In the Spotlight
New Methods for Ensuring Food Safety
Microbiologist George Paoli inspects antibody-coated magnetic beads and biologist Chandi Wijey analyzes DNA samples in their efforts to develop immunological, microbiological, and genetic-based methdos for detection of Yersinia pestis in food. (D1452-1)
Good news for fans of raw cookie dough. Researchers at ARS's Eastern Rgional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, have filed a patent on technology that can further protect pasteurized liquid eggs from food safety threats. These threats include both naturally occurring spoilage bacteria and pathogens such as Salmonella enteritidis, the primary cause of egg-related foodborne illness in the United States. The technology has also been successfully applied to milk.
But don't go running for that dough just yet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still cautions against consuming any raw, unpasteurized eggs or products that contain them.
Read all about it in the May-June 2009 issue of Agricultural Research Magazine.
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DPPRU Molecular Modeling Promotes Milk Protein Innovation
AlphaS2-Casein (AlphaS2-CN) comprises up to 10% of the casein fraction in bovine milk. The role of AlphaS2-CN in milk and dairy products has not been studied in detail in part due to a lack of structural information on the molecule. Interest in the utilization of this molecule in dairy products and nutrition has been renewed by work in three areas: biological activity via potentially biologically active peptides, functionality in cheeses and products, and nutrition in terms of calcium uptake. To help clarify the behavior of AlphaS2-CN in its structure-function relationships in milk and its possible applications in dairy products, ERRC scientists have produced a working three dimensional (3D) molecular model for this casein (J. Dairy Science92:1338, 2009). This effort completes the work on molecular modeling of the caseins. Molecular models for this protein and for the other three major caseins (AlphaS1-CN β-CN and κ-CN) in pdb format may be downloaded from the DPPRU site.
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Career Day
Please click here to view photos from the 2009 ERRC Career Day, April 23 and 24.
Note: Password needed
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Dairy Team-Up Leverages Research Towards Healthy Ingredients
Dairy Management Inc., the National Dairy Council, and the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Program-Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, have partnered with USDA-ARS on a new National Dairy Research Plan, a roadmap for dairy research. The researchers of the Dairy Processing and Products Research Unit, USDA/ARS/ERRC, will collaborate to develop new milk ingredients, new technologies that enhance the health, safety and functionality of dairy products, and on methods to extend shelf-life.
Click here to read the article (PDF).
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ERRC Scientists Partners in Successful Development of New Method for Biodiesel Production from Non-Food Feedstock
As the use of biodiesel, the renewable and domestically produced replacement for petroleum diesel fuel, expands worldwide, new feedstock supplies are needed to meet increasing demand. The use of low cost starting materials is particularly interesting, since feedstock cost can constitute 80% of overall production cost when high value, edible fats and oils are used to produce biodiesel. Working in collaboration with BlackGold Biofuels, ERRC researchers have contributed to the successful development of a robust production process that converts trap grease, a low-value waste fat, to high quality biodiesel. The accompanying article describes the announcement by the city of San Francisco, CA of its issuance of a contract to BlackGold for the first production scale implementation of its technology.
Click here to read the article (PDF).
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Guayule
Go Native with this Promising Biofuel - and Biomedical - Crop
Guayule (K1559-3)
Perhaps the single most valuable gift the desert-dwelling guayule plant offers us is its superb natural latex. The white, rubber-rich substance, extracted and purified from this southwestern U.S. native shrub (Parthenium argentatum), is ideal for making high-quality gloves, medical devices, and other in-demand natural rubber products.
Importantly, latex from guayule (pronounced why-YOU-lee) is free of the proteins responsible for the sometimes-deadly latex allergies caused by the most widely used natural-rubber source, the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis.
But guayule may also prove to be an economical, environmentally friendly source of yet another prized commodity: energy. That energy can be made from the ground-up stems and branches, called “bagasse,” that are left after their latex has been removed.
Read all about it in the February 2009 issue of Agricultural Research Magazine.
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Upcoming Events
- May - Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
- May 12 - Seminar: "Modeling and production of bioethanol from mixtures of cotton gin waste and recycled paper sludge" presented by Dr. Jiacheng Shen, to be held in Room 2006 at 10:30 AM
- May 13 - Green Team Video: 1st episode of the PBS series E2 Transport "London: The Price of Traffic" at 12:00 in Room 2006
- May 14 - Seminar: "Porous materials for heterogeneous asymmetric catalysts" presented by Dr. David Mihalick, to be held in Room 2006 at 10:30 AM
- May 20 - APA Heritage Culture Display in Room 2006 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- May 20 - APA Heritage Keynote Program: "Leadership to Meet the Challenges of a Changing World" presented by Dr. Jeremy Wu, Director, Local Employment Dynamics, US Census Bureau, to be held in the Auditorium at 10:00 AM, Refreshments at 9:30 AM
- May 20 - APA Heritage Luncheon to be held at Jasmine Asian Bistro in Glenside at 12:00 Noon, Cost: $10
- May 25 - Closed for Memorial Day
- May 27 - Green Team Meeting, Noon to 1 PM in Room 2006
- May 29 - Seminar: "Alkylresorcinols as biomarkers of whole grain wheat and rye intake" presented by Dr. Rikard Landberg, Dept. of Food Science, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, to be held in Room 2006 at 10:30 AM
10 Most Recent Publications
Additional Publications - We have 5600+ publications online that you can view and print.
The following publications are not yet online. To request a reprint, please email Patti.Durkin@ars.usda.gov with your name, address, and reprint number.
| REPRINT |
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
| 8063 |
Physico-chemical characterization of alkaline soluble polysaccharides from sugar beet pulp |
M.L. Fishman, H.K. Chau, P.H. Cooke, M.P. Yadav, and A.T. Hotchkiss |
| 8062 |
Inoculation of strawberries with AM fungi produced on-farm increased yield |
D.D. Douds, Jr., G. Nagahashi, J.E. Shenk, and K. Demchak |
| 8061 |
Choosing a mixture ratio for the on-farm production of AM fungus inoculum in mixtures of compost and vermiculite |
D.D. Douds, Jr., G. Nagahashi, C. Reider, and P.R. Hepperly |
| 8060 |
Organic farming enhances soil carbon and its benefits |
P. Hepperly, R. Seidel, D. Pimentel, J. Hanson, and D. Douds, Jr. |
| 8059 |
Ultraviolet light (254 nm) inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on frankfurters that contain potassium lactate and sodium diacetate |
C.H. Sommers, P.H. Cooke, X. Fan, and J.E. Sites |
| 8058 |
Inactivation of avirulent Yersinia pestis in butterfield's phosphate buffer and frankfurters by UVC (254 nm) and gamma radiation |
C.H. Sommers and P.H. Cooke |
| 8057 |
Inactivation of Listeria innocua on Frankfurters by ultraviolet light and flash pasteurization |
C.H. Sommers, D.J. Geveke, S. Pulsfus, and B. Lemmenes |
| 8056 |
Whey protein isolate: a potential filler for the leather industry |
E. Hernandez Balada, M.M. Taylor, E.M. Brown, and C.-K. Liu |
| 8055 |
Composite drying with simultaneous vacuum and toggling |
C.-K. Liu, L. Liu, N.P. Latona, N.M. Goldberg, and P. Cooke |
| 8054 |
Simultaneous quantitation of multiple classes of organohalogen compounds in fish oils with direct sample introduction comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry |
E. Hoh, S.J. Lehotay, K.C. Pangallo, K. Mastovska, H.L. Ngo, C.M. Reddy, and W. Vetter | |
