Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit
2020 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Extension of shelf-life of fresh fillet in retail tray pack under light-emitting diode stored with refrigeration. Fresh fish is well known to have short shelf-life and the catfish industries have long wished to find ways to extend shelf-life of catfish fillet to enhance marketing. In this study, ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, used various non-phosphorus organic acids to treat catfish fillet and the spoilage organisms and food quality of the fillet were analyzed over a 10-day period. Results showed that control fillet without treatments had only 4 days of shelf-life. Organic acids could extend the shelf-life to 6 to 10 days. The results will be confirmed by conducting more studies. If proven effective and not damaging to flavor, the impact of extending days of shelf-life by using selected acids will be very large to the catfish industry.
2. Extension of shelf-life of catfish fillet buried in ice in shipping containers. Currently, the shelf-life of the fresh fillet is around 10-11 days after filleting. Extending days of shelf-life would allow the transport of the fillet to farther locations to expand fillet market. Currently, fresh catfish fillet is marketed mostly in the Southeastern parts of the United States. In this study, ARS reseachers in Stoneville, Mississippi, will find treatments that could extend the shelf-life of fillet packed in ice in shipping boxes. Our results showed that under certain organic acids or natural bacteriocin treatments, the shelf-life could be extended by 2-4 days. If confirmed with additional research, this will make a very significant contribution for expanding fresh fillet market to most of the continental states of our nation.
3. Optimizing novel x-ray technologies to produce oysters with minimum pathogens while maintaining live fresh oysters for enhanced values. Pathogens such as Vibrio species can cause human illness and therefore, damage oyster aquaculture. Premium oysters are often eaten in their raw state, and if pathogens are present and not inactivated, can easily cause illness. X-ray is the only technology that can kill Vibrio without killing the oysters. ARS reseachers in Stoneville, Mississippi, concluded that that x-ray’s killing efficiency can be optimized to improve pathogen inactivation while maintaining the life of oysters for better marketing. Our research added new knowledge to the science and technology for the preservation of raw foods since the technologies can also be applied to other foods, such as fruits and vegetables that are consumed raw to protect the consumer health.
4. Studying the effect of the combination of the effect of particle size and alkalinity of extraction water on protein extraction and product functional properties. Fresh catfish by-products (skin, heads and bones), accounting for 200 million pounds each year and almost 40% of the total fish proteins, have been considered as a waste for a long time. ARS reseachers in Stoneville, Mississippi, showed significant amount of proteins could be extracted. The extracted protein possessed functional properties for use to make fish protein gel products. Based on our finding of 30% mass recovery, more than 60 million pounds of the value-added protein product could be recovered for human consumption. The technologies can be used as a foundation for building a protein recovery plant to contribute to the rural economy.
5. Determining the biofilm- and rugose-related gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 induced by sublethal stress and structural differences by microscopy. In the food processing facility, Salmonella biofilm is regularly exposed to sublethal stresses. The tendency of S. typhimurium and S. Heidelberg rugose morphotypes to form denser biofilm under sublethal stress condition may increase their ability to persist in the food processing environment. The sequential exposure of sodium hypochlorite at sublethal concentrations modulated the rugose and biofilm related gene expression levels in S. typhimurium. The research is important to show mechanistic of resistance and has added significant knowledge in the scientific literature. Based on these findings by ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, food processors will develop a strong control protocol for cleaning and sanitation of food processing equipment and hard-to-reach contact surfaces to reduce biofilms of Salmonella and other foodborne bacterial pathogens.
6. Gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid composition were affected by legume type and processing methods as assessed by simulated in vitro digestion assays. In recent years, legumes are gaining considerable interest globally due to a positive association between the consumption of legume and a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, type-2 diabetes and cancers. The objectives of this project were to investigate the effect of processing methods on the digestibility of soybean and pinto bean, and to characterize how the undigested fiber two differently processed beans affected the gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid formation. ARS reseachers in Stoneville, Mississippi, showed that soluble fiber was better than insoluble fiber in giving benefits to the gut microbiota. Mississippi State University Scientists at Starkville, Mississippi, have added significant knowledge to the literature by publishing a refereed article this year. The new findings can be used as a foundation to develop the technology for producing novel food products for enhancing human health through modulation of gut microbiota.
Review Publications
Bansal, M., Nannapaneni, R., Kode, D., Chang, S., Sharma, C., Mcdaniel, C., Kiess, A. 2019. Rugose morphotype in Salmonella Typhimurium and S. Heidelberg induced by sequential exposure to subinhibitory NaOCl aids in biofilm tolerance to lethal NaOCl on polystyrene and stainless steel surfaces. Frontiers in Microbiology. 10:2704.
Tan, Y., Chang, S., Meng, S. 2019. Comparing the kinetics of the hydrolysis of by-product from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillet processing by eight proteases. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 111:809-820.
Tan, Y., Gao, H., Chang, S., Bechtel, P.J., Mahmoud, B. 2019. Comparative studies on the yield and characteristics of myofibrillar proteins from catfish heads and frames extracted by two methods for making surimi-like protein gel products. Food Chemistry. 272:133-140.
Wu, Y., Chang, S. 2020. The efficacy of X-ray doses on Vibrio vulnificus in pure culture and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in pure culture and inoculated farm-raised live oysters (Crassostrea virginica) with different acceleration voltages. Food Control. 115:107277.
Chen, Y., Chang, S., Zhang, Y., Hsu, C., Nannapaneni, R. 2020. Gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid composition as affected by legume type and processing methods as assessed by simulated in vitro digestion assays. Food Chemistry. 312:126040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.126040.
Shi, M., Tan, Y., Chang, S., Li, J., Maleki, S.J., Puppala, N. 2019. Peanut allergen reduction and functional property improvement by means of enzymatic hydrolysis and transglutaminase crosslinking. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125186.
Shi, M., Li, J., Chang, S., Maleki, S.J. 2019. Quantitative and kinetic analyses of peanut allergens as affected by food processing. Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2019.100004.
Abeysundara, P., Dhowlaghar, N., Nannapaneni, R. 2019. Influence of cold stress on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes Bug60 and ScottA in lethal alkali, acid and oxidative stress. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 100:40-47.
Dhowlaghar, N., Shen, Q., Nannapaneni, R., Schilling, W., Samala, A. 2019. Survival of acid stress adapted cells of Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a and 4b in commonly used disinfectants in broth and water models. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 109:201-206.
