Browsing by Subject "pennycress"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Evaluating the Sustainability of Double-Cropping Rotations with Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense)
    (2019-12) Moore, Sarah
    Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an emerging winter annual cash cover crop that can help address environmental concerns with summer annual cropping systems while also providing additional income as an industrial feedstock. Cropping systems research has mainly focused on incorporating pennycress into the corn – soybean rotation that dominates the upper Midwest. However, research into double-cropping systems with specialty crops is lacking. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the environmental and economic feasibility of a variety of specialty crops following pennycress; determine the effects of sweetcorn nitrogen fertilization on following pennycress yields; and quantify the ability of pennycress to reduce residual inorganic soil nitrogen.
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    The extraction, characterization, modification, and texturization of novel pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) protein for food applications
    (2023-11) Mitacek, Rachel
    The food industry is actively seeking functional, nutritious, and sustainably produced crops as novel sources of plant protein ingredients to aid in feeding the growing population and address consumer demands. Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) protein is an attractive alternative to market leading proteins, soy and wheat, as it is currently non-allergenic, non-GMO, and has vast environmental benefits. As a winter cover crop, pennycress provides soil stabilization, nutrient sequestration, and reduced nitrate leaching. Furthermore, pennycress oilseeds are high in protein and oil contents, which are attractive to valorize as two potential food ingredients. The oil from pennycress is currently utilized for industrial biofuels, leaving behind a proteinaceous meal as a by-product. Extracting protein from the meal will increase crop value, creating incentive for farmers to grow this sustainable crop, and will aid in addressing the growing consumer demands for alternative sources of plant proteins. Research on the utilization of pennycress oilseeds for food applications is limited due to antinutritional compounds, namely erucic acid and glucosinolates. Recent agricultural advancements have identified accessions of pennycress with no erucic acid, which are suitable for human consumption. In addition, glucosinolates, which are typically abundant in pennycress meal, are lost during protein isolation steps. Determining optimal, scalable protein extraction conditions that have a high yield of functional, nutritious protein isolates is crucial when evaluating novel crops for food applications. Furthermore, identifying differences in protein structural and functional characteristics among genetically diverse lines is an instrumental knowledge in the advancement of breeding efforts for pennycress. Many plant proteins are known to have inferior functionality compared to whey and soy protein, limiting their use in a variety of applications. Accordingly, this research was divided into two studies to evaluate protein extraction conditions and their impact on structural, functional, and nutritional characteristics of pennycress protein, and then to enhance inferior functional properties through targeted structural modification techniques. Therefore, the objectives of the first study were to 1) optimize protein extraction conditions to maximize yield and purity following two extraction methods, alkaline solubilization coupled with isoelectric precipitation and salt solubilization coupled with ultrafiltration and 2) characterize structural, functional, and nutritional properties of pennycress protein isolates as impacted by the extraction method, scaling up, and difference in genetic variety. Wild-type (W), and zero erucic acid (0EA) pennycress seeds harvested in 2017 were screw-pressed to expel the oil, milled to 60-mesh, and then residual oil was extracted using hexane to produce defatted pennycress meal (DPM). W-DPM was utilized for protein extraction following alkaline solubilization coupled with isoelectric precipitation and salt solubilization coupled with ultrafiltration. Pennycress protein isolate (PcPI) from alkaline extraction (W-PcPI-pH) had a dark, undesirable color, therefore, sodium sulfite was utilized during alkaline solubilization as a reducing agent to mitigate browning. Salt extracted pennycress protein isolate (W-PcPI-Salt) had superior color and functionality. Therefore, salt extraction was used for pilot plant scale up production of PcPI and for protein extraction from 0EA-DPM. Structural and functional characterization was performed on PcPI produced following selected alkaline (with and without sodium sulfite, W-PcPI-pH and W-PcPI-pH-S, respectively) and salt extraction conditions, scaled up salt extraction, and from 0EA seeds. Structural and functional properties of the PcPI samples were compared to native (nSPI) and commercial (cSPI) soy protein isolates. Furthermore, PcPI-salt and W-DPM were evaluated for in-vitro and in-vivo protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). PcPI-pH, produced with and without the use of sodium sulfite, had relatively poor functionality overall as a consequence of excessive protein denaturation and aggregation and high surface hydrophobicity. On the other hand, W-PcPI-Salt had similar gel strength, three times higher solubility under acidic conditions, and 1.5 times higher emulsification capacity compared to cSPI. 0EA-PcPI-Salt had comparable functionality to that of W-PcPI-Salt. The scaling up process of W-PcPI-Salt resulted in partial denaturation and mild polymerization that contributed to enhanced surface hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance, water holding capacity (WHC), and gel strength compared to its bench scale counterpart. Protein profiling showed that PcPI contains primarily small molecular weight proteins compared to nSPI, contributing to inferior gelation and WHC. Finally, the in-vitro (0.87) and in-vivo (0.72) PDCAAS of PcPI-Salt was superior or comparable to other commercially available plant protein sources. Protein crosslinking and formation of soluble aggregates are required for the development of a strong 3-dimensional gel network that entraps water. Proteins of relatively large molecular weight are correlated with a high potential to form cohesive, strong gel networks. Crosslinking proteins in PcPI will increase gel strength and WHC for enhanced texturization potential, and incorporation into high-value meat analogue applications. Protein crosslinking can be induced by either transglutaminase (TG) or physical treatment with cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). Therefore, the objectives of the second study were to 1) evaluate the effect of CAP and TG modifications on the structural and functional characteristics of PcPI, and 2) to determine the texturization potential of the modified PcPI. CAP treatment with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was utilized to polymerize PcPI (PcPI-CP). The production of TG modified PcPI (PcPI-TG) was optimized for enzyme dose, the use of pre-treatment denaturation, and time based on lysine crosslinking and protein profile. PcPI-CP and PcPI-TG were evaluated for structural and functional properties compared to unmodified PcPI. Micro-compounding was utilized for bench scale texturization of unmodified, PcPI-CP, and PcPI-TG at 50% water content. The texturization potential was assessed through mechanical responses during micro-compounding, structural properties, and texture profile analysis. CAP treatment induced polymerization primarily through intermolecular disulfide interchange, whereas TG resulted in a relatively higher extent of polymerization that was induced through a combination of inter- and intramolecular disulfide linkages and other covalent interactions involving acidic subunits of cruciferin. Compared to unmodified PcPI, PcPI-CP and PcPI-TG had double and triple the gel strength, respectively. Furthermore, PcPI-TG had the highest WHC (almost 100%). Upon micro-compounding, unmodified PcPI did not form fibrous structures and instead was a soft mass with low resilience and cohesiveness. Micro-compounding of PcPI-CP resulted in hard, dense fibrous structures due to the low WHC. However, the high gel strength and WHC of PcPI-TG resulted in fibrous structures with more air incorporation upon micro-compounding. Results confirmed that polymerization, especially with TG, can enhance gelation properties and texturization potential of PcPI. This work was the first to optimize protein extraction conditions from pennycress and provide a comprehensive structural, functional, and nutritional comparison among the resulting isolates. Overall, this work demonstrated that PcPI can be successfully extracted from DPM with high protein purity and yield, and acceptable color. Furthermore, the characterization of PcPI from genetically diverse lines provided a benchmark of knowledge to progress pennycress breeding efforts. Results confirmed that salt extraction is scalable and can result in PcPI with favorable functional properties that are comparable, or in some cases superior to cSPI. The low gel strength of PcPI was overcome by inducing polymerization through CAP and TG treatment, ultimately enhancing texturization potential. In particular, TG modification increased the WHC of PcPI, which resulted in textural properties that are desirable for meat analogue applications. This research provided foundational knowledge for the processing, modification, and utilization of PcPI. The introduction of PcPI into the protein ingredients market provides a sustainable, nutritious, and highly functional protein source for use in a wide range of food applications.
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    Identification of Volatile Compounds Contributing To Pennycress Aroma
    (2020-01) Luo, Peishan
    Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an extremely cold-tolerant oilseed in the mustard family, with an unpleasant mustard-like aroma. This study aimed to identify volatile compounds contributing to pennycress aroma. Wild-type pennycress seeds were evaluated using solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and aroma extraction dilution analysis (AEDA). In this research, twenty-nine aroma-active compounds were perceived. With the aid of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), retention indices, aroma descriptors and standard chemicals verification, ten volatile compounds were identified: 2,5-/2,6-dimethyl-3-methoxypyrazine (grassy), allyl isothiocyanate (onion-like), hexanal (green), (E)-2-octenal (earthy), acetic acid (sour), (E)-2-nonenal (woody), 1-octanol (grassy), 1-nonanol (green), (R)-2-methylbutanoic acid/3-methylbutanoic acid (cheesy) and phenethyl alcohol (rose-like). These results provided the initial aroma analysis of pennycress, which can attract general attention to compounds and metabolic pathways that haven’t been greatly noticed in previous studies, while propose a direction for pennycress breeding programs to design procedures minimizing the undesirable aroma.
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    Identification of Volatile Compounds Contributing to Pennycress Aroma
    (2020-01) Luo, Peishan
    Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an extremely cold-tolerant oilseed in the mustard family, with an unpleasant mustard-like aroma. This study aimed to identify volatile compounds contributing to pennycress aroma. Wild-type pennycress seeds were evaluated using solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and aroma extraction dilution analysis (AEDA). In this research, twenty-nine aroma-active compounds were perceived. With the aid of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), retention indices, aroma descriptors and standard chemicals verification, ten volatile compounds were identified: 2,5-/2,6-dimethyl-3-methoxypyrazine (grassy), allyl isothiocyanate (onion-like), hexanal (green), (E)-2-octenal (earthy), acetic acid (sour), (E)-2-nonenal (woody), 1-octanol (grassy), 1-nonanol (green), (R)-2-methylbutanoic acid/3-methylbutanoic acid (cheesy) and phenethyl alcohol (rose-like). These results provided the initial aroma analysis of pennycress, which can attract general attention to compounds and metabolic pathways that haven’t been greatly noticed in previous studies, while propose a direction for pennycress breeding programs to design procedures minimizing the undesirable aroma.
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    Interdisciplinary, Cross-Supply Chain Approaches to Food Systems Improvement
    (2020-10) Ringling, Keagan
    The field of nutrition is rapidly evolving into a new paradigm characterized by the complex, adaptive, wicked challenges faced by food systems professionals. Systems approaches are required to manage the complex issues at the intersection of the food system, the environment, and human health. Despite these complex, interlinked challenges, nutrition research and training remain siloed. Given the current landscape of systems problems, new systems-based approaches to research and training are required. Similar to the nutrition ecology framework, these approaches are requisite to the successful management of the health, environmental, economic and societal implications based on complex food system actions. In that vein, this work provides a framework, along with examples of hands-on experiential learning opportunities within a nutrition graduate program focused on systems approaches in nutrition. This is demonstrated through interdisciplinary collaborations across the supply chain and food system. First, we seek to understand supply chain barriers to whole grain availability and access in restaurants. Then, we shift focus to the development of a new sustainable crop, pennycress. Here, we collaborate upstream in the supply chain with plant geneticists to identify genetic targets to improve the quality of raw materials. Then we collaborate with economists to model production economics. Overall, this approach mixes adapted socio-ecological, biological, and economic analyses to provide a more holistic perspective to food systems development. Then we discuss the role of the land grant university in developing sustainable food systems, and we discuss learnings from our interdisciplinary, systems training approach. Finally, based on the work as a whole, we provide recommendations regarding a three-step process to catalyze future systems approaches in nutrition.
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    Research from pod to pod: Harvest time optimization of shatter-resistant pennycress, camelina integration into the corn-soybean rotation, and communicating science via podcast.
    (2022-10) Cubins, Julija
    Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) dominate the agricultural landscape in the Upper Midwest, but limits crop production to the summer months. There is a fallow period from late autumn through the spring that is associated with externalities such as nutrient loss and a lack of economically-viable crop production despite useable growing degree days during that period. Thus, pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) and camelina (Camelina sativa L.) are crops of interest for use during the corn-soybean fallow period. While both crops have been researched heavily for the past decade, questions about their production remain unanswered. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to further understand how pennycress harvest can be optimized for use within the corn-soybean rotation; observe the agronomic and economic dynamics when camelina is integrated into the corn-soybean rotation as a winter cash crop; further describe the effect of camelina in nutrient loss prevention over the typically-fallow period; and assess the role of camelina in the corn-soybean carbon cycle. All agronomic experiments were carried out over the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. The pennycress experiment was conducted in Rosemount, MN, USA, while the camelina experiments were conducted in Morris and Rosemount, MN, USA. However, the research process does not end after data collection, analysis, and publication. For many scientists, there is a growing need to communicate findings with the general public rather than just to academic peers and industry and government stakeholders. This dissertation also explores the use of podcasting as a science communication medium though an experiential project, Hooked on Science.
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    Understanding the genetic architecture of secondary domestication traits in Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)
    (2022-12) Tandukar, Zenith
    Thlaspi arvense L. (Field Pennycress) is a newly domesticated winter annual oilseed capable of improving ecosystems and intensifying agricultural productivity without new land displacement. Pennycress is a winter hardy cover crop that provides ecosystem services such as reduced soil erosion and nutrient loss in between fall corn harvest and spring soybean planting. However, pennycress is currently limited by its small seed size and unimproved oil production. This dissertation builds on the limited research on pennycress breeding and genetics and aims to establish and characterize a global diversity panel of wild pennycress accessions, two biparental recombinant inbred populations, and three independent EMS-derived mutants to contribute knowledge and resources to understand important seed and agronomic characteristic traits in pennycress. Chapter 1 presents a literature review focused on the status of pennycress breeding and genetics, as well as factors that may shed light to understanding the genetic and physiological control of seed size and oil content. Chapter 2 presents a genetic dissection of seed size, oil content, and protein content via genome-wide association studies in a diversity panel. Chapter 3 explores and characterizes the phenotypic and genotypic diversity in two recombinant inbred populations developed for field pennycress, whereas chapter 4 reports the characterization of three independent wax mutants in pennycress and the implications of waxes on total seed oil content in pennycress.