support a sustainable food chain. This study was performed to evaluate consumer perception of gluten-free oat-based snack bars (GFOSBs) containing orange peel.

In the first study three GFOSBs were formulated to contain 17%, 20%, and 23% orange peel by weight. Consumers (N=103) evaluated GFOSBs for sensory liking (9-point hedonic scale) and …

A Cookbook For The Trendy Chef, Katja Roberts

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

A Cookbook for the Trendy Chef contains a compilation of recipes which fall under 8 major food trends for 2021. These trends were determined to be vegan, keto, and gluten-free diets, along with “viral foods”, easy recipes, functional foods, international flavors, and comfort foods. These trends were selected based on predictions made by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the Washington Post.