Research Projects

iNEST Research Projects – Summer 2022

Foodborne bacterial biosensing via molecular dynamics simulations (Mentor: Dr. Michael Danquah)

Foodborne pathogens persist in causing infectious diseases on a global scale. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 600 million people become ill after consuming contaminated food and this results in ~ 420,000 deaths annually. Food quality is compromised upon exposure to bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Such bacterial contagions can cause food poisoning and eventual recalls, resulting in millions of dollars of lost revenue to the food industry. Current standard assays for pathogen detection are mostly labor-intensive, time-consuming, costly, and prolong the identification of pathogens. In this project, we will develop new biomolecular probes that can be deployed in robust biosensors for real-time detection. These bio-probes will interact with specific surface proteins of the bacteria to offer high-specificity detection of foodborne bacterial species. 

Technoeconomic analysis of single-cell food protein production from probiotic bacteria (Mentor: Dr. Michael Danquah)

Single cell proteins (SCP) from microorganisms are increasingly becoming an attractive source of protein and have a huge potential for use in human foods and animal feed. Compared with animal and plant sources of proteins, SCPs have excellent nutritional profiles, short maturation times (in hours), and are ideal for all consumers including vegetarians and vegans. In this project, the feasibility of using GRAS (generally regarded as safe) probiotic bacteria as source of SCPs will be explored to build a novel bioprocess model for SCPs production and analyzed for its economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, and commercial viability. 

Developing a pilot-scale process for the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel (Mentor: Dr. Bradley Harris)

Climate change concerns necessitate that we develop biorenewable routes to energy that are viable and scalable. One potential solution is the transesterification of lipids extracted from photosynthetic microorganisms (e.g., cyanobacteria, microalgae) to produce biodiesel. However, there are several barriers that must be overcome in order to establish these microorganisms as viable biofuel feedstocks. In this project, we will circumvent several of these barriers by developing a viable and scalable process for the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel.

Image-based food recognition using deep learning methods (Mentor: Dr. Dalei Wu)

Automatic image-based food recognition is a particularly challenging task due to deformable objects and complex semantics in food dish images. While traditional image analysis approaches gained low classification accuracy, deep learning methods have shown very promising in performing the task. In this project, different deep learning methods (e.g., convolutional neural networks, transfer learning) will be considered and implemented for image-based food classification. The feasibility of extending those methods to other food-related applications, such as food quality monitoring, will also be explored.

“Veg out with the Veggie Meter™ this Summer” with Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Mentor: Dr. Charlene Schmidt)

With the use of a Carotenoid Scanner: 
1) Assess the fruit and vegetable intake (carotenoids, any of a class of yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including carotene, which give color to plant parts such as ripe tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupe, and others. They are terpenoids based on a structure having the formula C40H56) of human subject volunteers from UTC summer faculty, students, staff (who are available on campus) who would like to participate in a scan of their index finger, a non-invasive measurement by reflection spectroscopy (RS) of carotenoids in human skin. Collective skin carotenoid levels serve as a biomarker for vegetable and fruit and are a convenient screening tools for assessment of dietary interventions and correlations between skin carotenoids and health and disease outcomes. (Goal = 30 - 40 participants).  
2) Provide nutritional information to participants that align with the US Dietary guidelines for Americans about fruit and vegetable food groups with additional overall nutritious food guidance.
3) Raise awareness of the importance of health-related conditions to lack of F/V intake; specifically carotenoids.  (Fiber (production of good bacteria in the gut), fullness, nutrients, water and fat-soluble vitamins/minerals)
4) Assess confidence, readiness, feasibility financially of intentions on scale 0 – 10 for motivational factors for increasing f/v in the diet of self/family.

Acid-stable Nanocapsules of Curcumin (Mentor: Dr. Qixin Zhong)

Compounds such as curcumin are dietary components that can be used to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer. In addition to dietary supplements, food products are ideal vehicles to deliver these compounds for disease prevention. Many of these compounds have crystalline structures and are not soluble in water. Enclosing these compounds in micrometer- or nanometer-scale particles, i.e., microcapsules or nanocapsules, as amorphous structures is important for their uniform distribution in food matrices and their absorption and activity post-ingestion. Nanocapsules have unique advantages as delivery vehicles, especially for beverages because nanocapsules can be dispersed without sedimentation and causing turbidity. Many beverages have acidic pH but many existing nanocapsules are not applicable at acidic pH due to precipitation. One such example is casein (major milk protein) nanocapsules with co-encapsulated curcumin and apigenin (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.153) that precipitate at acidic pH. The project goal is to identify materials for preparation of acid-stable nanocapsules of curcumin and characterize characteristics of nanocapsules.

Improving the Freeze-thaw stability of emulsions by ice recrystallization inhibitors (Mentor: Dr. Tao Wu)

Many food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics products are emulsion based. These emulsion products are not stable after freezing and thawing because of the formation and growth of ice crystals. This project is aimed to improve the freeze-thaw stability of emulsion-based products by novel ice recrystallization inhibitors.