Nutraceutical Properties of Soybeans with Modified Traits

Soybeans have diverse uses in foods and are known for their health-beneficial properties. Research has shown that consumption of soybeans or their components may help to prevent or alleviate chronic illnesses including heart disease, some cancers, and osteoporosis. Foods made from soybeans can develop flavors or odors that are unfavorable, in part because of lipid oxidation. Approaches to prevent lipid oxidation include modification of soybean traits such as fatty acid composition or lipoxygenase enzyme levels. Soybeans with modified α–linolenic acid (18:3n3) and soybeans with reduced lipoxygenase were analyzed to determine if there was an unintentional effect of modification on health-beneficial components. The effects of genotype and growing environment on nutraceutical components were analyzed for the modified 18:3n3 soybeans. Additionally, an assay for measurement of lipoxygenase–1content in soybean meal was developed for high-throughput analysis using fluorescein as a fluorescent probe. The results showed a significant effect of genotype of at least p ≤ 0.05 for fatty acid composition, isoflavone levels, lutein, and tocopherol levels in the modified 18:3n3 soybeans. Environment had significant effect on certain fatty acids, lutein, tocopherols, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The effect of genotype × environment was significant for total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radical, as well as isoflavone composition, fatty acid composition, lutein, and tocopherol composition. Soybean lines with modified-lipoxygenase content contained similar or higher isoflavone levels compared to non–modified soybeans. The results of this research demonstrated that soybean modifications for improved oil stability did not adversely affect the health-enhancing components. Additionally, genotype or growing environment may be a factor in selecting the best soybean lines for nutraceutical development

Experimental evaluation of an environmental conservation technology instructional unit

The study was conducted during the fall and winter of the 1989-1990 school year to evaluate the effectiveness of an environmental conservation technology instructional unit. The instructional unit was designed for upper level high school agriculture science technology and marketing students (ASTM). The effectiveness of the unit was measured in terms of students\u27 knowledge of environmental conservation technology, students\u27 attitude toward natural resources, and teachers\u27 attitudes toward natural resources and teaching environmental conservation technology;An experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used in this study. Schools with ASTM departments were randomly selected and randomly assigned to groups from a population of 82 schools within an 80 mile radius of Iowa State University. Because a cluster sampling technique was used, the school was the experimental unit in this study. The experimental group received the instructional unit and an in-service program; the control group received only a list of environmental conservation technology lesson titles and objectives to guide their teaching;Eight instruments were developed to measure the dependent variables and to record personal, situational, and formative data. Three instruments were developed to measure student variables and five instruments were developed to be completed by the teachers;Data were analyzed using SPSSx statistical package for the social sciences. The findings revealed that the instructional unit and in-service program were effective in increasing student knowledge of environmental conservation technology. Both the experimental and control groups increased their knowledge of technology for managing and conserving natural resources. Analyses of pretest and posttest scores within the two groups revealed that the experimental group significantly increased in knowledge of environmental conservation technology. Breakdown of the knowledge test into technology and natural resources subscales revealed that both experimental and control groups significantly increased in knowledge from pretest to posttest on the technology subscale. However, only the experimental treatment group increased in knowledge from pretest to posttest on the natural resources subscale. Qualitative data reported on daily instructional reporting forms and collected from teachers, suggested that students were interested in the technology aspect of the lessons, and that the use of technologies for managing and conserving natural resources stimulated class discussions and thought;The instructional unit was unsuccessful in significantly changing students\u27 attitudes toward natural resources. Significant changes in attitudes were not observed between experimental and control groups, nor were significant changes observed within groups between pretest and posttest scores

A three-year multifaceted intervention to prevent obesity in children of Mexican-heritage.

BackgroundObesity and overweight have increased dramatically in the United States over the last decades. The complexity of interrelated causal factors that result in obesity needs to be addressed within the cultural dynamic of sub-populations. In this study, we sought to estimate the effects of a multifaceted, community-based intervention on body mass index (BMI) among Mexican-heritage children.MethodsNiños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) was a quasi-experimental intervention study designed to reduce the rate of BMI growth among Mexican-heritage children in California's Central Valley. Two rural communities were matched based on demographic and environmental characteristics and were assigned as the intervention or comparison community. The three-year intervention included parent workshops on nutrition and physical activity; school-based nutrition lessons and enhanced physical education program for children; and a monthly voucher for fruits and vegetables. Eligible children were between 3 and 8 years old at baseline. Intent-to-treat analyses were estimated using linear mixed-effect models with random intercepts. We ran a series of models for each gender where predictors were fixed except interactions between age groups and obesity status at baseline with intervention to determine the magnitude of impact on BMI.ResultsAt baseline, mean (SD) BMI z-score (zBMI) was 0.97 (0.98) in the intervention group (n = 387) and 0.98 (1.02) in the comparison group (n = 313) (NS). The intervention was significantly associated with log-transformed BMI (β = 0.04 (0.02), P = 0.03) and zBMI (β = 0.25 (0.12), P = 0.04) among boys and log-transformed BMI among obese girls (β = - 0.04 (0.02), P = 0.04). The intervention was significantly and inversely associated with BMI in obese boys and girls across all age groups and normal weight boys in the oldest group (over 6 years) relative to their counterparts in the comparison community.ConclusionsA community-based, multifaceted intervention was effective at slowing the rate of BMI growth among Mexican-heritage children. Our findings suggest that practitioners should consider strategies that address gender disparities and work with a variety of stakeholders to target childhood obesity.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01900613 . Registered 16th July 2013

The Role of Soy in Vegetarian Diets

Soyfoods have long been prized among vegetarians for both their high protein content and versatility. Soybeans differ markedly in macronutrient content from other legumes, being much higher in fat and protein, and lower in carbohydrate. In recent years however, soyfoods and specific soybean constituents, especially isoflavones, have been the subject of an impressive amount of research. Nearly 2,000 soy-related papers are published annually. This research has focused primarily on the benefits that soyfoods may provide independent of their nutrient content. There is particular interest in the role that soyfoods have in reducing risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and certain forms of cancer. However, the estrogen-like effects of isoflavones observed in animal studies have also raised concerns about potential harmful effects of soyfood consumption. This review addresses questions related to soy and chronic disease risk, provides recommendations for optimal intakes, and discusses potential contraindications. As reviewed, the evidence indicates that, with the exception of those individuals allergic to soy protein, soyfoods can play a beneficial role in the diets of vegetarians. Concerns about adverse effects are not supported by the clinical or epidemiologic literature. Based on the soy intake associated with health benefits in the epidemiologic studies and the benefits noted in clinical trials, optimal adult soy intake would appear to be between two and four servings per day

Experimental evaluation of an environmental conservation technology instructional unit

The study was conducted during the fall and winter of the 1989-1990 school year to evaluate the effectiveness of an environmental conservation technology instructional unit. The instructional unit was designed for upper level high school agriculture science technology and marketing students (ASTM). The effectiveness of the unit was measured in terms of students' knowledge of environmental conservation technology, students' attitude toward natural resources, and teachers' attitudes toward natural resources and teaching environmental conservation technology;An experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used in this study. Schools with ASTM departments were randomly selected and randomly assigned to groups from a population of 82 schools within an 80 mile radius of Iowa State University. Because a cluster sampling technique was used, the school was the experimental unit in this study. The experimental group received the instructional unit and an in-service program; the control group received only a list of environmental conservation technology lesson titles and objectives to guide their teaching;Eight instruments were developed to measure the dependent variables and to record personal, situational, and formative data. Three instruments were developed to measure student variables and five instruments were developed to be completed by the teachers;Data were analyzed using SPSSx statistical package for the social sciences. The findings revealed that the instructional unit and in-service program were effective in increasing student knowledge of environmental conservation technology. Both the experimental and control groups increased their knowledge of technology for managing and conserving natural resources. Analyses of pretest and posttest scores within the two groups revealed that the experimental group significantly increased in knowledge of environmental conservation technology. Breakdown of the knowledge test into technology and natural resources subscales revealed that both experimental and control groups significantly increased in knowledge from pretest to posttest on the technology subscale. However, only the experimental treatment group increased in knowledge from pretest to posttest on the natural resources subscale. Qualitative data reported on daily instructional reporting forms and collected from teachers, suggested that students were interested in the technology aspect of the lessons, and that the use of technologies for managing and conserving natural resources stimulated class discussions and thought;The instructional unit was unsuccessful in significantly changing students' attitudes toward natural resources. Significant changes in attitudes were not observed between experimental and control groups, nor were significant changes observed within groups between pretest and posttest scores.</p

Nutraceutical Properties of Low alpha-Linolenic Soybeans Grown in Maryland

Eight soybean genotypes grown in Maryland were analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, isoflavone composition, lutein content, tocopherol composition, and fatty acid profile. The soybean samples consisted of seven low alpha-linolenic (18:3n-3) experimental lines and one standard cultivar for comparison. 18:3n-3 levels were negatively correlated with oleic acid (18:1n-9). The isoflavones daidzein and genistein were positively correlated with 18:3n-3 levels. Alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and total tocopherols were negatively correlated with 18:3n-3. Two of the reduced 18:3n-3 lines contained significantly higher lutein levels than the ordinary cultivar. All low alpha-linolenic lines contained similar antioxidant capacity to the non-modified genotype. The results of this study show that the Maryland-grown low 18:3n-3 soybeans are sources of antioxidants and isoflavones and may be consumed for health benefits. Specific genotypes may be selected for food production to obtain the most desirable combination of nutritional, nutraceutical, and chemical properties

AN EXAMINATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF PHYTOEXTRACTIVE TECHNIQUES ON METAL CONTAINING SOILS

Phytoextraction is an innovative, modern technology in which plant species are used to extract substances from soil or water. It has potential in both mining and remediation operations in place of other more conventional methods. In this study the feasibility of phytoextractive techniques on metal containing soils, with regards to factors such as monetary and environmental costs along with temporal timescales required, was analysed. This was primarily achieved by applying results from phytoextraction field experiments in the scientific literature to data from a UK lead contaminated site. Additional analysis answered questions about the potential use of phytoextraction on a global scale, and its usage at the same time as other business enterprises. Results demonstrate that concerns about the economic and temporal feasibility of low value metal phytoextraction without any source of extra revenue are well founded, and that contrary to popular belief there are issues surrounding the environmental costs of phytoextraction. However, scope remains for phytoextraction to be utilised as a technique for mining precious metals. In summary, this project has weakened the case for phytoextraction of cheap metals in a various different areas. However, phytoextraction could still be a success in association with other economic operations such as biofuels. Further study in the form of large scale field trails could investigate and validate the results of this study to produce empirical conclusions in a real world environment