Award Data

Most small and mid-scale livestock producers have been unable to take advantage of growing consumer demand for premium, all-natural, locally-raised meats, especially through wholesale channels. This relates to a host of factors, including the vertically-integrated nature of existing meat supply chains, constraints surrounding slaughter and processing capacity, and the specific demands of wholesale ...

Innovation in perishable foodstuff track-and-trace is of critical importance to cost and time-sensitive customers such as the food industry where contamination and spoilage are of concern, safety and security are paramount, and counterfeit and bio-terrorism prevention are urgent priorities. The proposed research would evaluate the feasibility of a low cost, highly accurate track and trace supply c ...

In the United States today, the health consequences associated with childhood and adolescent obesity are projected to produce the first decline in life expectancy since the Great Depression. Addressing childhood obesity requires addressing nutritional needs, including dietary fat to support physical and psychological changes during growth and maturation. Researchers have reevaluated the focus on l ...

Sorghum is a major crop for food, feed and industrial processes in the US and on the global market. It is a particularly relevant crop under the current pressures of climate change and food security because it is adapted to cultivation under low water and nutrient conditions. However, compared to other major crops, sorghum productivity is relatively low, and historic increases in sorghum yield hav ...

DNA microarray technology, in combination with statistical and predictive modeling tools, could be used to evaluate thousands of genes against distinct gene expression patterns induced by chemical/biological agents to provide early identification and speed therapeutic intervention. The overall objective of this Phase II effort is to leverage existing public domain resources and commercial tools t ...

Bacterial contamination in the American beef supply continues to be a serious concern for the meat processing industry. As part of a broad program of improvements in processing procedures and sanitary methods, meat processors in the U.S. and abroad have initiated use of the VerifEYET Carcass Inspection System (eMerge Interactive, Sebastian, FL). The VerifEYE system automatically inspects each beef ...

There is still a need for low-cost, reliable dissolved gas sensors for water quality in environmental monitoring, aquaculture wastewater treatment and industry in order to provide analytical capability to facilities, communities greatly in need of such capability as water budgets become increasingly stringent and re-use increaingly important. This project seeks to further integrate both Total Diss ...

Marketing and packaging are key steps in introducing a new product to consumers. Delight Foods has done four years of research into the Domestic Production of Vegetable Soybeans in partnership with crop scientists, food scientists and a cooperative of farmers. Now, this team will move into commercialization. This research will develop a powerful brand platform, including the story about North Caro ...

Approximately 5% of hatchlings do not survive the critical post-hatch period because of limited body reserves. Many survivors exhibit stunted growth, leg problems, inefficient feed utilization, reduced disease resistance, or poor meat yield. This poult quality problem has been calculated to be worth approximately $71 million and $142 million annually to the US and global turkey industry respective ...

Cultivation of Echinacea has gained worldwide interest in recent years due to its non-specific immunomodulatory activity in humans. However, Echinacea species have not been genetically improved for medicinal use. This project is to develop genetically improved Echinacea cultivars for medicinal use. The new cultivars will produce higher yield of biomass and bioactive phytochemicals than the types c ...