Current Projects
Apple pomace as a novel aid for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
The United States is the second largest supplier of apples in the world, with West
Virginia being a major apple producing state. Currently, approximately 33% of apples
produced are processed for items such as juice, cider, and sauce. Processing apples
creates a by-product known as apple pomace, which includes the skin, stem, and
seeds of the apple. Although apple pomace is rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and
polyphenols it is typically regarded as a waste product and is costly to dispose
of properly. This project focuses on utilizing this "waste product" as an aid in
a diet-induced rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The apple pomace
used in this project was provided by
Swilled Dog Hard Cider Company, a West Virginia owned and operated business.
Interested persons should contact Janet Tou to be put in contact with Chris Skinner.
Evaluating the protein quality and safety of consuming silver carp sarcoplasmic protein
Silver carp is an invasive species introduced in the 1970's to the United States.
Currently silver carp is not utilized as a protein source. The goal of this project
was to develop and characterize a water-soluble protein powder from an underutilized
protein source. A rat model will be used to measure protein quality and safety
of the protein powder in comparison to casein and whey protein. The safety of the
silver carp protein will be assessed via various kidney and liver measurements.
Interested persons should contact
Derek Warren.
Biofortification of microgreen herbs with selenium
Selenium is an essential trace mineral in human health and has an important
role as an antioxidant. Selenium can be consumed in the diet through plants. Selenium
biofortification attempts to increase the content of this mineral in plants. In
our study, culinary herbs (basil, cilantro, scallions, etc.), were identified
as an opportunity to easily provide supplemental levels of minerals in the human
diet. The goal of this project is to determine which culinary herb microgreen
species results in the most selenium content and nutritionally favorable profiles
(including other relevant minerals and antioxidants) after biofortification.
Interested persons should contact
Rachel Newman.
The impact of apple pomace consumption on the brain
An extension of the apple pomace and NAFLD project, the lab is investigating how apple pomace consumption, in combination with a healthy or Western (high fat and sugar) diet, impacts appetite, hunger, and brain fatty acid composition.
Interested persons should contact Ayad Alawadi.