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ARS Home Office of Communications FNRB 2011





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**October 2011**  FNRB Index | Search | CommentsContentsDoes Grilling Kill E. coli O157:H7?
Blueberries Help Lab Rats Build Strong BonesMammary Gland Development of Blueberry-Fed Lab Animals Studied
E. coli Can Survive in Streambed Sediments for MonthsNew Freeze-dry Method Good for Processing Fish
New Flavors Emerge from Peruvian Cacao Collection TripResearchers Develop Fully Cooked Food-Aid Product
ARS Nutrition Resources on the InternetScientists Help Keep Salad Mixes Safe
ARS Human Nutrition Laboratories Does Grilling Kill *E. coli* O157:H7?
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are learning more about the movement of *Escherichia coli* into "subprimals," the meat from which top sirloin steaks are carved. The focus is on what happens to the *E. coli* when subprimals are punctured as part of the tenderization process, and the effect of cooking on survival of those microbes. In early studies, the researchers applied various levels of *E. coli* O157:H7 to the "lean-side" surface of subprimals and ran the meat, lean side up, through a blade tenderizer. In general, only 3 to 4 percent of the *E. coli* O157:H7 cells were transported to the geometric center of the meat. Next, the group applied *E. coli* to the lean-side surface of more subprimals, put the meat through a blade tenderizer, then sliced it into steaks and cooked the meat on a commercial open-flame gas grill. The findings confirmed that if a relatively low level of *E. coli* O157:H7 is distributed throughout a blade-tenderized top sirloin steak, proper cooking on a commercial gas grill is effective for eliminating the microbe.
Details
For details, contact: John B. Luchansky, (215) 233-6620, Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Unit, ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pa.
ARS studies with sirloin steaks show the effect that grilling has on the survival of *E. coli* O157:H7 that has been moved—by mechanical tenderization—from the meat's surface to its interior. Back to Contents  Adding blueberries to the feed of female lab rats during pregnancy and nursing improved the mammary gland health of their offspring, according to initial results of an ARS-funded study.
Mammary Gland Development of Blueberry-fed Lab Animals Studied
Agricultural Research Service-funded studies of mammary gland development in laboratory rats fed blueberries or other foods of interest may aid breast cancer research. In an early study, it was determined that several indicators of rat mammary gland health were improved in the offspring (pups) of mothers (dams) that had been fed 5 percent blueberry powder in their rations during pregnancy and during the weeks that they nursed their pups.
Details
For details, contact: *Rosalia C. M. Simmen**, (501) 364-2847, ARS Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Ark*. Back to Contents  New Freeze-dry Method Good for Processing Fish
A quicker freeze-dry technique used to process salmon cubes could potentially add value to fish components considered to be less appealing. The new freeze-dry method, which requires less energy and processing time, was developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in collaboration with scientists at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. The scientists created a process that took only nine hours, raising the temperature from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Traditional processing can take 20 hours or more. The new method removed 97 percent of the moisture from fillets of Alaska's most abundantly harvested Pacific salmon species—pink, sockeye and chum. The freeze-dried salmon cubes maintained their original color, rehydrated quickly and shrank less in a shorter period of time than food processed by traditional freeze-drying.
Details
For details, contact: Peter Bechtel, (907) 486-1531, ARS Subarctic Agricultural Research Unit, Fairbanks, Alaska.
ARS researchers and their collaborators have developed a quicker way to freeze-dry salmon that maintains color, rehydrates quickly and shrinks less, expanding options for adding seafood to the diet, such as these salmon cubes. Back to Contents  ARS scientists have developed Instant Corn Soy Blend, a fully cooked food product that can be extruded, milled into a powder and then reconstituted with sanitized water into porridge.
Researchers Develop Fully Cooked Food-Aid Product
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have helped develop a fully cooked food-aid product called Instant Corn Soy Blend to supplement meals, particularly for young children. A team of USDA scientists, program managers, policy administrators, and international aid agencies worked for more than a decade to develop this new emergency meal to help in humanitarian food aid efforts. The new food product uses the same type of machines that make fully cooked puffed snacks and cereals. The crunchy, fully cooked product exits the extruder through an opening at the end of the machine in less than two minutes. The Instant Corn Soy Blend is then crushed and milled to form the ration. The ARS technology significantly enhances the uniform distribution of added vitamins and minerals in a supplemental food ration that can be efficiently delivered overseas for mass-feeding of young children and others.
Details
For details, contact: Charles Onwulata, (215) 233-6497, Dairy and Functional Foods Unit, ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pa. Back to Contents  Scientists Help Keep Salad Mixes Safe
Innovative studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are providing new information about the impressive array of genes that a major foodborne pathogen, *E. coli* O157:H7, calls into action when attempting to colonize leaves of fresh-cut lettuce. Mechanical cutting of lettuce leaves into large pieces or shredding of leaves into narrow strips, like those in taco filling, breaks the lettuce cells, which exude carbohydrates that *E. coli* can use as a source of energy. But injured cells can also leak natural compounds such as antimicrobials that are problematic for the pathogen. A study with romaine lettuce showed that *E. coli* can adapt quickly when exposed in lab tests to the contents of broken lettuce leaf cells. Using an approach known as microarray-based whole genome transcriptional profiling, the researchers determined that the pathogen uses its genetic arsenal to protect itself against not only the antimicrobial compounds, but also against oxidative stress, osmotic stress, damage to its DNA and other threats to its ability to survive and multiply.
Details
For details, contact: Maria T. Brandl, (510) 559-5885, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, ARS Western Regional Research Center, Albany, Calif.
ARS research microbiologists Maria Brandl and Craig Parker have identified genes in *Escherichia coli* O157:H7 that help this foodborne pathogen colonize fresh-cut lettuce. Back to Contents  Compounds in blueberries helped build strong bones in laboratory rats, according to an ARS-funded study led by investigator Jin-Ran Chen.
Blueberries Help Lab Rats Build Strong Bones
Compounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) studies showed that rats fed rations that contained 10 percent freeze-dried blueberry powder had significantly more bone mass than their counterparts whose rations were blueberry-free. When the researchers exposed laboratory cultures of bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to blood (serum) from the animals, they found that serum from the blueberry-fed rats was associated with an increase in development of osteoblasts into mature, functional bone cells. The work has paved the way for new research that might reveal whether blueberries could be used in the future in treatments to boost development of bone mass and to help prevent osteoporosis.
Details
For details, contact: Jin-Ran Chen, (501) 364-2707, Skeletal Development Laboratory, ARS Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, Ark. Back to Contents  *E. coli* Can Survive in Streambed Sediments for Months
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) studies have confirmed that the presence of *E. coli* pathogens in surface waters could result from the pathogen's ability to survive for months in underwater sediments. Most *E. coli* strains don't cause illness, but they are indicator organisms used by water quality managers to estimate fecal contamination. Lab studies conducted suggested that non-pathogenic strains of *E. coli* can survive much longer in underwater sediments than in the water column itself, and provided the first published evidence that *E. coli* can overwinter in the sediment. The results also indicated that the pathogens lived longer when levels of organic carbon and fine sediment particles in the sediment were higher. In addition, when organic carbon levels were higher, water temperatures were less likely to affect the pathogens' survival rates.
Details
For details, contact: Yakov Pachepsky, (301) 504-7468, Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md.
ARS researchers have discovered that *E. coli* pathogens can survive for months in underwater sediments, which could improve computer modeling for the bacterial contamination of surface waters. Back to Contents  New cacao types with unique flavors have been identified by ARS scientists on a collecting trip to Peru, which could one day result in specialty chocolates marketed like wine, by geographical provenance.
New Flavors Emerge from Peruvian Cacao Collection Trip
New cacao types with unique flavors that are distinctly Peruvian have been identified Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. These new flavors could one day be marketed like fine wine, by geographical provenance. The ARS researchers and their Peruvian collaborators found these new cacao plants during collection expeditions in 2008 and 2009 in the Amazon Basin of Peru. The researchers are studying 342 cacao specimens collected from 12 watersheds in Peru and categorizing the DNA of the specimens.
Details
For details, contact: Lyndel Meinhardt, (301) 504-1995, Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md. Back to Contents  ARS Nutrition Resources on the Internet
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Referencewww.ars.usda.gov/Nutrientdata
Dietary Supplement Ingredient Databasehttps://dietarysupplementdatabase.usda.nih.gov/
Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies/Services/docs.htm?docid=12089
What We Eat in America /Services/docs.htm?docid=18349
ARS Human Nutrition Research Programwww.ars.usda.gov/HumanNutrition
Functional Foods Research in ARSwww.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/np107/FinalFunctionalFoodsPDFReadVersion6-25-10.pdf Back to Contents  Photo: Building 307C, one of the nutrition research facilities at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.Building 307C, one of the nutrition research facilities at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.
ARS Human Nutrition Laboratories
Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center/Main/site_main.htm?modecode=54-50-00-00
Western Human Nutrition Research Center/main/site_main.htm?modecode=53-06-25-00
Children's Nutritional Research Center/main/site_main.htm?modecode=62-50-00-00
Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-00-00
Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit/main/site_main.htm?modecode=62-51-05-00 Back to Contents


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