Leveraging International Experiential Learning Opportunities in Food And Agricultural Science Programs

Global experiential learning and engagement facilitate learning opportunities to better understand the processes that shape global agricultural and food culture systems. This study had two objectives; the first was to integrate experiential learning, through partnerships with selected universities and institutions abroad, into students’ education. The second was to enhance faculty and students’ global learning, discovery, and engagement experiences. Seven students from Tuskegee University, and two students from Delaware State University, were provided an opportunity to visit three universities overseas, where they engaged in classroom discussions and other experiences. They participated in activities at other institutions, such as the Food Research Institute, Food and Drug Administration, and Standards Authority. They also participated in field activities, including visits to farms, food processing facilities, and cultural sites. These experiences provided a global context and deepened students’ knowledge of food-related institutions, agricultural and farm processes, as well as relationships to chosen majors

Novel Extraction and Encapsulation Strategies for Food Bioactive Lipids to Improve Stability and Control Delivery

Dietary bioactive lipids have been recovered from diverse sources and shown to provide numerous health benefits. Like certain lipids, under normal processing and storage conditions, exposure to factors such as the presence of light, elevated temperature, and oxygen causes degradation and loss of nutritional value and functionality limiting their use. Furthermore, their hydrophobic nature makes incorporation into water-based products challenging. Delivery systems that entrap bioactive components such as micro/nano-encapsulation have been used over the years to enhance solubility, stability, safety, consumer acceptability, delivery, and bioavailability. This review examines recent developments in the extraction, delivery systems, and application of loaded bioactive lipid-rich micro/nanoparticles in food and nutraceutical products

Leveraging International Experiential Learning Opportunities in Food And Agricultural Science Programs

Global experiential learning and engagement facilitate learning opportunities to better understand the processes that shape global agricultural and food culture systems. This study had two objectives; the first was to integrate experiential learning, through partnerships with selected universities and institutions abroad, into students’ education. The second was to enhance faculty and students’ global learning, discovery, and engagement experiences. Seven students from Tuskegee University, and two students from Delaware State University, were provided an opportunity to visit three universities overseas, where they engaged in classroom discussions and other experiences. They participated in activities at other institutions, such as the Food Research Institute, Food and Drug Administration, and Standards Authority. They also participated in field activities, including visits to farms, food processing facilities, and cultural sites. These experiences provided a global context and deepened students’ knowledge of food-related institutions, agricultural and farm processes, as well as relationships to chosen majors

Leveraging International Experiential Learning Opportunities in Food And Agricultural Science Programs

Global experiential learning and engagement facilitate learning opportunities to better understand the processes that shape global agricultural and food culture systems. This study had two objectives; the first was to integrate experiential learning, through partnerships with selected universities and institutions abroad, into students’ education. The second was to enhance faculty and students’ global learning, discovery, and engagement experiences. Seven students from Tuskegee University, and two students from Delaware State University, were provided an opportunity to visit three universities overseas, where they engaged in classroom discussions and other experiences. They participated in activities at other institutions, such as the Food Research Institute, Food and Drug Administration, and Standards Authority. They also participated in field activities, including visits to farms, food processing facilities, and cultural sites. These experiences provided a global context and deepened students’ knowledge of food-related institutions, agricultural and farm processes, as well as relationships to chosen majors

Using machine learning models to predict the quality of plant-based foods

Plant-based foods (PBFs) are considered healthy, especially, minimally processed whole foods, fruits, whole grains, and legumes while highly processed PBFs maybe less nutritious. Educating consumers on nurient quality will help to guide their choices. This study was aimed at estimating and predicting the nutrient quality of PBFs using their Nutri-Score and micronutrient content. The NHANES (2017–2020) data shows the output for foods consumed in the US and their nutrient composition based on a 24-h recall. Though the Nutri-Score label has been used to discriminate food quality, it still needs to be implemented in most countries. It computes mostly macronutrients with less consideration for micronutrients which also contributes to product quality. ML methods used in this study combine the Nutri-Score grade and micronutrient content in predicting food quality. The FNDDS data of PBFs for 2017–2020 were split into training (n = 300) and testing (n = 74) datasets. Eight ML models were used to predict the Nutri-Score and the Nutri-Score grade of PBFs. Random forest (RF) and light gradient boost model (LightGBM) performed best with accuracy and coefficient of determination (R2) scores of 0.88 and 0.96, respectively, while DT had the least scores in predicting the Nutri-Score grade (0.81) and Nutri-Score (0.93). These results suggest that ML can be effectively leveraged to predict PBFs quality

Effect of organic acid pre-treatment on polyphenol oxidase induced browning and sensory quality of frozen yam chips

Yam Dioscorea spp suffers about 30% postharvest losses annually. Processing into convenience products such as yam chips prolong shelf life although the action of enzymes including polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) may affect the quality if not precluded. Pre-treatment of cut yam with pH modifiers and antioxidants before storage could reduce enzymatic browning. In this study we investigated the effectiveness of ascorbic acid, citric acid and lime juice treatment and 5 weeks (w) of frozen storage in reducing browning in yam chips without affecting sensory quality. PPO and POD activity of freshly prepared yam chips pre-treated with citric acid, ascorbic acid or lime juice and stored frozen at -18 °C for 5 weeks was determined. The yam chips were fried and the moisture, oil content and colour determined. Consumer acceptability sensory evaluation was conducted for the week 0 and 5 of stored samples. POD activity was significantly reduced (50%) by treatment with citric acid after five-weeks of frozen storage while treatment with ascorbic acid and lime juice had no effect on the enzyme activity. There was no significant difference in lightness between the different treatments although treated samples differed significantly from the untreated. Moisture content of all samples were lower after storage while oil content of the various treatments was significantly different. Notwithstanding these differences, consumer acceptability was not different between the various treatment and storage periods. Pre-treated frozen yam chips have a good consumer acceptance and potential for commercial application. Developing this product will add value to yams and reduce huge postharvest losses