Department of Food and Animal Sciences

DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND ANIMAL SCIENCES

Faculty research expertise

Judith Boateng, Assistant Professor of Food/Nutritional Toxicology

·  In the investigation of whole food, phytochemicals/bioactive compounds on cancer and also in determining the toxicity of these compounds in in vivo and in vitro systems

·  Extraction, quantification and identification of bioactive components in foods

·  Determining the effect of processing on the bioactive contents/ antioxidant levels in foods

·  Isolation and molecular (DNA) characterization of trypsin inhibitor protein from peanuts

·  Isolation of peanut allergens Ara h6 and Ara h7 genomic DNA

·  Plant and mammalian tissue culture ( testing for in-vitro toxicity of bioactive compounds)

Jorge Vizcarra, Associate Professor of Reproductive physiology and endocrinology.

·  Identify the function(s) of novel GnRH isoforms, and to elucidate the neuroendocrine control of appetite.

·  Utilization of active and passive immunization as a tool to evaluated different peptides in various species such as cattle, swine and poultry iodination of proteins and peptides for the evaluation of antibody titers and concentration of various hormones.

Pratik Banerjee-Assistant Professor-Food Microbiology/Safety

·  Connecting both detection and intervention strategies.

·  Research on probiotic microorganisms, gut microbiology and in the area of rapid food diagnostics to ensure food safety.

Julio Correa-Associate Professor-Animal Nutrition

·  Nutrient digestion and biochemistry and its effect on biological mechanisms of animal growth. Emphasis on nutrient intake, digestion and absorption; biochemistry of nitrogenous compounds in the rumen; and growth and body composition (fat and protein) of beef cattle, sheep and goats.

Lloyd T. Walker, Professor, Meat and Muscle Biology and Food Chemistry

•  Evaluation of muscle cell biochemistry on the quality of meat.

•  Effects of various processing schemes on the tenderness and value of meat

•  Improvement of meat tenderness through manipulation of endogenous enzymes associated with tenderness

•  Microwave blanching of fruits and vegetables.

•  Incorporation and optimization of antioxidant usage in fatty foods.

Martha Verghese, Professor-Nutritional Biochemistry/Functional food product development

·  Designs for evaluating phytochemical/nutraceutical bioactivity/bioavailability

·  Study of new insights into the role of phytochemicals

·  Role of nutraceuticals in cell and tumor biology

·  Study of nutrient-gene interactions and nutraceutical-gene interactions

·  Designing functional foods/food products for health promotion

·  Study of apoptotic mechanisms in cancer

·  Targeting cancer bio markers (in invivo and invitro models) using nutraceuticals and functional foods

Ola G Sanders, Sensory Science

·  Sensory qualities and product development of green leafy vegetables (turnip , collards, and mustard greens); The effect of the phytochemical content on the sensory quality and consumption of the green leafy vegetables.

·  Taste sensitivity and consumption (lack of) of green leafy vegetables as indicators of Childhood obesity.

J. Johnson, Professor and Extension Veterinarian

·  Extension programs in herd health, reproduction, food safety and defense.

·  Food safety, cytogenetics, endocrine disruptors, microbial and parasitic-host interactions of zoonotic diseases that are potentially harmful to animals and humans, while serving the needs of rabbit and small ruminant producers.

Koffi Konan, Research Associate Professor Plant and Microbial biotechnology

·  Crop quality improvement using Cell and/or organ Culture and Genetic Engineering technologies. This involves in vitro culture of plant cells and/or organs to produce plants with new characteristics, the design and cloning of recombinant DNA in bacteria, and the utilization of recombinant DNA in plant genetic modification via Agrobacterium and/or biolistics.

·  Current topics; 1) Enrichment of peanut in Essential Amino Acids, 2) Development of in vitro culture methods for yam, 3) Study of transcriptome in peanut and yam to design better strategies for the genetic enhancement of these crops.

J. Herring, Research Associate Professor-Food Biochemistry

·  Food Biochemistry- chemical, microbiological and physical reactions that take place in food (post-harvest) such as oxidation, pH change, drying (freeze- and spray-drying) effects, fermentation and pathogen and LAB growth.

·  utilization of cutting edge equipment such as high performance liquid chromatography, scanning electron microscope, texture analyzer, spectrophotometer and fermentation systems.

·  Adding value to undervalued or underutilized products, such as waste streams or low quality products.

Lamin Kassama-Assistant Professor Food Bio process Engineering

Expertise covers food quality and safety with emphasis on food microstructure, thermo-physical and rheological properties of foods, heat and mass transfer of foods, food packaging, supercritical fluid extraction of bioactive components from plant matrix, food product development and process optimization, postharvest application on fruit and vegetables, application of emerging technologies (pulsed electric field (PEF), pulsed ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, ultra-high pressure) in food processing to enhance food quality and safety, fermentation and bioprocessing of food products.