She is eligible for cash prizes which are awarded by the organization for the top three papers. It reports the results of her laboratory studies of oat cereals fortified with additions of naturally occurring phenolic compounds. She is concerned with interactions between phenolics and soluble and insoluble dietary fiber compounds such as lignins, starches and sugars. Food industry interest in phenolics stems from the ability of those compounds to act as antioxidants in the body and retard the oxidation of fats. Antioxidants include a wide range of compounds, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, which can protect health by removing free radicals from the body.
Free radicals play a role in cancer and heart disease.
Working with Mary Ellen Camire, associate professor of food science, Osborn added five different phenolic compounds to extruded oat cereals and then statistically analyzed changes in dietary fiber. She found that four of the five phenolic compounds led to no significant change in the amount of fiber. Osborn also suggests that more research could provide a clearer picture of the reactions which occur between phenolics and dietary fiber. Osborn, who would like to conduct research in the food industry, credits her interest in food science to nine years she spent in 4-H clubs in her hometown. She was attracted to UMaine because the university has one of the few IFT-certified food science programs in New England.