Processing milk and other dairy products on the farm provides added value to dairy producers. These types of operations also provide an opportunity for affordable, local food sources in their communities. The goal of this project is to support improved farm efficiency and milk quality, new product development, and quantify the economic and environmental impact of these dairy operations.

Food Scientists in the sweet potato industry have become concerned with potential health and regulatory actions related to chemicals that might be found in some sweet potato products that might impact the image of sweet potato as a healthy superfood, rich in vitamins and minerals and healthy carbohydrates. (1) Processing or cooking at high temperature has potential for the amino acid asparagine to combine with sugars to form small concentrations of acrylamide, a potentially toxic or carcinogenic compound. Processes generating acrylamide include frying to make chips or fries or drying at higher temperatures if the sweet potato is to be used as an ingredient in dehydrated foods. There is potential for new processing technologies that make new or improved products to impact acrylamide and other nutrients of concern. Asparagine is an amino acid that is one of the substrates for acrylamide formation. Sweet potato breeders have been attempting to select for low-asparagine cultivars that would make less acrylamide if used for making chips or French fries. There is a possibility that this process could be achieved more effectively through genetic engineering techniques, but the industry has avoided those methodologies for fear that the product would be rejected by consumers. (2) Recent attention due to pending FDA or congressional action on the possible heavy metal content of ingredients for baby foods has focused attention in the sweet potato industry on the heavy metal content of sweet potato as a food ingredient. However, very little published information is available about the content of sweet potato minerals that are not essential nutrients and there are no published data that sweet potato consumption has actually caused any adverse effects in consumers with respect to these potential components. It is also possible that genetic modification through biotechnology could reduce heavy metal uptake into sweet potatoes, if consumers would find the resulting product to be of greater value to warrant a return on the investment in the technology. Data have not been collected regarding consumer perspectives relative to these concerns and the extent that the issue could damage marketing of sweet potato products. (3) An additional concern with the potential to affect consumer perception of sweet potato consumption is the sustainability of the products��� production and processing. Sustainability is best measured through the process of environmental life cycle analysis, to measure and evaluate the inputs and externalities of a product from farm to table. Therefore, the proposed project has the following objectives: ��� Gather data from published literature and unpublished data from our laboratory results and those of colleagues willing to share preliminary results on the content of acrylamide, arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, and selenium in raw and processed sweet potato. ��� Compare processing methods for supplying sweet potato products to consumers with respect to changes in the content of these nutrients or toxicants during the production of consumer products, such as canning, par-fried and consumer-cooked sweet potato French fries or chips, microwave processed or canned puree, and boiled or baked whole sweet potato, and pulsed electric field, inductive or microwave preheating for dehydration. ��� Conduct a lifecycle analysis of the inputs and externalities of sweet potato production and processing for consumer products such as canned sweet potato, par-fried and consumer-cooked sweet potato French fries or chips, microwave-processed or canned puree, and boiled or baked whole sweet potato, fruit-vegetable leathers, and weaning foods with an emphasis on post-harvest storage, processing and packaging inputs and outputs. ��� Survey consumers regarding the relative importance of healthy nutrients, potential toxicants, monetary and environmental costs and benefits, and the potential use of various biotechnologies on their interest in purchasing different types of sweet potato products. Then, make recommendations based on the dat

The Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) program is funded by USAID through CIMMYT and administered by Michigan State University in collaboration with the Bureau for Food Security. The goal of the BHEARD program is to build capacity of host country agricultural research institutions by providing M.S. and Ph.D. degree and short-term training opportunities to their staff members.After a thorough application review and selection process involving interviews of candidates, the USAID-Malawi mission has recommended seven potential candidates from Malawi for Ph.D. degree training at U.S. universities. Candidates are employees of some of Malawi������������������s major agricultural research institutions: Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development (MOAIWD). We are proposing this letter of interest for 5 students to attend NCSU for study leading to PhD degrees in the fields of food science, human nutrition, and animal nutrition.

Sweet potato is increasingly being consumed as a processed food or ingredient in further processed foods. Sweet potato fries are regularly available in many restaurants and grocers������������������ freezer compartments. Sweet potato chips share shelf space with corn and potato chips, and may share a package with beet, carrot, and other root crops processed the same way. Aseptically packaged sweet potato puree can be a major component of baby food and frozen entrees. Our research team has focused on the formulation of fortified sweet potato flour and the creation of products derived of this ingredient (Feng, 2014). A local company is producing concentrated sweet potato juice as a sweetener in processed foods, and the residual solids are sold as a flour for bakery or granules for use in cereal products. These novel sweet potato foods and ingredients have the advantage of being able to use the entire yield from a sweet potato harvest, in contrast to fresh baking sweet potatoes that should be of an appropriate size range. However, the nutritional properties of these foods and ingredients have not been investigated to the same extent as have traditional baked and canned sweet potato. Measurement of the glycemic index of these foods and related metabolic parameters that impact blood glucose control in healthy people, as well as diabetic patients, will be useful information for healthcare providers, food product developers, and sweet potato marketers..

The Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) program is funded by USAID through CIMMYT and administered by Michigan State University in collaboration with the Bureau for Food Security. The goal of the BHEARD program is to build capacity of host country agricultural research institutions by providing Ph.D. degree and short-term training opportunities to their staff members. BHEARD invites ���������������Expressions of Interest������������������ from U.S. universities to provide Ph.D. degree training for a cohort of students from Malawi. Candidates are employees of one of Malawi������������������s major agricultural research institutions: Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). The desired fields of study include dairy science and human nutrition. The NC State Nutrition program is responding to this request to train 2 students for Ph.D. degrees in Nutrition, with concentrations in Dairy Science and Human Nutrition. Our prior experience with students in the UILTCB-Malawi program makes us well-suited for this endeavor.

This project is designed to test the hypothesis that the Mellitas Foods product, Cannellini Bean Protein, will reduce the glycemic response to starchy foods compared to a non-bioactive protein food that contains a similar amount of protein and available carbohydrate (skim-milk). The procedure uses the glycemic index protocol that has been in use in the NCSU Nutrition Technical Services Lab (Allen lab) for nearly 2 years. The procedure measures glycemic response to test meals containing 50 g of available carbohydrate plus the test protein mixture in a beverage form. Glycemic response data are captured by an iPro2 continuous glucose monitoring device. Five blood samples collected at 30-min interval after eating are used to measure the insulin response curve. The insulin data are needed to determine if a lower glucose concentration lowers the insulin response, or if an insulinotropic effect in the gut augments the insulin release, which in turn keeps the glucose response lower.

The USAID Initiative for Long-term Training and Capacity Building (UILTCB) program, managed by the Dry Grain Pulses CRSP office at Michigan State University requested ?Expressions of Interest? from selected U.S. universities to train a cohort of up to seven students from Malawi for M.S. degrees in programs related to Agribusiness, Crop Science (including Agronomy or Horticulture), Soil Science, Dairy Science, and Agricultural Extension Education. The UILTCB program started as a BIFAD initiative in 2006 to develop and test new and cost-effective approaches to long-term training. The program was first implemented in Zambia and Ghana. This is the fifth year implementing this program in Malawi through funding from USAID/Malawi. NCSU Nutrition program responded to this request to enroll two students for the Master of Nutrition degree with an emphasis in dairy nutrition and dairy processing. The students will spend one year on the NCSU Campus and complete the remaining credits for the degree through distance education from Malawi. USAID-Malawi has accept this proposal and the Program Coordinator at Michigan State university is assisting with the application process for Fall 2012 admission.

The purpose of this project is to increase the existing nutrition knowledge of sweet potato. We are aiming to expand value-added uses of North Carolina?s sweet-potato crop and create a fortified sweet potato flour with several specific aims: low-level fortification can supply comparable micronutrient fortification to other enriched grains and flours; higher levels of fortification can be the base for product fortification, such as an ingredient that could be used in a meal packet for different organizations that are fighting against global hunger. Our research will extend existing knowledge to determine whether the endogenous nutrient packaging in sweet potato eliminates adverse chemical interactions between pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant micronutrients. The final aim of this project will be to increase child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of sweet potato, as well as expand the utilization and market for sweet potatoes in a processed form. The scientific results of this project will focus attention on the excellent nutrient profile of sweet potato and the nutritionally improved sweet potato flour to serve as a strategy for market expansion based on innovation and product differentiation in a low cost fortified product.

Consumers are increasingly choosing to consume fruits and vegetables because of the published values for glycemic index (GI), which is the relative rise in blood glucose following intake of a given quantity of carbohydrate. The first year of study in the project will measure the glycemic Index (GI) of specialty sweet potato cultivars that have orange, yellow, purple, and white pigmentation. Using color as the independent variable will determine whether plant components other than carbohydrate have important impacts on the dependent variable, glucose uptake and response, in healthy human subjects. The second study will focus on the carbohydrate composition and use the fiber content of the sweet potato as the independent variable. Sweet potato clones with fiber content of approximately 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7% will be selected from the 80 clones that have been analyzed by collaborators in the NCSU Department of Horticulture. This study will specifically target the impact of fiber on GI. The outcomes from this study will be an indication whether the GI differs significantly among different cultivars of sweet potatoes and whether the fiber content of sweet potato may be responsible for the moderate GI value compared to other vegetable foods. Factors that have been proposed to be responsible for the low GI of sweet potato include specific proteins and starch hydrolysis during cooking. This study will provide a unique opportunity to measure the role of pigments, fiber and other plant components.

The USAID Initiative for Long-term Training and Capacity Building (UILTCB) is a pilot training project funded by USAID to develop and test innovative and cost effective approaches to long-term degree training involving U.S. universities. The project is administered by Michigan State University (MSU) in collaboration with the EGAT Office of Agriculture and USAID/Malawi. NCSU was selected as one of two graduate student training centers and a sub-contract from MSU will fund the training of 4 Malawian students towards the Master?s degree in the NCSU Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences. The goal of the UILTCB program is to build capacity of host country public and private institutions to contribute to agricultural and natural resource development by providing M.S. degree and short-term training opportunities to their staff members. After undergoing an application and thorough selection process involving interviews of institutional representatives and candidates, the USAID-Malawi Mission recommended 10 potential candidates from Malawi for M.S. degree training at U.S. universities. Funding to support candidates for M.S. degree training is administered through the UILTCB program. A short profile of each of these selected candidates and their areas of interest for graduate study was provided to the NCSU Director of Graduate Programs for the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences. These candidates were selected from institutions that met the UILTCB program criteria. Candidates were screened for potential to succeed in a graduate program based on interviews conducted by a team from the Program Office and the USAID-Malawi Mission. Copies of the students? transcripts and CVs were sent to NCSU. The Food Science DGP found that four candidates with an interest in a Food Science degree had a high probability of admission based upon transcripts, resumes and GRE scores. Dr. Prema Arasu, Associate Vice Provost, International Academics and Director, Global Health Initiatives at North Carolina State University, prepared an Expression of interest document and budget for these students in MAY 2009. Final reviews were made by USAID mission office in Malawi and NCSU was selected as a training center. Dr. Mywish Maredia, Deputy Director, Pulse CRSP at Michigan State University will be the coordinator of the subcontract. The four candidates are required to apply for formal admission and review through the NCSU Graduate School application process. NCSU is willing to manage this program as a grant through a sub-contract between Michigan State University and our university. The monthly maintenance allowance will be paid to the students as a research assistantship from this grant. As requested by Dr., Maredia, MSU will transfer the funds to NC State through a "fixed price" agreement according to the attached schedule of payments that correspond to the approximate registration and tuition due dates for these students.