Browsing by Subject "Department of Food Science and Nutrition"
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Item The Effect of Saturated Fatty Acids on Lipogenic Gene Expression in Rat Primary Hepatocytes(2009-04-08) Best, AmandaConsumption of saturated fat has been associated with the development of obesity, diabetes, hepatic steatosis and related diseases. Additionally, animal studies have shown that consumption of a diet high in saturated fat results in a rapid upregulation of hepatic lipogenic genes. Thus, to determine if saturated fatty acids have a direct effect on hepatic gene expression, rat primary hepatocytes were cultured and treated with various fatty acids. RNA was harvested from the hepatocytes and cDNA was subsequently prepared to analyze for lipogenic gene expression. Lipogenic enzymes included fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-coA carboxylase (ACC) isoforms alpha and beta, stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) and fatty acid elongase 6 (Elovl6). Although lipogenic gene expression was altered in response to the presence of insulin and glucose, saturated fatty acids did not appear to significantly upregulate gene expression of lipogenic genes. These data suggest that the effects of saturated fatty acids on lipogenic gene expression in the liver are not direct. Further experiments will explore whether signals from the adipose tissue or inflammatory signals from microphages are necessary for saturated fatty acids to cause changes in de novo lipogenesis.Item The Effects of Different End Anchors on Satiety Scales(2009-04-08) Long, AlexisTwo scales that measure hunger and fullness were compared in this study, the Satiety Labeled Intensity Magnitude (SLIM) scale and the General Labeled Magnitude Scale (GLMS). The scales differed in terms used to define satiety and their end points. The research looked at which scale was more effective and the effect of varying end anchors. To determine which scale was best, 40 volunteers came in three times and ate three snacks differing in caloric value. Each volunteer rated their hunger and fullness before and after each snack. Twenty volunteers used the SLIM scale and the other twenty used the GLMS. Analysis shows one scale was not superior to another, but the end anchors did affect how hunger and fullness were rated. The GLMS gave much more condensed data, and overall fullness was more affected than hunger.Item The Effects of Satiety and Hunger on Normal, Overweight, and Obese BMI Ranges(2010-05-06) Olson, PaulaThe purpose of this project was to determine if normal, overweight, and obese people experience different amounts of hunger before eating and satiety after eating. Our hypothesis is there are higher sensations of satiety, and lower sensations of hunger among Normal Weight than Overweight and Obese people. The study compared hunger and satiety levels before and after eating amongst normal, overweight, and obese Body Mass Index (BMI) categories using a Labeled Magnitude Scale (LMS). Forty-five subjects (29 normal, 13 overweight, and 3 obese) rated thirty phrases using LMS hunger and satiety scales. The scale was 100 mm in length having the intensity descriptors of hunger and fullness as follows: strongest imaginable sensation, extremely, very, moderately, slightly, barely detectable, no sensation. Because there were so few obese people, I grouped the overweight and obese answers to compare with the normal weight answers. The results for the first ten survey questions, which were situational hunger and fullness questions, typically showed overweight and obese people being hungrier than normal weight people, for example “how hungry/full do you feel after not have eaten for 24 hours.” Overweight and obese people were fuller than normal weight people when the scenarios were more geared towards fullness, for example, “after a complete Thanksgiving dinner.” The last twenty survey questions were specific food questions that displayed the overweight and obese people less hungry after eating the item in comparison to normal weight people. In addition, the averages of the overweight and obese people for the specific food questions presented the overweight and obese people being fuller than normal weight people after eating the various foods asked in the survey.Item Fermentation of Fiber in the Gut: a Mechanism to Explain Fiber’s Protective Role in Weight Control(2011-04-13) Kuyama, MegumiHigher intakes of dietary fiber are protective against obesity. Fermentation of fiber in the gut may be the mechanism for this protective effect. To evaluate this hypothesis, we fed 22 healthy female subjects, ages 18 - 40 years, commercially prepared snack bars which contained no fiber, or 10 grams of four different fibers: fructo-oligosaccharide, inulin, soluble corn fiber and resistant starch. The study consisted of five test visits, separated by at least 1 week. Fasted subjects arrived at the test center and consumed their breakfast bar. Breath samples were collected from each subject at baseline and 180 minutes after they consumed snack bars during each study period. Breath samples were analyzed for breath hydrogen levels as a measure of fiber fermentation in the large intestine. The hydrogen levels at baseline and 180-minute point were compared for each subject and each type of fiber. Not all of the fibers showed significant effects on breath hydrogen levels. There were significant differences of breath hydrogen excretion and fiber digestion between baseline and 180-minute point for some dietary fibers. Breath hydrogen values were not significantly different for some fibers. Therefore, not all fibers are equally fermentable in the human colon. This result claims that all fibers are fermentable in the colon and may therefore affect body weight are not warranted.Item Fluid Viscosity and Thirst Quenching(2010-04-21) Gutkowski, SarahMy research focuses on thickened beverages. Thickened beverages are for those with dysphagia, a condition experienced most frequently post surgery. These patients cannot swallow water or similar beverages because the fluids go into their lungs causing choking. The goal of my research was to take a thick beverage and make it thirst quenching. Some describe thirst quenching as refreshing, or said another way, after you drink something you are not thirsty anymore.Most people would say that thick beverages are not thirst quenching or palatable, thus the problem I wanted to solve in my research. I designed six different thick beverages with varying ingredients and temperatures that would possibly quench thirst.My research included a taste test where 42 people participated by consumingmy six beverages and answering questions pertaining to their thirst quenching ability. The variations of the beverages in this study did not significantly improve the thirst quenching ability of the thickened beverage.Item Frequency of Caries in Children Taking Prescribed Medications for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(2010-04-21) Burns, Heidi A.Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental disorder in the United States. An estimated 4.4 million children age 4-17 are diagnosed with ADHD, and over half of these children are prescribed medication as part of a treatment regimen. Stimulants are seen as an effective first-line treatment for ADHD, and are often methamphetamine-based. Conclusive evidence exhibits non-pharmaceutical methamphetamine as extremely cariogenic (cavity-causing). Children with ADHD have been shown to exhibit poorer oral health behavior than children without ADHD, characterized by less frequent brushing. This population also shows a higher prevalence of bruxism (grinding) behavior than children without ADHD. Studies have also indicated a significantly higher DMFS (decayed, missing, or filled surfaces) and higher DS (decayed surfaces) scores in children with ADHD than without. Recent studies that report higher prevalence of caries (cavities) in children with ADHD fail to differentiate between medicated and unmedicated status. The oral manifestations of stimulants prescribed to children with ADHD are not completely known. The Center for Disease Control has also taken interest in this topic, calling for further study regarding stimulant consumption in children with ADHD because of substantial health risks that might be associated. This study aimed at investigating the connection between stimulant intake in children with ADHD and oral manifestations of drug use.Item Identification of Factors Affecting Vegetable Liking in Children Ages 9-12(2012-04-18) Iannazzo, RachelChildhood obesity in North America has reached epidemic proportions. Factors that continue to lead to such high rates of childhood obesity include low intakes or fruits and vegetables, along with high intakes of energy dense foods that are often not nutrient dense. One of the simplest ways to combat the childhood obesity epidemic is increase the amount of vegetables being eaten by children. Factors influencing vegetable intake in children may include cost or availability, but one of the biggest factors continues to be liking of vegetables.Item Light Oxidation of Vitamin D in Different Containers(2010-04-21) Johnson, KristineIn recent years, there has been a growing concern regarding the amount of vitamin D people are getting. This vitamin is important for normal mineralization and growth of bones. Milk has commonly been fortified with vitamin D to decrease deficiencies, but studies have shown how excessive light exposure can decrease vitamin levels in milk. Many studies have been done to test the stability of vitamins in milk. They have shown how excessive light exposure can decrease the vitamin levels in milk. Unlike vitamin A and riboflavin, the decay of vitamin D as a result of light exposure has not been as thoroughly studied. A major reason for this decay is the type of container used to hold the milk. Opaque, made of high density polyethylene, containers tend to better protect the fortified vitamins. Translucent, made of polyethylene terephthalate, containers are more susceptible to vitamin loss by light exposure but are more environmentally friendly. Another issue deals with the smaller bottles of milk often found in convenience stores. These small bottles are constantly exposed to the bright lights in the store’s coolers. The loss of vitamin D because of too much light only adds to the already low amount in some milk as well as the growing number of deficiencies.Item Polyactose and Bile Acid Excretion in Rats(2019) Wolniewicz, Emily; Abernathy, Breann; Gallaher, DanIn America, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in adults. In addition, people with hyperlipidemia, or high lipid concentration in the blood - including cholesterol, are twice as likely to develop CVD as people without hyperlipidemia. Statins are a class of medications that reduce total cholesterol levels and reduce risks of CVD (1). However, statins can have serious side effects such as: muscle pain, liver damage, increase in blood glucose levels, and memory loss of confusion. In rare cases, statins may induce rhabdomyolysis, which can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death (2). Thus, there is continued interest in non-pharmacological approaches to lowering blood cholesterol concentrations. Prebiotics, a type of dietary fiber that is indigestible by mammals, may be another way to reduce cholesterol without the adverse effects of statins or other medications. Prebiotics are defined to produce a positive change in the microflora of an organism and are beneficial to the host (3). This project aims to study polylactose, a newly synthesized oligosaccharide that has a potential to be a prebiotic. A recently conducted study in rats, using a high-fat diet as a background diet, found that feeding polylactose lowered liver cholesterol concentration. The mechanism by which polylactose imparts this effect is unknown. The purpose of this project was to examine one potential mechanism by which polylactose may lower liver cholesterol in rats, specifically, whether polylactose increases bile acid excretion. As bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol, and an increased loss of bile acids has the potential to lower cholesterol by diverting it into bile acid synthesis. Results of this project indicate that the high fat polylactose fed rats indeed showed lower liver cholesterol levels, indicating that polylactose has a potential to be a dietary cholesterol-lowering agent. However, the polylactose diet fed group did not result in increased bile acid excretion. This suggests that polylactose lowers liver cholesterol by a mechanism different from the study objective - excreting bile acids. Therefore, further studies should be conducted to determine the mechanism by which polylactose acts as a dietary cholesterol-lowering agent in rats.Item Rapid Detection of an Egg Allergen Ovalbumin from Milk and a Stainless Steel Surface using IMS-SERS(2012-04-18) Pagel, AlyssaFood allergies are adverse immune responses to food proteins that occur when the body's immune system mistakenly identifies a foreign protein as harmful. In the food industry, special care must be taken to prevent the unintentional addition of allergens to food products through contact with contaminated equipment. It is important to have a quick, easy and cost-effective detection method for allergenic proteins, such as the egg protein ovalbumin, in food products and on food processing equipment. Here we show the benefits of using Immunomagnetic Separation and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the detection of ovalbumin in milk and on a stainless steel surface. These results show superior detection levels to the currently used industry method, Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay.Item Use of a Nanotechnology Surface Coating (BioShield®75) Against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria(2011-04-13) Mulvey, KyleBiostatic agents that are intended for surface application can inhibit the growth of microorganisms, and their use is becoming increasingly popular throughout the food industry (1). BioShield®75 is a surfactant designed to inhibit microorganisms through the use of the Octadeylaminodimethyltrihydroxysilylpropylammonium chloride molecule. This compound is in the family of quaternary ammonium antimicrobials and was tested against two common foodborne bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. Stainless steel coupons were used to simulate a typical food processing surface. BioShield®75 was applied to half the coupons, with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes applied to all. After storage at room temperature for two hours, the coupons were enumerated on trypticsoy agar (TSA); a nonselective media. This media was effective because only one bacteria strain was on each coupon at a time therefore selective media wasn’t needed. After plate counting BioShield®75 was shown to be effective against Listeria monocytogenesproducing an average reduction of viable cells by 3.5 log Colony Forming Units (CFU). Salmonella was only killed by 1 log CFU both with and without BioShield®75, proving the compound has very little effect on the bacterium. After completing the trials it appears that BioShield®75 may be useful to prevent Listeria monocytogenes contamination, but it may not be effective against other bacteria.Item Why "Melted Cheese" Really Isn't Melted(2009-04-08) Fredrickson, Neal R.Contrary to what is commonly called "melting," cheese actually does not undergo a melting process. Instead, cheese undergoes what is called a "glass transition." At or below the glass transition temperature Tg, or brittle ductile temperature Tb, the cheese exhibits a hard, or "glassy" state. Above these temperatures, it turns into a "rubbery" solid that flows easily. Tests on the physical properties of American process cheese were performed to evaluate these temperatures (Tg and Tb) and this flow as a function of cheese moisture content. Samples of three different moisture contents were tested to find the brittle-ductile temperature (the temperature at which the cheese yields gradually as opposed to breaking in a brittle manner due to heating or increased moisture content) by the 3-point bend test, the extent to which the samples flow under gravity when heated to 100C by the Schreiber test, and the glass transition temperature by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).