Fiscal Year 2005 Annual Report for National Program 306,     

Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products

 

This National Program is focused on post-harvest quality and utilization of agricultural commodities and products.  The National Program Team held three workshops in 1999, inviting stakeholders to provide input on relevant problems and research needs.  From those workshops and subsequent internal planning meetings, a National Program Action Plan was developed and put in place in 2000.  Research project plans were prepared by lead scientists and underwent review by peer panels in 2004.  Upon revision of the project plans to satisfy reviewer concerns, the projects were certified by the ARS Office of Scientific Quality Review for a five year period.  Selected accomplishments in this national program for fiscal year 2005 are shown below under the two program components.

 

1.  Quality Characterization, Preservation, and Enhancement

 

Soluble dietary fibers with health benefits.  Researchers in Albany, CA, discovered that soluble fibers reduce oxidative damage in test animal tissues.  In addition, fibers previously thought to be inactive were found to have significant beneficial activity.  These results and the new fiber source will provide an alternative to pharmaceuticals to prevent dietary-related metabolic disease such as type II diabetes.  The research is being done in collaboration with an industrial partner.  Two patent disclosures have been filed.

 

Reduced use fungicide technique benefits growers and consumers.  Researchers at Parlier, CA, developed a method to enhance activity of the fungicide imazalil to control green mold while reducing its rate of use by 50% or more using sodium bicarbonate.  Reducing fungicide use is valuable to reduce industry costs and residues in the citrus fruit ingested by consumers.  The technique also accomplished partial control of imazalil-resistant isolates of the fungal pathogen which causes most of the postharvest losses in California.  The ARS researchers worked with commercial interests to optimize the combination treatment so that it could be incorporated into commercial use.  Some version of the method is now used in most California packinghouses.

 

Postharvest storage protocol for guayule plants.  Using techniques initially developed by ARS scientists in Albany, CA, an industrial manufacturer began the first large scale commercial production of  latex from the guayule plant.  This development provides new opportunities for south-west farmers and a domestic source for rubber.  Researchers at Albany, CA, in collaboration with ARS researchers at Phoenix, AZ, determined proper postharvest storage of guayule plants to maintain latex quality and yield.  The commercial industrial collaborator applied this knowledge for 2005 harvests.

 

Sampling plan for Starlink corn.  Because StarLink is a genetically modified corn that produces an insecticidal protein, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the use of StarLink corn to feed-use only and has established a zero tolerance for StarLink corn in the human food supply.  Since some StarLink corn has been found in the human food supply, FDA, USDA, and corn millers now inspect shelled and milled corn destined for human consumption for the presence of StarLink.  Sampling and analytical errors associated with measuring StarLink in corn meal and flour were determined and the effects of sample size, the number of analyses on reducing testing errors, and the number of lots misclassified were demonstrated.  Knowledge of the measure errors will reduce both health risks to the consumer and economic loss to the processor.

 

Moisture meters.  ARS engineers at Athens, GA, consulted with a major manufacturer of farm equipment to develop a new grain moisture sensor for its grain combines, using principles developed by the ARS engineers.  Microwave moisture sensing equipment supplied by an instrument manufacturer in Iceland also utilizes principles developed by the ARS.

 

Decision support system for managing peanut curing operations.  A decision support system for managing peanut curing operations was developed by researchers at Albany, GA, and released for use by the peanut industry.  The software includes models to accurately predict peanut drying time in response to specific drying equipment, weather conditions, and dryer control parameters.  It also includes tools to manage the flow of peanuts at the drying facility from the time they are delivered by the farmer until they are graded and marketed.  Use of the decision support system will reduce labor, minimize overdrying, and document drying conditions for all peanuts cured at that facility.

 

Better honeydew melons.  Traditional honeydew melons (netted, orange flesh) have been linked to outbreaks of food-borne illness due to the presence of bacteria within the netting on the exterior surface of the melon.  Researchers at Weslaco, TX, have identified a non-netted, orange flesh honeydew melon that has elevated phytonutrient content, longer shelf-life, better flavor, and greater consumer preference than the traditional honeydew melon.  This development will reduce the potential health risks associated with netted melons, while providing the consumer with a better tasting, more nutritious melon.   

 

New high fiber oats.  ARS researchers at Fargo, ND, collaborated with researchers at North Dakota State University in the development of a high soluble fiber oat cultivar ‘HiFi’.  An organic food company will market oat flakes from the cultivar as a health food under an agreement with the University.  The company is contracting with several small organic farms to produce HiFi oats.  ARS is facilitating the smooth transfer of this technology to the marketplace. 

 

Wheat sorter for quality traits.  Researchers at Manhattan, KS, developed an NIR (near infrared) sorting system that automatically scans individual wheat kernels and sorts them based on specific attributes such as protein content, hardness, amylose content, and other selected quality attributes.  The technology was commercialized through a CRADA with a Swedish-based company and is being publicly marketed.  It is being used by breeders to select specific traits from early generation breeder samples.  This will significantly reduce the time and expense required to develop cultivars with specific end-use traits.

 

 

 

 

2.  New Processes, New Uses and Value-Added Foods and Biobased Products

 

Soyoil metalworking fluid.  A soy oil-based metalworking fluid was developed by scientists at Peoria, IL, and tested in the private sector CRADA partner’s pilot plant.  The biobased lubricant outperformed the equivalent mineral oil lubes, and is economically competitive.  The CRADA partner plans to conduct trials next year in large rolling mill plants in the U.S. and Europe.  

 

Starch-coated plastic.  Scientists at Peoria, IL, developed a commercially viable procedure to deposit thin layers of starch onto the surface of normally water repellant plastics such as polyethylene.  These starch coatings impart water receptive properties to the plastic surface, thereby facilitating the absorption of water-based dyes and inks, reducing electrostatic charging, and improving compatibility with aqueous agents and biological fluids.  This technology has applications in plastic containers, biomedical devices, and wrapping materials for sensitive electronic components.  The Peoria scientists have filed two patent applications in cooperation with a private sector CRADA partner who is interested in marketing the technology.

 

Biobased binder for charcoal briquettes.  A cheaper, more efficient binder is needed for commercial production of charcoal briquettes.  A team of scientists from Albany, CA, collaborated with engineers from an industrial partner to develop a corn-based binder that is much lower in cost than the currently used binder.  The corn binder also improved the strength of the briquettes.  This research may save the company $5 million in material costs and could provide a new niche market for corn.

           

Pilot processing capabilities developed for new oilseed crops.  ARS scientists at Peoria, Illinois constructed a pilot plant facility for developing processing methods to extract new oils from crop seeds. In addition, processes were developed for extracting cuphea seed oil (a potential domestic source of saturated fatty acids for cosmetics), lesquerella seed oil (for engine lubricants), and milkweed seed oil (a potential specialty oil for soaps and cosmetics).

 

Size–free weaving reduces chemical use.  About 70% of cotton produced worldwide is used in woven fabrics and warp yarns are the major components therein.  These yarns are coated (sized) with expensive chemicals during preparation, and later the woven fabrics are desized (chemicals are removed).  Both processes, sizing and desizing, add to costs and environmental concerns.  Scientists at New Orleans, LA, demonstrated that size–free weaving was feasible on high speed weaving machines using long fiber cotton (called Acala) rotor-spun yarn stabilized with a high torque (or twisting force).  Eliminating sizing and desizing will reduce the cost and use of chemicals and enhance the use and competitiveness of cotton. 

 

Successful trial of cotton/flax blend yarns.  Researchers at Clemson, SC, in partnership with a commercial textile mill, organized a commercial scale trial to demonstrate the use of cotton/flax blend yarns developed by ARS to produce commercial quantities of fabric for shirting material and denim.  The yarn was woven on high speed weaving machines at a high efficiency and resulted in fabrics with a unique appearance and improved fabric breathability without compromising the fabric strength.  The success of this effort demonstrates that domestically grown flax fiber is a good alternative natural fiber source that provides enhanced fabric characteristics for domestic textile mills, will provide a competitive advantage in the global textile market, and should result in increased amounts of U.S. produced cotton sold for denim garments.