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Browsing by Author "Thompson, Henry, committee member"

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    Metabolomic profiles of Oryza sativa and influence of genetic diversity
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Heuberger, Adam Lawrence, author; Brick, Mark, advisor; Leach, Jan, committee member; Ryan, Elizabeth, committee member; Byrne, Patrick, committee member; Thompson, Henry, committee member
    Food crops with enhanced health characteristics are being developed in many breeding programs. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an ideal candidate to study traits related to health due to its importance as both a global staple food and a model system for cereal crops. Evaluating metabolite profiles can be a high-throughput method to identify variation in health properties of dietary components. Metabolomics is a useful tool to assess the influence of genetics on total metabolite variation in the cooked grain. Cooked rice metabolite profiles for 10 diverse varieties were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) on aqueous-methanol extracts. A total of 3,097 molecular features were detected, and 25% of the features varied among the 10 varieties (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Both z-score and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed variation consistent with subspecies-based varietal groupings, and indicated genetic control over the metabolite profiles. Variation in total phenolics and vitamin E was also consistent with varietal groupings. Genes in biochemical pathways for health-related metabolites were interrogated for allelic variation by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNP variation may serve as an important mechanism by which genes influence metabolic variation. The influence of genetic diversity on the metabolite profile of the rice grain was also assessed for two interacting effects: genotype-environment interactions (GEI) and genotype-fermentation interactions (GFI). GEI was assessed by growing two diverse rice varieties in the field and the greenhouse. Gas-chromatography-MS (GC-MS) was used to detect primary metabolites from aqueous-methanol extracts of cooked rice. Genotype, environmental, and GEI effects were observed for many metabolites, including the amino acid phenylalanine, a precursor for many secondary metabolites related to human health. Genes associated with phenylalanine synthesis were screened in rice gene expression databases, and variation within and among the genes suggests they are a potential source of genetic variation for phenylalanine synthesis. Both the metabolite and gene expression patterns indicate a potential interaction between phenylalanine and serine synthesis. The GC-MS data implies the GEI effects on primary metabolism may correspond to variation in secondary metabolites that are predicted to affect human health. Additionally, human health attributes of the grain may be dependent on fermentation of rice metabolites by gut microorganisms. GFI effects were assessed by fermenting three highly similar rice varieties with Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast. Metabolites were extracted and detected by GC-MS. A PLS-DA model showed evidence of fermentation (F) effects, but not GFI. However, when extracts were assessed for the ability to inhibit viability of lymphoma cells, both F and GFI effects were apparent. It is therefore likely that GFI effects may exist among diverse rice varieties, and that interactions affect the bioactivity of rice metabolites. In summary, total metabolite variation is largely influenced by the rice genotype, including interactions with environment and fermentation. These data describe both heritable and non-heritable sources of variation. Thus, although genetic variation in rice is sufficient to establish metabolite profiles specific to human health characteristics, the heritability of a secondary metabolite-associated health trait is likely influenced by both environment and fermentation effects.
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    Promoting the consumption of beans and other pulses for public health: a translational approach to address consumer barriers to intake
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Didinger, Chelsea, author; Foster, Michelle, advisor; Bunning, Marisa, advisor; Thompson, Henry, committee member; Jablonski, Becca, committee member
    Beans and other pulses (i.e., the dry, edible seeds of non-oilseed legumes like chickpeas, cowpeas, dry beans, dry peas, and lentils) are linked to a myriad of positive impacts on human and environmental health, including promotion of gut health and healthy weight management, reduction of chronic disease risk, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, improvements in soil health, conservation of water resources, and more. Moreover, pulses are highly nutrient-dense, have a long shelf-life, demonstrate wide culinary versatility, and are relatively affordable compared to other foods. Accordingly, pulses offer the chance to consume a healthful diet based on sustainable food choices, all at an economical price point. Although this combination of positive assets may make pulses seem like a natural choice for consumers to include as a dietary staple, global consumption of pulses has stagnated at around 21 g/day/capita. This research focuses on United States consumers, who eat less than 1 cup of cooked pulses per week, which is below the recommendation. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), there are only four dietary components of public health concern (i.e., nutrients or other dietary components – like fiber – for which low intakes are associated with health concerns) in the United States. Among these four dietary components of public health concern are dietary fiber and potassium. Pulses are rich in both, thus increasing intake across the population could contribute to raising levels of these critical dietary components. Although it depends on age group and gender, the levels of pulse intake recommended by the DGA are around 1 – 3 cups per week. Increasing intake to meet this recommendation would help provide adequate levels of dietary components of public health concern. Raising it even further, to around 1 cup per day, has been associated with numerous human health benefits, as discussed in the Introduction. Reversing the current trend of dramatically low consumption would allow the public to better capitalize on all the benefits that pulses have to offer. To achieve this, it is vital to address the potential barriers to pulse intake that consumers face, paramount among them being unfamiliarity with how to cook and prepare pulses, long cooking times, and concerns over flatulence. Simultaneously, it is key to highlight the many motivating factors to eat pulses, including taste and culinary versatility, nutrition and health, and environmental benefits. Through engaging in a translational approach that addresses barriers and emphasizes motivators, not only is knowledge disseminated, but consumers can be motivated to engage in behavior change and increase their pulse consumption. This research is comprised of three primary efforts designed to directly target motivators and mitigate barriers to pulse consumption in the United States: 1.) creation of an Extension Bean Toolkit, which includes various consumer resources and an online 1-hour class; 2.) development of the Bean Cuisine and engagement with citizen scientists to improve the cuisine and monitor impacts of participation; and 3.) testing of the effects of elevation and soaking conditions on bean cooking time to address the concern over long cooking times and provide consumers with accessible cooking tips. Before designing the Extension Bean Toolkit, a Food Habits Survey was conducted to better understand preparation and consumption habits, barriers, motivators, and potential points of consumer interest related to pulses. Based on results and in conjunction with review of the literature, resources were developed for the toolkit, as well as the 1-hour class, titled Beans: Good for You, Good for the Planet. Participation in the class resulted in significant gains in knowledge about pulses, an increase in the importance of motivators, a decrease in how much barriers discourage consumers, and consumption frequency also appeared to increase. See Chapter 2 for details. The Bean Cuisine is a 2-week cuisine (i.e., meal plan) with 56 pulse-centric recipes that correspond to 14 unique breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner ideas. The Bean Cuisine was designed to have 35% of dietary protein from pulses, due to recent preclinical findings that suggest this level of consumption is when benefits for gut health and weight maintenance are attained. The main barrier addressed was lack of awareness of how to cook and prepare pulses, and culinary versatility was a main motivator. Fifty-six citizen scientists were recruited and provided feedback on one day (i.e., four recipes) of the Bean Cuisine, and impacts of participation were monitored. The Bean Cuisine was modified based on their feedback to improve the recipes to ensure they were clearly written and the taste would appeal to a wider audience. Participation in the project resulted in significant gains in knowledge about pulse health benefits, versatility, and how to cook dry pulses. Moreover, common themes in free response data demonstrated that citizen scientists had increased awareness of pulse variety and versatility, they changed the frequency of and ways in which they ate pulses, they had a positive experience and thus a good perception of citizen science, and that some became pulse advocates, sharing the benefits of pulses with their communities. More details can be found in Chapter 3. Not knowing how to cook dry pulses and the long cooking times pose barriers to regular pulse intake. Therefore, to be able to provide consumers with better information regarding the effects of cooking conditions and elevation on cooking time, a Mattson cooker was used to assess the cooking time of pinto beans at four locations, ranging from around sea level to over 3,000 meters. Seven different cooking conditions were evaluated in replicate at each location: an overnight soak or a quick soak in only water or in a 1% solution of sodium chloride or sodium bicarbonate, with a no soak and no salt added comparison. Cooking time increased with elevation, and both the soaking of beans and the addition of salt shortened cooking time. A handout was created to equip consumers with information and practical, accessible tips to facilitate faster, better experiences when cooking dry pulses. Refer to Chapter 4 for details. Through the Extension Bean Toolkit and Bean Cuisine citizen science work, a translational approach was adopted to reach the public with current research findings that aligned with areas in which they expressed interest. The mitigation of potential barriers to pulse intake and the highlighting of the numerous benefits of pulses was a primary focus in this work. After participating in the Extension class or citizen science project, participants demonstrated greater knowledge about pulses. More importantly, they expressed a greater intention to eat pulses, indicating that participation in these translational projects helped motivate them to change their behavior and regularly integrate more pulses into their diets.