Progress 11/15/06 to 11/14/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In this project, we trained two doctoral candidates and one master student and subsequently pipeline them into the workforce to fulfill the national need for food safety expertise. While the definitive goal of this proposal is to produce three exceptional graduates who will impact the field of food science, the multidisciplinary research project designed for these students will also yield significant results that meet a USDA/CSREES objective by reducing the incidence of foodborne contaminants through science based knowledge and education. Upon receiving the notification the award in November, 2006, we initiated recruitment for the three graduate students. The first PhD. Student, Kelly Perkins, focuses on analytical chemistry, training as an instrumentation specialist in the food chemical safety laboratory, was selected in January, 2007. She worked on one of our projects entitled "Chemical Sensor Development for the Detection of Patulin in Fruit Beverages". Sensor development was begun using the insecticide phosmet as a model analyte for patulin. We chose phosmet because 1) it has a key functional group in common with patulin that responds well to our detector and 2) analytical grade patulin is prohibitively expensive and also toxic to work with in large amounts. We developed films that allow us to detect phosmet as low as two parts per million in solution and are working towards increasing sensitivity and reproducibility before transferring our system to patulin detection. The M.S. student of the fellowship, Lucius (Luke) Caldwell, was recruited into our program in August, 2007. Luke was selected based on his good communication skills, outstanding GRE scores, and his interest in the outreach component working with us and Maine apple growers. Luke's project was "The Use of Vinegar Vapor and Post-Harvest Biological Control to Reduce Patulin in Apple Cider". Alison Lacombe, the second Ph.D. student joined the program in Aug 2008. Training and preparation of Alison for doctoral degree can be categorized as; the instilling of leadership skills, the development and execution of scientific pursuits, and the dissemination of results to the peers and the general public. As an executor of the project she has consistently produce publishable results. Our students had opportunity to work collaboratively with multiple laboratories to gain insight and understanding in food science through teaching, grant writing, and presenting research. Through this process, students have learned about current food systems and the potential impacts of contaminants on food safety. Each year our students have presented their findings to the scientific community. They are active participants in national scientific associations, such as Institute of food Technologist (IFT) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). At national meetings they have administered both oral and poster presentations pertaining to their research. At the conferences, experts from industry, academia, and government who are involved in both the science and the business of food gave positive feedback with respect to the new information our students presented. PARTICIPANTS: PD Vivian C.H. Wu1, Co-P.D.: Brian Perkins1, Carl Tripp2, Alfred Bushway1, Beth Calder1, and Rod Bushway1. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition1, Department of Chemistry2, University of Maine NNF fellows: Kelly Perkins1 Lucius Caldwell2 Alison Lacombe1 Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition1, Department of Chemistry2, University of Maine TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include graduate students, the food industry, professionals and scientists in the area of microbiology, food science, biotechnology, and food safety; the general public and consumers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
As the outcome of the project, we successfully trained two doctoral candidates and one master student. Research activities by Kelly demonstrate proof of concept for development of a novel chemical sensor for detection of phosmet degradation products. Lucius (Luke) Caldwell, the M.S. student, finished his M.S. in Food Science & Human Nutrition and completed his thesis titled "The Use of Vinegar Vapor and Post-Harvest Biological Control to Reduce Patulin in Apple Cider". Luke graduated in August, 2009 with a final GPA of 3.87. Luke also presented a research poster at the Annual Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) meeting in Anaheim, CA in June 2009. His poster was selected as one of the ten finalists for the Institute of Food Technologists Fruit and Vegetable Products Division Graduate Student Poster Competition. Alison's technical training involves a multidisciplinary approach. Alison's goal was to screen for antimicrobial susceptibility using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. To execute the project she work in several different laboratories, to learn techniques. This training was an invaluable experience for her and allowed for her to develop project and design experiments. Her research work involved close collaboration with an offsite sequencing facilities. Alison's training with high through put sequencing has taught her to process and organize large sets of data. In addition, Alison has work on helping to secure funding for the project, through the writing of manuscripts and grant for equipment. She has successfully petition the Center for Teaching Excellence and Graduate student government for matching funds for necessary equipment. The outcome of this effort was a collaboration between academic and government institution to produce a viable research project. Alison has been trained in presenting both basic and transformative research and applied science. Therefore, maximizing her scientific contribution through her participation in the scientific program. Every year she petitions the graduate student government for funds to put toward travel. Recently her work has been recognized for excellence in several presentation competitions. In the summer of 2011, two research abstracts have been recognized as finalist in the IFT food microbiology oral competition and received third and fourth place. Additionally, an abstract that was submitted this summer to ASM received a travel award. Alison's work has been published, in review, or under preparation. The process of peer review has trained Alison in the rigorous objective and technical concerns to produce research that has been sufficiently well conceived, well executed, and well described to justify inclusion in the scientific record. In addition every other fall Alison assists a laboratory section of Food Microbiology. This experience adds to her professional training by building skills such as class room management, student evaluations, and lesson plan organization. In addition to assisting teaching the laboratories, Alison has also prepared and delivered several lectures pertaining to food safety. This experience will prepare her for any academic setting.
Publications
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V. C. H., Tyler, S., & Edwards, K. (2010). Antimicrobial action of the American cranberry constituents; phenolics, anthocyanins, and organic acids, against Escherichia coli O157:H7. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 139(1-2), 102-107.
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V.C.H., White, J., Tadepalli, S., & Andre, E. (2012). The Antimicrobial Properties of the Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) fractional components against foodborne pathogens and the conservation of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Food Microbiology. 30, 124-131.
- Lacombe, A., Li, R.W., Klimis-Zacas, D., Kristo, A.S., Tadepalli, S., Krauss, E, Young, R., and Wu V.C.H. 2012 The effect of blueberry-enriched diets on the microbial composition of the rat proximal colon detected by metagenomics. PLOS One (in review).
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V.C.H., & McGivney, C. (2012). The Antimicrobial Effect of Constituent Cranberry Components against Escherichia coli O15:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes at sublethal concentrations; investigation into injury mechanisms. Food Microbiology (in preparation).
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V.C.H., Wu & Tadepalli, S. (2012). The antimicrobial effect of lowbush blueberries polyphenols against Escherichia coli O15:H7; investigation into injury mechanisms and the selective recovery of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. International Journal of Food Microbiology (in preparation).
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V.C.H. (2009). Investigation of the Antimicrobial Effect of Constituent Cranberry Components Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA.
- Lacombe, A., McGivney, C. Wu, V.C.H., (2010). The Antimicrobial Action of the American Cranberry Fractional Component against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and determination of membrane permeability. Chicago, IL.
- Lacombe, A., Wu, V.C.H., White, J., Tadepalli, S., & Ander, E. (2011) The Antimicrobial Properties of the Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) fractional components against foodborne pathogens and the conservation of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (Finalist Graduate student research paper oral competition, 3rd place Z. John Ordal Oral Competition)
- Lacombe A., Wu, V.C.H., & McGivney, C. (2011). Antimicrobial Action of the American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Fractional Components against Listeria monocytogenes and the Conservation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. (Finalist Graduate student research paper oral competition, 4th place Z. John Ordal Oral Competition)
- Lacombe A., Wu V.C.H., Li R.W., Tadepalli S., Krauss E., Kristo A.S. , and Klimis-Zacas D. (2011). Dietary Effects of Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) on the Gut Microbiome using a Rat Model. American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. (Awarded Outstanding Student Abstract Travel Grant)
- Lacombe A., Li R.W., Klimis-Zacas D., Kristo A.S., Tadepalli S., Krauss E, Young R., and Wu V.C.H. (2011). The effect of blueberry-enriched diets on the microbial composition of the rat proximal colon detected by metagenomics. American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Regional Meeting, Randolf, MA. (Awarded 3rd place in Graduate Poster Competition)
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Progress 11/15/08 to 11/14/09
Outputs
This project proposes to train two doctoral candidates and one master student and subsequently pipeline them into the workforce to fulfill the national need for food safety expertise. The first PhD. student, Kelly Perkins started in January, 2007. Academic course requirements for the Chemistry degree were completed during the current semester and Kelly has successfully completed the required comprehensive examinations. She is currently performing research, working on two papers for submittal to scientific journals and is writing her dissertation. She anticipates a graduation date in 2010. Research activities to date by Kelly demonstrate proof of concept for development of a novel chemical sensor for detection of phosmet degradation products. Lucius (Luke) Caldwell, the M.S. student, finished his M.S. in Food Science & Human Nutrition and completed his thesis titled "The Use of Vinegar Vapor and Post-Harvest Biological Control to Reduce Patulin in Apple Cider". Luke graduated in August, 2009 with a final GPA of 3.87. At the current time, Luke is preparing manuscripts for publication, including an article intended for small apple cider processors in New England. Luke also presented a research poster at the Annual Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) meeting in Anaheim, CA in June 2009. His poster was selected as one of the ten finalists for the Institute of Food Technologists Fruit and Vegetable Products Division Graduate Student Poster Competition. Alison Lacombe, the second Ph.D. student joined the program in Aug 2008. Training and preparation of Alison for doctoral degree can be categorized as; the instilling of leadership skills, the development and execution of scientific pursuits, and the dissemination of results to the peers and the general public. As an executor of the project she has consistently produce publishable results. Not only presenting at the IFT annual meeting in June 2009, Alison has one publication accepted for publication in International Journal of Food Microbiology. Apart of her training is to find funding to support her travels and research. She has been successful on three accounts in this regard. First, she has managed to acquire fund of $450 for the Graduate Student Government and $250 from the Alumni Association for her travel to the IFT annual meeting in Anaheim, CA. Second, she secured $1,000 in funding from the Center for Teaching Excellence, to purchase necessary equipment for the undergraduate projects she leads. PRODUCTS: The items include a draft of a fact sheet on basic patulin information intended for small apple cider processors, a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan as a model for apple cider processors, development of promising natural antimicrobials for the American Cranberry, a patulin sensor, PowerPoint presentations for several conferences, and publications. OUTCOMES: The outcome of this project is we have successfully graduated one M.S. fellow and the two Ph.D. fellows are also making good progress toward to their graduation. Lucius (Luke) Caldwell graduated with his M.S. in August of 2009. This fellowship has given him the opportunity to increase his knowledge in Food Science and become a more well-rounded biologist and highly competent food scientist. Luke presented his research at the Annual IFT Meeting in Anaheim, CA in June 2009. Luke should also be able to publish at least one publication to a peer-reviewed journal and also write a research bulletin intended for apple growers. Luke presented his research findings in the form of a PowerPoint presentation to Maine apple growers (Maine Pomological Society) at the 2009 Maine Agricultural Trades Show. Luke also printed off copies of his patulin fact sheet and gave them to growers at his presentation. Kelly Perkins, the Ph.D. fellow, has passed her comprehensive exams and has completed all of her course work. She is in the process of completing her research. She anticipates a graduation date in 2010. After entering the program for 1 and half year, Alison C. Lacombe, the Ph.D. fellow has gotten one manuscript published in International Journal of Food Microbiology. Alison has received hands on training and practice in real laboratory situations. The projects developed and executed by the Alison represent innovation in the health sciences and actively engage other students under her leadership. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: We had solicited feedback from apple cider processors at a Maine Pomological Society meeting prior to starting the research project on how we could develop a research project that would be of interest and be effective for this audience. One of our fellows, Luke, worked with Extension Specialists through UMaine Cooperative Extension in making food industry contacts and sourcing apples for his research. At the conclusion of his project, Luke was invited by Extension Tree Fruit Specialist from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to present his research findings to the Maine Pomological Society at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta, Maine (January 2009). The Agricultural Trades Show was well attended by apple growers and cider processors, and was an effective way to educate apple growers and cider processors on Luke findings to potentially reduce molds on apple surfaces as steps in reducing patulin-production to produce safe cider products. We intend to submit the fact sheet draft to the UMaine Cooperative Extension Communications Department in 2010 to create a fact sheet for use by apple growers and cider processors. We have presented Alison work at the IFT annual meeting and Cranberry Health conference. We have also published one part of Alison work in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. FUTURE INITIATIVES: None at this time
Impacts
The impacts of the project are successful training of three USDA fellows. Our research projects carried out by the USDA fellows are highly applied research that should have beneficial impact to apple growers not only in Maine, but nation-wide. The results will offer new options, such as vinegar fumigation utilizing a simple, yet inexpensive method (a home humidifier) to significantly reduce patulin-producing molds on apple surfaces. Apple growers will be interested as this is a cost-effective method to reduce patulin-producing microorganisms at their farm, especially apple growers that press apple cider. The findings should further educate apple growers on the effectiveness of using biological versus chemical controls. This information may be of interest to organic apple growers that want to maintain organic or natural practices to avoid using chemicals in their post-harvest processing methods. The successful development of a patulin sensor will have an enormous positive impact on the juice processing industry. The rapid testing provided by such a senor would enable virtually all manufacturers the opportunity to ensure patulin-free products at a very modest cost. Furthermore, a viable patulin sensor will have a positive impact on the Maine economy, as the sensor would likely be manufactured by a Maine company, by Maine-trained employees. The antimicrobial projects have major implications for the application of cranberry such as a natural preservative, as well as the elucidation of the major components responsible for health benefits and antimicrobial properties.
Publications
- Lacombe, A., V.C.H. Wu, S. Tyler, and K. Edwards. 2009. Antimicrobial action of the American cranberry constituents, phenolics, anthocyanins, and organic acids, against Escherichia coli O157:H7. Int. J. Food Microbiol. In press.
- Lacombe, A. and V.C.H. Wu. 2009. Investigation of the Antimicrobial Effect of Constituent Cranberry Components against Escherichia coli O15:H7. Institute of Food Technologist Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA.
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Progress 11/15/07 to 11/14/08
Outputs
This project proposes to train two doctoral candidates and one master student and subsequently pipeline them into the workforce to fulfill the national need for food safety expertise. The first PhD. student, Kelly Perkins started in January, 2007 and is tasked with developing the sensor for patulin detection. She spent the second year of her USDA Fellowship in the laboratory, in a concerted effort to apply the chemical applications learned from her phosmet model to a patulin model. Having spent the first year of her fellowship taking a full course load of graduate classes, Kelly has continued to take courses while preparing to take her doctoral qualifying exams. By necessity, Kelly continues to concentrate in the area of chemistry (chemical synthesis), with a goal of applying her research to food matrices. She has maintained a GPA of 3.85 and was recently inducted into the food science honor society, Phi Tau Sigma. Kelly has presented her work-to-date in a graduate seminar and is currently finishing her first article for this project to be submitted for peer-reviewed publication. Lucius (Luke) Caldwell, the M.S. student, has been taking courses towards obtaining his M.S. in Food Science. His current GPA as a graduate student at UMaine is a 3.83. Luke completed his seafood HACCP certification, using an apple cider model for his HACCP plan project. Luke is working on his thesis research to determine biological and chemical controls to reduce potential patulin-producing microorganisms. He has been investigating practical methods for reducing patulin levels in apple cider. To meet this goal, he has been focusing on the post-harvest reduction of mold populations that may live on apple surfaces and may also produce patulin during cider production. He has been investigating the combination of established and documented curative and protective measures for a two-pronged approach to mold-reduction. Luke has been utilizing a unique delivery system for the curative step, which involves a vaporized acid (cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar or peracetic acid). After this step, he has chosen to investigate the efficacy of inoculation with a commercially available biological control agent (Pseudomonas syringae), as a protective measure against further mold infestation. So far, the protective step is showing the most promise, though he still needs to screen the step against varying concentrations of mold inoculum. The white distilled vinegar treatment has provided over a 3 log reduction on apples which had been inoculate with Penicillium expansum. Core samples for patulin analysis have been taken from apples showing mold grow. Analyses will be completed during Spring of 2009. Alison Lacombe, the second Ph.D. student joined the program in Aug 2008. She is currently working on her program of study and proposal of thesis project in preparation of her first committee meeting. She is also working on the first objective of her thesis in preparation of the submission of IFT abstract. Alison is assisting a food microbiology laboratory course to gain teaching experience in preparation of her future career goal. PRODUCTS: None at this time OUTCOMES: Kelly remains on track to complete her Ph.D. studies in December of 2009. She will complete her Ph.D. qualifying exams this semester. An accomplished analytical chemist by training, Kelly has gained a number of new skills that can be focused in the area of food chemistry, an area that has endured a chronic shortage of American women. We expect Kelly to published at least two papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals over the last year of her fellowship. During the third year of study, Kelly will focus on a comparison of her patulin sensor with conventional analytical tools such as high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectral detectors (LC/MS/MS). Experience with such instrumentation will qualify her for a number of high level employment opportunities in public, academic and private sectors. Luke remains on track to graduate with his M.S. in May of 2009. This fellowship has given him the opportunity to increase his knowledge in Food Science and become a more well-rounded biologist and highly competent food scientist. Luke will be submitting an Abstract for presentation of his research at the Annual IFT Meeting in Anaheim, CA in June 2009. He has also been working on a thesis research project and his findings appear promising that his research should benefit all apple growers, especially growers that press cider. He should also be able to publish at least one publication to a peer-reviewed journal and also write a research bulletin intended for apple growers. Luke will be disseminating his research findings in the form of a talk to Maine apple growers at an agricultural trades show. Alison will be submitting an Abstract for presentation of her research at the Annual IFT Meeting in Anaheim, CA in June 2009. She has be working on her thesis right after joining the program. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: While we do not yet have a viable sensor, we have generated a great deal of interest by apple cider processors and by Federal and State regulator. The FDA recently began requiring wholesalers of apple cider to test for patulin in their cider at least once/year. To that end, we have collected a number of cider samples from Maine producers to test for patulin levels. If Kelly is able to develop a working prototype sensor, we will have real product for her to test and to compare with conventional testing methods. This project has created a lot of interest and goodwill between researchers, producers and regulators. Luke has talked to Renae Moran, Extension Tree Fruit Specialist from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and will be presenting his research findings to the Maine Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers Association at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta, Maine (January 2009). The Agricultural Trades Show is well attended by apple growers and will be an effective way to educate them on Luke findings to potentially reduce molds on apple surfaces as steps in reducing patulin-production. FUTURE INITIATIVES: None at this time
Impacts
Our research projects carried out by the USDA fellows are highly applied research that should have beneficial impact to apple growers not only in Maine, but nation-wide. The successful development of a patulin sensor will have an enormous positive impact on the juice processing industry. The rapid testing provided by such a senor would enable virtually all manufacturers the opportunity to ensure patulin-free products at a very modest cost. Furthermore, a viable patulin sensor will have a positive impact on the Maine economy, as the sensor would likely be manufactured by a Maine company, by Maine-trained employees. The methods developed for post-harvest reduction of mold populations will offer new options to apple growers interested in cost-effective methods to reduce patulin-producing microorganisms at their farm, especially the apple growers that press apple cider. Our findings should further educate apple growers on the effectiveness of using biological versus chemical controls. This information may be of interest to apple growers that want to maintain organic or natural practices to avoid using chemicals in their post-harvest processing methods.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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