Project Number: 1235-51000-046-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Feb 06, 2004
End Date: Feb 05, 2009

Objective:
The broad objective of this project is to elucidate details of bioavailability and metabolism of phytochemicals and other micronutrients. Specific nutrients of interest are carotenoids and polyphenols, with special emphasis on anthocyanins. Issues under study will include phytonutrient content of foods, comparison of foods as sources of phytonutrients, dose responses of phytonutrients, kinetics of metabolism of phytonutrients and micronutrients, and development of methodologies to label nutrients in plants for subsequent isolation and use in feeding trials.

Approach:
This research will be conducted through plant growth/nutrient accumulation studies, human feeding trials, quantitative chemistry, and kinetic mathematical modeling techniques. Plant growth/nutrient accumulation studies will be used to improve plant isotopic labeling, human feeding trials will be conducted to gather information about nutrient levels in biological samples after nutrient ingestion, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry will be used to quantitate nutrient levels in biological samples; and compartmental modeling techniques will be used to delineate parameters of absorption and metabolism of nutrients.