Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Minority graduate students, undergraduate students, research associates and high school science teachers, minority high school students Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Students (undergraduate and graduate) students were exposed to state of the art equipment related to Food safety and were provided hands on research opportunities. They were given opportunities to attend various conferences and network with industry and federal government representatives. Students also praticipated in internships with the USDA, academic institutions and private iindustry to gain better understanding of the area of food safety. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Through workshops and research presentaitons. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Food Science workshops were held for high school science teachers during Spring 2012, Summer 2012, 2013 and 2014. The science teachers were invited with their students to the department to participate in hands-on activities associated with food science/food safety. The day long (Spring) and weeklong (summer) workshop focused on using food science/food safety experiments in the classroom and showed them the various careers in Food safety. Two new courses related to food safety and quality were developed-FAS 558-Food Quality assurance and FAS 559/659-Food Systems biosecurity and bioterrorism Nine graduate students were trained in the area of Food Microbiology and Food Safety-5 currently have sucessful careers in the area of Food Microbiology/safety and 4 are in the process of completing final requirements forgraduation The Post doctoral research associategraduate students visited high schools (a total of 150 students were reached each year) in the region to present interactive workshops (focussing on Food safety educaiton) and also presented the various career opprotunities in food safety to high school students at 4 different high schools in the area of food science/food safety (Spring 2012 and2013). During Summer 2011 and 2012 students participated in the 5 week program with emphasis in Food Science (Food Microbiology, Food Product development, HACCP). Students were given hands-on experience through the process of product development to learn basic food safety and principles of HACCP. They were taken through the steps in product development and also studied shelf life and were given hands-on experience in microbial enumeration and plate counts. Graduate students who served as mentors to the Summer interns in the areas of Food Science (Food Biochemistry, Food Toxicology, Food Microbiology, Food Process engineering. These graduate students worked with the summer program participants to mentor them in the area of food science with special emphasis in Food safety as a part of the product development process. A total of 55 students were brought to the department on 5 Saturdays during the Spring 2012 and 2013 (February and March) to conduct Food Science/Food Safety hands on activities and given pre and posttests in food safety/science. During the introduction session students were explained the objectives of the workshop and then divided into groups. Several demonstrations and hands-on activities were included. The sessions were presented by graduate students. Students were also exposed to the daily applications of microbiology in everyday life in the development of food products such as yogurt. They made yogurt and were able to eat their products.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Brazelton, C., Verghese, M., and Banerjee, P. 2011. Growth and survival of selected probiotic bacteria in legume beverages. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA
Montgomery, N.L., Herring, J.L., and Banerjee, P. 2011. The effect of pulsed ultraviolet light on biofilms formed by E. coli O157:H7. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA
Kennedy, N.M., Johnson, A., Najafi, R., Bhunia, A.K., and Banerjee, P. 2011. Biosensor for Functional and Rapid Screening of Selected Pathogens and Toxins from Food, Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Roya Najafi, 2012 SERS-based sandwich immunoassay using cluster/shell Fe3O4/Au nanoparticles for detection of E. coli O157:H7, IFT annual meeting
- Type:
Other
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
In Vitro Toxicity and antimicrobial activity of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extracts. Ashly Kelly, J. Boateng, J. Patterson & M. Verghese, Ph.D.- presented at AAMU stem Day , March 8, 2013
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Nedra L Montgomery, Judith Boateng, Lloyd T Walker, Martha Verghese, Storage Effects on Fermentation Activity, Quality Attributes, and Antioxidant Activity of a Legume-Based Yogurt Product. Growth and survival of selected probiotic bacteria in legume based yoghurt: Determination of anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and identification of biomarkers of inflammation Presented at 2014 IFT Annual Meeting, June 21 24, 2014, New Orleans, LA
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
INVESTIGATING THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF ROSEMARY, THYME, BASIL, AND CRANBERRY AGAINST LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES AND ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
In Vitro Toxicity and antimicrobial activity of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extracts.
|
Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
Target Audience: The PI left the university and the grant was not transferred over to the Co PI -Martha Verghese until August 2012 and therefore no report is available. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 1. To train underrepresented students in food safety 2. to conduct a summer experinemtial learning program for high school students and science teachers 3. to expand collaborative linkages with other universities and the ARS
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A summer laboratory and experiential program for high school students was conducted in June and July 2012. 10 students particiated in this program.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: There are two (2) African American graduate students at M.S. level (Food Science) who are being supported through this project to pursue their thesis research in the area of food safety. The students were selected based on their interest in pursuing a career in the field of food microbiology and food safety. The thesis project topics included rapid detection of food borne pathogens and toxins, application of novel intervention methods for reducing pathogen loads from food products, and probiotic food products and food safety. In the research project focusing on rapid detection of pathogens the student used a newly developed biosensor platform "Cell-based Assay for Rapid Detection" (CBARD) and compared the sensitivity and limit of detection with different commercially available food pathogen detection kits and with FDA recommended BAM methods. Several different commercially available kits were tested or planned to be tested including coaggiutination, reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), lateral-flow immunoassay, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acid probes, and immune florescence. In another research project, the student investigator studied the effects of pulsed ultra-violet (PUV) light treatment in the inactivation of biofilms formed by selected pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7) in model food and food contact surfaces. The student also determined optimal processing treatments to reduce bacterial load on the surfaces of the products. With the support of the current project, a summer laboratory and experimental learning activities focusing contemporary issues in food safety for high school students were conducted. A total of 17 high school students took part in the two-week long (June 14- June 28, 2011) food safety summer workshop program which was held in the Food and Animal Sciences department (Food Microbiology laboratory) in the Agricultural Research Center at AAMU. The activities were organized Monday through Thursday between 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Selected students from local high schools participated in this program. Students were selected based on their academic credentials, interest in the field, and interest in coming to AAMU. We worked with teachers, school administrators/counselors and the North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence in an effort to identify and recruit students from low-income families for the summer apprenticeship program. To increase participation, we offered free transportation, and stipends of $100.00 per week per student. Through the summer course programs, students received lectures in hygienic and safe food handling, proper storage of foods; learn about microorganisms that are associated with foods, the conditions of growth of microorganisms and to apply this knowledge to solving food-safety and spoilage related problems. The practical lab-based experiences included performing common food microbiological laboratory analyses. Students received a lecture on laboratory safety on the first day of the workshop. On the last day of the workshop, students submitted a brief paper on their findings and made a 5-10 minutes presentation. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Food Science graduate students at AAMU, High school students (juniors and seniors) PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The project helped to create opportunity for minority students to avail advanced training (at M.S. level) in food safety. The program has provided support (through partial financial support from this project) to two (2) minority graduate students to finish their master's degrees. One (1) thesis document and three (3) presentations in international scientific meetings were produced. Apart from this, the graduate students acquired several advanced laboratory research skills, developed critical thinking, leadership skills, and transformed into budding researcher to cater the need of highly skilled food safety professional workforce development. Through the summer workshop, we created awareness about the existing resources that AAMU can offer to make a bright future career path for minority students attending high schools, and create a highly focused incoming freshman student pool to AAMU's food science undergraduate program. This project showed a great potential of helping Americans from low-income families who are searching for opportunities that could help them fulfill their dream of acquiring a college degree, at the same time increasing the number of minority trained in the area of food safety.
Publications
- 1. Brazelton, C., Verghese, M., and Banerjee, P. 2011. Growth and survival of selected probiotic bacteria in legume beverages. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA
- 2. Montgomery, N.L., Herring, J.L., and Banerjee, P. 2011. The effect of pulsed ultraviolet light on biofilms formed by E. coli O157:H7. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA
- 3. Kennedy, N.M., Johnson, A., Najafi, R., Bhunia, A.K., and Banerjee, P. 2011. Biosensor for Functional and Rapid Screening of Selected Pathogens and Toxins from Food, Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI
|
|