Brown Superfund Basic research Program: a multistakeholder partnership addresses real-world problems in contaminated communities

The NIEHS funds several basic and applied research programs, many of which also require research translation or outreach. This paper reports on a project by the Brown University Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), in which outreach and research translation teams collaborated with state regulatory agency personnel and community activists on a legislative initiative to mitigate the financial impacts of living in a contaminated community. The Environmentally Compromised Home Ownership (ECHO) program makes home equity loans of up to $25,000 available to qualified applicants. This collaboration provides a case study in community engagement and demonstrates how research translation and outreach activities that are clearly differentiated yet well-integrated can improve a suite of basic and applied research. Although engaging diverse constituencies can be difficult community-engaged translation and outreach have the potential to make research findings more useful to communities, address some of the social impacts of contamination, and empower stakeholders to pursue their individual and collectively held goals for remediation. The NIEHS has recently renewed its commitment to community-engaged research and advocacy, making this an optimal time to reflect on how basic research programs that engage stakeholders through research translation and outreach can add value to the overall research enterprise.     

Recognizing Age at Slaughter of Cattle from Beef Samples Using GC/MS–SPME Chromatographic Method

Beef from cattle less than 30 months old at the point of slaughter are generally sold in meat markets. Though the age of the animal can generally be estimated by dentition, this method cannot be applied to a carcass or a piece of meat from which the teeth have been removed. Since gas chromatography of volatile organic compounds has been used to classify biological samples, this technique was used for classifying meat obtained from cattle aged over 30 months (OTM) at point of slaughter. Volatile organic compounds of fresh meat (M. longissimus dorsi) samples obtained from cattle of different age and dentition (two, four, and six teeth) at point of slaughter were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrum (GC/MS). Six volatile organic compounds were selected (hexanoic acid, benzoic acid, octanoid acid, tridecane, tetradecane, and 4-formylbenzoic acid) and confirmed by using chemical standards and Kovat’s indexes. The chromatogram data were used to train two classifiers, one based on the partial least square (PLS) method and another based on support vector machine (SVM), but only SVM showed high accuracy. Data exploration based on the principal component analysis allowed for comprehension of the data distribution, proposing a new version of PLS in a parallel configuration. This modified version of the PLS algorithm showed better accuracy than the SVM classifier. In conclusion, volatile organic compounds analyzed by GC/MS–solid-phase microextraction can be used to recognize OTM beef.     

Authentication of organic and conventional eggs by carotenoid profiling

Organic production benefits from fair competition and sustained consumer confidence. The latter can only be assured by paper trailing and verification assessments. Traditional analytical strategies for guaranteeing quality and uncovering adulteration have relied on the determination of the amount of a marker compound or compounds in a material and a subsequent comparison of the value(s) obtained with those established for equivalent material. Since it is unlikely to find a unique marker that allows discrimination between organic and conventional produce, selective fingerprinting (profiling) combined with chemometrics is a more promising approach. In this study, carotenoid High Performance Liquid Chromatography–Diode Array Detection profiling combined with k-nearest neighbour classification chemometrics was used to predict the production system (organic vs. non-organic) of chicken eggs. A proof-of-concept set (training set for the model) was composed of eggs from 24 organic farms, 12 free range, and 12 barn farms in the Netherlands. The identities of organic, free range, and barn eggs were predicted with success rates of 100%, 100%, and 84%, respectively. The identity of eggs determined using an additional market test set with eggs from 12 organic, 12 free range, and 12 barn farms originating from the Netherlands and New Zealand resulted in correct classifications for 35 of the 36 samples. The results of this study indicate that this fingerprint approach is a promising tool for analytical verification of the production system of organic eggs.     

Satisfying America's Fruit Gap: Summary of an Expert Roundtable on the Role of 100% Fruit Juice

The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recognize the role of 100% fruit juice in health and in helping people meet daily fruit recommendations and state that 100% fruit juice is a nutrient‐dense beverage that should be a primary choice, along with water and low‐fat/fat‐free milk. The DGAs note that children are consuming 100% fruit juice within recommendations (that is, 120 to 180 mL/d for children aged 1 to 6 y and 236 to 355 mL/d for children aged 7 to 18 y). Evidence shows that compared to nonconsumers, those who consume 100% fruit juice come closer to meeting daily fruit needs and have better diet quality. In children, 100% fruit juice is associated with increased intakes of nutrients such as vitamin C, folate, and potassium. When consumed within the DGA recommendations, 100% fruit juice is not associated with overweight/obesity or childhood dental caries and does not compromise fiber intake. Preliminary data suggest that polyphenols in some 100% fruit juices may inhibit absorption of naturally occurring sugars. Given its role in promoting health and in helping people meet fruit needs, experts participating in a roundtable discussion agreed that there is no science‐based reason to restrict access to 100% fruit juice in public health nutrition policy and programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Reducing or eliminating 100% fruit juice could lead to unintended consequences such as reduced daily fruit intake and increased consumption of less nutritious beverages (for example, sugar‐sweetened beverages).     

A screening inventory for assessing psychiatric impairment in children 6 to 18.

Administered a structured questionnaire to a cross-sectional sample of 1,034 mothers and a welfare sample of 1,000 mothers of 6-18 yr olds in New York City. One or more psychiatrists rated each of the children on a 5-point scale of total psychiatric impairment. Factor analysis of the questionnaire items of child behavior yielded 18 factors. The 7 factors with the highest correlations with total psychiatric impairment were selected for the inventory, each represented by 5 items. The correlation of the total 35-item score and total psychiatric impairment was .82. The screening inventory significantly and substantially improved over chance in assigning children to impairment statuses in the cross-sectional sample and the sample used for cross-validation, the welfare sample. Correlations of the total score with child's treatment status and a direct clinical examination rating were expectedly low. In its present form, the instrument is recommended only for comparisons of different child and adolescent groups. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of processing conditions on some functional characteristics of extrusion‐cooked cassava starch/wheat gluten blends

Extrusion‐cooked blends of cassava starch (CS) and wheat gluten (WG) were studied. The data were analysed using response surface methodology. The results showed the formation of new structures characterised by lower radial expansion (RE) and specific volume (SV) when gluten was added to CS. WG content was the most important variable affecting RE, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), SV and difference in colour (ΔE) of the extruded products, but feed moisture content and barrel temperature also influenced RE. WAI was affected by a significant interaction between WG content and barrel temperature. The extruded products had lower WAI values and higher WSI values than WG‐free products. Heat, high shear rate and high pressure during extrusion cooking caused mechanical destruction or denaturation of the WG and gelatinisation and dextrinisation of the starch components. The extruded blends could have diverse applications. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modifying the Processing and Handling of Frozen Broccoli for Increased Sulforaphane Formation

Frozen broccoli can provide a cheaper product, with a longer shelf life and less preparation time than fresh broccoli. We previously showed that several commercially available frozen broccoli products do not retain the ability to generate the cancer‐preventative agent sulforaphane. We hypothesized that this was because the necessary hydrolyzing enzyme myrosinase was destroyed during blanching, as part of the processing that frozen broccoli undergoes. This study was carried out to determine a way to overcome loss of hydrolyzing activity. Industrial blanching usually aims to inactivate peroxidase, although lipoxygenase plays a greater role in product degradation during frozen storage of broccoli. Blanching at 86 °C or higher inactivated peroxidase, lipoxygenase, and myrosinase. Blanching at 76 °C inactivated 92% of lipoxygenase activity, whereas there was only an 18% loss in myrosinase‐dependent sulforaphane formation. We considered that thawing frozen broccoli might disrupt membrane integrity, allowing myrosinase and glucoraphanin to come into contact. Thawing frozen broccoli for 9 h did not support sulforaphane formation unless an exogenous source of myrosinase was added. Thermal stability studies showed that broccoli root, as a source of myrosinase, was not more heat stable than broccoli floret. Daikon radish root supported some sulforaphane formation even when heated at 125 °C for 10 min, a time and temperature comparable to or greater than microwave cooking. Daikon radish (0.25%) added to frozen broccoli that was then allowed to thaw supported sulforaphane formation without any visual alteration to that of untreated broccoli.