Browsing by Author "Williams, Robert"

Now showing 1 - 16 of 16
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    Antibacterial activity of jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum) extract fractions against select foodborne pathogens
    Bacon, Karleigh; Boyer, Renee R.; Denbow, Cynthia J.; O'Keefe, Sean F.; Neilson, Andrew P.; Williams, Robert (Wiley, 2017-01)
    Capsicum annuum fruits have been investigated for antimicrobial activity in a number of studies. Capsaicin or other cinnamic acid pathway intermediates are often suggested to be the antimicrobial component, however there are conflicting results. No research has specifically fractionated jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum) extract to isolate and identify compound(s) responsible for inhibition. In this study, fractions were collected from jalapeño pepper extracts using reverse-phase HPLC and tested for antibacterial activity using the disk diffusion method. Following initial fractionation, two fractions (E and F) displayed antibacterial activity against all three pathogens (p > .05). Commercial standards were screened to determine when they elude and it was found that capsaicin elutes at the same time as fraction E. Fractions E and F were subject to further HPLC fractionation and antibacterial analysis using two methods. The only fraction to display clear inhibition using both was fraction E1, inhibiting the growth of L. monocytogenes. Fraction E1 was analyzed using HPLC-MS. The resulting mass spectra revealed fraction E1 contained compounds belonging to a group of C. annuum-specific compounds known as capsianosides. Limited research is available on antibacterial activity of capsianosides, and a pure commercial standard is not available. In order to confirm the potential antimicrobial activity of the compound(s) isolated, methods need to be developed to isolate and purify capsianosides specifically from jalapeño peppers.
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    Attitudes of Outstanding Virginia Agricultural Education Teachers Toward Mathematics Integration
    Anderson, Ryan (Virginia Tech, 2006-08-10)
    The purpose of this study was to analyze outstanding agricultural education teachers' attitudes toward mathematics integration. The researcher also determined the outstanding agricultural teachers' level of mathematics integration into each course currently taught. An investigation into the collaboration efforts being made between the agricultural education and mathematics department was also included. The researcher identified the outstanding teachers' perceived needs related to mathematics integration and provided baseline data as the agricultural education instructors in Virginia increase their integration of mathematics. The researcher utilized an electronic questionnaire completed by 25 outstanding agricultural education teachers and follow-up interviews of the 5 teachers who reported integrating mathematics at the highest level. The agricultural teachers reported having favorable attitudes towards the integration of mathematics into the agricultural education curriculum. The results of the data analysis indicated that there was a negative relationship between age and percentage of mathematics integration. All of the agricultural education teachers thought that their efforts to integrate mathematics have helped their students increase their mathematics achievement levels, but they have no concrete evidence. There were several recommendations for implementation, which included encouraging agricultural education teachers to continue to integrate mathematics and other academic areas. Textbook manufacturers, state agricultural leaders and state agricultural education curriculum specialists need to continue to develop curriculum and other education materials that emphasize academic integration. Recommendations for research that emerged from the study included investigating the attitudes of agricultural teachers toward the integration of other academic areas and the mathematics teachers' attitudes toward mathematics integrated into the agricultural education curriculum. Another researcher could investigate the students' attitudes toward receiving academic credits for enrolling in agricultural education courses. There were several implications that rose from this study. Future research could investigate whether the teachers would increase their rates of mathematic integration if ample materials that integrate mathematics are developed for their use. The research findings related to the percentage of mathematics integration in each course taught give curriculum specialists insight into the courses in which the agricultural education teachers are struggling to integrate mathematics. This researcher also identified that these adopters of mathematics integration into agricultural education fell within the implementation stage of the stages of adoption.
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    Considerations for Creating a Food Business Incubator in Virginia
    Pasquarelli, Ian (Virginia Tech, 2016-04-22)
    Due to overwhelming current demand for affordable rental commercial kitchen space in Virginia, this report was compiled in order to assess a viable Virginia model for small food business support. The incubator business model is gaining in popularity across the country, and increasing the capacity for small food business operations in many metropolitan areas. Multiple in-person interviews were conducted with food producers, food retailers, shared-use kitchen owners, city/county officials, and food business incubator managers in Virginia and along the Eastern shore of the United States in order to gain more information pertaining to the elements required for success in food business incubation. It was discovered that most successful food business incubators are located in urban areas, with access to support from existing business development infrastructure such as local universities, hospitals, and business development service centers. Each existing facility has received significant funding from philanthropic donors, or investment capitalists who were able to supply the heavy up-front costs associated with facility establishment. The needs of the interested community will be essential in determining the type of food business incubator facility, and the equipment and services that it will provide. The main limiting factors among unsuccessful operations were shortage of dry and refrigerated storage space, and lack of adequate distribution networks, both factors of which are essential for growth and aggregation of small food businesses, and ultimate success of food business incubators.
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    Considerations for Producers Seeking Market Access to Schools
    Vallotton, Amber; Haynes, Carol; Grigsby, Trista; Boyer, Renee R.; Strawn, Laura K.; Williams, Robert (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2019-06-11)
    Discusses important points that food produces need to remember when trying to market their foods to schools.
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    Considerations for School Nutrition Directors Seeking to Increase Farm to School Purchases
    Vallotton, Amber; Haynes, Carol; Grigsby, Trista; Boyer, Renee R.; Strawn, Laura K.; Williams, Robert (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2019-06-11)
    Discusses important issues regarding locally grown foods being used in schools.
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    Development of an On-line Food Safety Training Course for Food Distributors.
    Barker-Smith, Anne (Virginia Tech, 2010-05)
    Food Distribution is integral to the food supply system in the United States. Our food comes from many sources and must be shipped to many more before the consumer is able to take control. Product handling and storage conditions during this phase are critical to the overall quality and safety of the food. Having worked for a major foodservice distribution organization in the area of quality assurance, for 25 years, it became apparent that food quality and food safety was becoming more and more important to the consumer. Distributors needed to provide documentation as evidence of proper food safety practices because not only was it becoming critical to regulators but to customers as well. Working with Virginia Tech’s food science department and others, I developed and delivered distributor appropriate training for over 250 managers. The positive result was that customer complaints caused by product mishandling were significantly reduced. Unfortunately over that same period, it became apparent that these managers needed assistance in training their teams after they went home and began building their programs. The request for a simplified, job appropriate training program for staff became a consistent theme.
  • Enhanced Apple Cider Fermentation by Selective Light Exposure
    Wright, Melissa; Williams, Robert; Hurley, E. Kenneth; Eifert, Joseph D.; Lahne, Jacob (2019-04-26)
    Fermentation represents a large segment of post-harvest agricultural processing nationwide. Virginia is a leading state in the production of apples and has shown significant growth in the area of hard cider production. Consumer preference drives the hard cider market and new hard ciders are being introduced frequently. In an effort to enhance the quality of hard cider, this project sought to understand the effect of selected light (color and intensity) exposure during fermentation of apple cider on color and sensory characteristics of the resulting hard cider. Apple juice was inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and placed into a vertical glass fermentation vessel. Light of selected colors (red, yellow, green, blue, and ultraviolet) and intensities (low, medium and high) was applied to the apple juice during fermentation. Juices were allowed to ferment for 187 ± 3 h, followed by sensory and color analysis. Hard cider exposed to ultraviolet light during fermentation was most different from the dark control (fermented with no light exposure) and most preferred by sensory panelists on the basis of taste. Ultraviolet light-treated ciders were less yellow in color as compared to the dark control. Modifying the color and intensity of light may yield hard ciders with improved sensory characteristics and provide cider makers with processes to enhance quality of traditionally fermented products. This project was funded by a grant from the Virginia Agricultural Council.
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    Food Follies: Food Safety for College Students
    Osborne, Michelle (Virginia Tech, 2010-12)
    This project involves the production and dissemination of a basic food storage and safety course geared toward college students. The course covers basic preparation, sanitation, proper cooking temperatures, chilling and storage, as well as common pathogens to be aware of.
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    Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule: Soil Amendments
    Strawn, Laura K.; Truitt, Laura; Saunders, Thomas; Williams, Robert; Boyer, Renee R. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2019-07-17)
    Discusses the Produce Safety rule and its requirements about various kinds of soil amendments to reduce the risk of contaminating produce.
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    The Foundation of Food Safety
    Baron, Geoffrey (Virginia Tech, 2021-03-26)
    A presentation educating the American food production worker on the science behind Current Good Manufacturing Practices
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    Importance of Sanitation and Allergen Preventive Controls Validation
    Nantob-Bikatui, N'Lemahoule (Virginia Tech, 2020-05-04)
    The Preventive Controls for Human Food (PC) Rule, published in 2015, expanded on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach by including sanitation, allergen, and supply chain preventive controls for food manufacturing. In a Preventive Controls food safety plan, the process controls are required to be scientifically validated, but allergen and sanitation controls are not. However, food manufacturers should determine if the sanitation and allergen controls being applied in their facilities are adequate to control identified hazards. This work was conducted to determine the efficacy of cleaning practices to control bacterial contamination and soy allergen in a large bakery that manufactures cracker and wafer products. Cracker and wafer lines were subjected to the typical wet and dry-cleaning procedures used in the facility. Pre-cleaning and post-cleaning surfaces were sampled and tested using the following methods: ATP bioluminescence, microbiological sponge, Aerobic Plate Count (APC), Enterobacteriaceae Count (EC), and soy allergen qualitative and quantitative testing. Wet-cleaning and dry-cleaning methods were generally found to be effective for reducing microbiological contamination and soy allergen presence. However, certain areas of the processing equipment, such as the groove between the roller shaft and wall and the lid lip, were found to have higher APC post-cleaning than pre-cleaning. This work highlights the importance of sanitation validation studies that are specific to the equipment being utilized.
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    Introduction to Environmental Monitoring Programs
    Erwin, Cecelia; Williams, Robert; Strawn, Laura K. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2018-05-09)
    Discusses environmental monitoring programs to help with reduction of microbial contamination of foods while they are handled, packed and/or processed.
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    The Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection and Its Impacts on Industry
    Kozolup, Rachel (Virginia Tech, 2014-12)
    The United States Department of Agriculture began inspecting poultry in 1957. The system at that time was largely organoleptic by which inspectors would look for visible defects on car-casses to identify and remove carcasses from the processing line. Throughout the last 57 years, the USDA has enacted many regulations to safeguard meat and poultry processing. Processing establishments in the U.S. operate under one of four poultry inspection systems. 2014 marks the year where establishments now have a fifth optional inspection system to operate under should they choose to do so. The New Poultry Inspection System has been 15 years in the making.
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    Packinghouse Best Practices To Support the FSMA Produce Safety Rule
    Strawn, Laura K.; Truitt, Laura; Saunders, Thomas; Williams, Robert; Boyer, Renee R. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2019-07-19)
    Discusses food safety requirements for packinghouses.
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    A Review of Existing Scientific Literature and Current Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Guidelines for Composting in Vegetable Production
    Hulit, Danielle (Virginia Tech, 2011-05)
    Current research has yielded new scientific evidence to suggest that Good Agriculture Practices recommendations for composted soil amendments may not be adequate to control foodborne illness microorganisms. A review of composting methods, the science of composting, current scientific information and known composting endpoints have yielded a large amount of information showing that current recommendations are not up to date with information that is known by extension specialists, large scale compost facilities and researchers. Composting recommendations can be greatly improved to help lower the potential number of foodborne illnesses linked to organic produce. Areas which potentially could be improved include; the temperature at which microorganism complete kill occurs, the amount of time that one should wait before harvesting a vegetable that was amended with a compost or manure, incorporation of manure directly into the ground, and the impact that cold temperatures can have on the composting process in relation to pathogen control.
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    Virginia’s Community Canneries
    Meade, Donna (Virginia Tech, 2012-05)
    The Commonwealth of Virginia currently has eleven remaining seasonally operating community canneries located in nine counties, most of which are located in the rural central and southwest portion of the state. Ten of those canneries are operated and supported by their local county governments, while one has been acquired and is operated by a non-profit organization. Three of our canneries qualify by the Virginia Department of Agriculture as facilities certified for the production of commercial value added food items processed for resale. This publication will outline those canneries and give information on how and when to access them as well as discussions on the feasibility trends and potential future of these icons from the past.