Grant Awarded
Original article here
Audrey Girard receives USDA-NIFA funding to develop biobased plasticizers and methods to create edible packaging alternatives
Audrey Girard, assistant professor of food science, received USDA-NIFA funding for her project Developing biobased plasticizers and processing methods to create edible, sustainable plastic packaging alternatives from proteins through AFRI’s Foundational and Applied Science Program. It was among 24 projects sharing $11.3 million in funding.
Project summary (from CRIS site): More than 8 million metric tons of plastics pollute our world’s waterways each year, with more than half of that coming from food-related sources. Sustainable, biodegradable food packaging alternatives are urgently needed. Recently, protein films have become a promising plastic alternative for food packaging. An integral part of their manufacturing is the addition of plasticizers, to both enhance films’ flexibility and ensure cohesive, coherent film structures. Glycerol, as the most widely used plasticizer, is highly effective; however, it reduces film tensile strength and readily migrates out of the protein matrix since it is not tightly bound to proteins. Phenolic compounds are potential alternative bioplasticizers that can modify and plasticize film structure. That said, most research into phenolic compounds in films has focused on their ability to create active packaging, i.e., for their antimicrobial, antibacterial, or antioxidative properties. Further, methods to solubilize proteins and facilitate their interactions with phenolic compounds are needed. Our central hypothesis is that coupling the plasticizing effects of phenolic compounds with the protein solubilizing and intermolecular bond breaking of formic acid will enhance protein film properties and produce edible, compostable films. We will test this hypothesis in two main objectives: (1) Characterize effects of naturally occurring bioplasticizers on protein film properties and their interaction mechanisms, and (2) Identify effects of solvents and thermal processing on protein and bioplasticizer stability and resultant film properties. Ultimately, we aim to develop methods that facilitate interactions between proteins and phenolic compounds and produce edible, compostable films as sustainable plastic alternatives for food packaging.
Original article here
Richard Hartel receives USDA-NIFA funding to develop novel protein-fortified fluids optimized for swallowing biomechanics
Richard Hartel, professor of food science, received USDA-NIFA funding for his project Partnership: Development of novel protein-fortified thickened fluids optimized for swallowing biomechanics through AFRI’s Foundational and Applied Science Program. It was among 24 projects sharing $11.3 million in funding.
Project summary (from CRIS site): Patients with dysphagia frequently reduce and/or alter dietary intake, leading to malnutrition and dehydration. This may result in low protein consumption, which is critical for maintenance of muscle function and prevention of frailty in older adults. Since dysphagics are often prescribed thickened fluids to minimize aspiration into the lungs, the focus of this project is to develop thickened fluids with added proteins. This poses a major challenge, however, since the thickening agents typically do not interact well with proteins, leading to separation of the fluid into different phases, an unappealing result. Through careful selection of hydrolyzed proteins and thickeners, protein-fortified thickened fluids will be developed for further evaluation. Specifically, these protein-fortified thickened fluids will be evaluated for their rheological properties and in swallowing biomechanics studies. Finally, computational modeling will be used to predict how fluids behave in the mouth during swallowing.