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Investigating the Current Beef Industry Practices and Their Implications on Final Beef Quality

Investigating the Current Beef Industry Practices and Their Implications on Final Beef Quality

by | Jun 23, 2024 | Research Projects

by Jimena Rodriguez

My research looks to investigate the current beef industry practices and their implications on final beef quality. I became involved after the summer of 2022, after attending the Reciprocal Meats Conference in Des Moines, IA. There I was able to converse with meat science professionals from all across the nation and hear about the innovative work being done. This shortly led me to working with Dr. Derico Setyabrata, a recent addition to the meat science team in the Animal Science department. He needed a student to work in the lab, and I am beyond grateful that he took a chance with me. 

In the beef industry, there are three topics that are most investigated, including juiciness, tenderness, and flavor. According to data collected from the National Beef Tenderness Survey, conducted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), consumers have expressed these areas are what should be improved in beef products. In this study specifically, we looked at the industry’s practices when it comes to aging, or the tenderization of the product, and its effects on the final product quality. Aging allows for enzymes called calpains, specifically calpain-1, to cut other proteins in the meat and make these fragments more water-soluble. The longer you allow for the product to age, the more protein fragments, resulting in a very tender steak. As previously stated, consumers prefer a tender product. Though, with extended aging, like any other food product, there is an onset of spoilage which is also followed by a change in the physical appearance of the product. It has been studied that consumers prefer a cherry red color and will likely not reach for the product if there is any deviation from this. Therefore, we investigated how these microorganisms affected the color change in beef and how long a product would last on the shelf.

Our findings were along the lines of what we hypothesized. With longer aging treatments, we found more spoilage bacteria and very bad color quality found in the beef products. This is ultimately where we are at in the study. We have collaborated with other scientists in the department to aid in profiling the microbes, which is equally as rewarding as it is challenging. We have experienced delays in the timeline we have set due to mechanical issues, however I have learned to work around them. We are still working on further investigating the correlation between the specific type of organisms and how they induce a color change in products. The importance of this work is to hopefully address the issue of food waste. Again, any deviation from a cherry red color will result in a discount and ultimately discarded. This is a big issue for the beef industry as a study conducted found that roughly $3.73 billion is lost due to this. It becomes more than just a food waste issue, but also an economical one There are currently innovations being applied to educate consumers about beef’s color change, but also how to maintain a cherry color so that consumers do not reject the product. 

While I did not travel for the project specifically, I was able to attain a travel scholarship, from NCBA, to attend their annual Beef Safety Summit in Denver, CO. There I was able to network with a wide range of professionals in the beef industry, including feedlot managers, plant operations managers, USDA, and FDA specialists, from all across the nation. There I was able to talk to them more about this project and hear how their respective area is addressing this issue. This was particularly interesting because I was able to see how my research is being applied in a real-world setting. 

A key component to completing this project was the mentorship received. This was my first time immersing myself in a lab to conduct research, which came with a lot of anxiety. Though, Dr. Setyabrata expressed great patience and freedom throughout my time in the lab. He enabled me to gain confidence in myself, which was beyond rewarding. Through his mentorship, I have been able to accomplish more than I thought I could. Dr. Setyabrata has had an everlasting impact on my career trajectory. I have found a passion for meat science and the meaningful work of providing safe and wholesome products to everyone. He along with the other faculty in the Animal Science department have been a huge part in my success both in and out of the lab. Through this rewarding experience, I began to entertain the idea of graduate school post-graduation. While it was a very tough decision, I have decided to continue my education at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, TX. There I will continue to further investigate the beef industry’s practices and their impact on beef quality. 

Does Stream Restoration Work? A Case Study in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Does Stream Restoration Work? A Case Study in Fayetteville, Arkansas

by | May 15, 2024 | Research Projects

by Amadeo Scott

Water quality of streams in urban areas, such as the university campus, is often severely degraded due to runoff from impervious surfaces such as roads and parking lots. This results in pollutants and other substances entering streams in these places, especially during storms. This lowers the water quality, and the excess stormwater can change the shape of the streambed and erode the banks. To get streams back to a healthier state, we often carry out restoration projects, which might include planting native streambank vegetation to decrease erosion and increase filtration of runoff, or placing rock structures and gravel in the streambeds to restore the original streambed shape. These were both techniques used in a restoration on campus at Mullins Creek in 2012. Unfortunately, most stream restorations are not monitored, so it’s actually rare to know whether a restoration worked. Mullins Creek had qualitative monitoring done after the project, but no quantitative study. I decided to study the water quality in Mullins Creek, 10 years after the stream restoration, hoping to find whether the restoration goals were met and to determine if the methods used were effective. I looked at the physical, chemical, and biological water quality of sites above the restoration, at it, and below it to compare unrestored and restoration site quality. After a year of monitoring and analysis, I determined that 2 out of 3 studied goals of the restoration—increased nutrient uptake and more aeration and pool habitats—had been met. The third goal, decreased erosion and turbidity, was not met, as turbidity was highest at the restoration site. This study has shown that the methods used for the other two goals, which included rock structure and gravel placement, were effective, but that anti-erosion methods should be reevaluated in future restorations. This project helps contribute to our adaptive management of stream restorations, in which researchers constantly test and improve their methods in ecological restoration. 

I chose this topic because I have always been interested in aquatic ecosystems, and finding ways to combat the negative effects of urbanization on the world around us is a quickly-growing field. I heard about the Mullins Creek restoration during an environmental science lab and decided to discuss a potential project on the subject with the professor, Dr. Lisa Wood. She suggested looking at water quality, and after I developed my proposal to determine the efficacy of the restoration, she introduced me to Dr. Shannon Speir, who became my project mentor. 

During this project, I learned that the results of stream restoration are generally unknown, and that both designing and assessing restorations are confusing topics with no one scientific approach or consensus. Restorations have thousands of factors, and nuance is very important when trying to answer a question that sounds so black-and-white: “Did the restoration work?”. Throughout the year-long project, I was constantly discovering new aspects of stream quality, interactions between the campus environment and the stream, and the layered effects of continuing urbanization on a restoration. A particularly challenging aspect of the project for me was interpreting some of the water chemistry results. The water chemistry could be influenced by anything in the stream’s aboveground or belowground environment, so it was difficult to find specific possible reasons for a certain result. I gathered literature on each parameter I was measuring to find the mechanisms that could be causing my results, and then went through them methodically and reasoned out which could apply to Mullins Creek and which couldn’t. This made the task much easier, and now when a project feels like too much to focus on, I use this method to break it down into smaller parts. 

My mentor, Dr. Speir, guided me throughout the project, helping me to design procedures, choose statistical analyses, edit my writing, and much more. Besides directly working with students, she facilitates a collaborative environment within her lab, and so other students in the Speir Lab also helped me, whether through coming on sampling trips, helping me troubleshoot field techniques, or providing feedback on papers and posters. I also had help from Dr. Brad Austin at the AWRC, who worked with me to analyze my water chemistry samples. Finally, of course, I also received crucial suggestions and feedback from my thesis committee. 

After I graduate, I am hoping to work as a laboratory or research technician with an aquatic or marine lab for a year or two. I eventually want to get my Master’s in coastal ecology, and hopefully a Ph.D. after that. I am passionate about conserving our species, particularly those that don’t get a lot of attention, such as aquatic invertebrates. I hope that I’ll be able to spend my life researching and protecting our lesser-known animals. 

Children’s Acceptance of Different Proteins

Children’s Acceptance of Different Proteins

by | Jan 19, 2024 | Research Projects

by Amber Knoernschild

I worked alongside my honors mentor, Dr. Jamie Baum, to develop a high-protein breakfast muffin recipe that would allow us to measure children’s acceptance of different protein sources. My goal was to create a healthy muffin recipe that was appealing to children and high in both protein and fiber. I was excited to be able to conduct pediatric research, as I am very interested in working with children in my future career. I also found this project very interesting as a dietetics student.

This project challenged me to look at food in terms of specific macro- and micronutrients instead of the food item’s nutritional benefit as a whole. Developing a breakfast muffin recipe high in protein and fiber that kids love could serve to educate caregivers on the benefits of protein in a child’s diet and improve children’s health regarding satiation and protein balance.

Dr. Baum was very knowledgeable about the food science perspective of baking and I was able to contribute significant nutrition information that I was learning in my classes. We worked together to brainstorm recipe modifications that took flavor, texture, nutrient density, and presentation into consideration. We started by finding a base protein muffin recipe that we could easily adjust. I baked the muffin with the original recipe first and then researched ways that we could modify the recipe to increase the protein and fiber content.

Dr. Baum and I reached out to a former student, Lily Smith, who is a graduate student in food science. Lily recommended that we utilize applesauce and inulin to increase the fiber content of the muffin with minimal alterations to the texture. Dr. Baum and I also reached out to Dr. Aubree Hawley, a professor and researcher. Dr. Hawley recommended that we utilize peanut butter and whole milk to increase the protein content in our muffins. Using the feedback that we received from these two valuable sources, we reworked my recipe, combining multiple strategies to develop a muffin recipe that was high in protein and fiber and appealed to the taste preferences of children. With this recipe, I will be able to conduct further human research that will measure children’s acceptance of different protein sources in a breakfast muffin.

This Bumpers College Undergraduate Research Grant allowed me to explore a topic I love in an advanced, academic setting. With the help of Dr. Baum, I learned how taste, appearance, and texture are key factors in children’s acceptance of food. I also learned a great deal about food science and recipe modification. I was able to practice calculating the nutrient content of recipes while simultaneously learning how to change the texture, taste, and appearance of the breakfast muffins. I feel as though my background and general interest in nutrition allowed me to fully benefit from this research and engage in valuable, hands-on experience. This research project serves as the foundation for new discoveries and developments in nutrition and food science; I am proud to be leaving behind this work for myself and future students to build upon.

Using Poultry to Enhance Food Security in Belize

Using Poultry to Enhance Food Security in Belize

by | Sep 16, 2022 | Creative Projects, Service Learning Projects

By Emily Spatz

My name is Emily Spatz, and I am a senior in both Bumpers College and Fulbright College, as I am double-majoring in Poultry Science and Spanish, with a minor in AgriBusiness. My mentor is Dr. Lisa Wood, the Assistant Dean for Honors and International Programs. I have been working on this research since spring of my sophomore year, and I will defend my research this spring. After graduation, I will be shifting my focus to food science, as I will be working as a food technologist in research and development at Simmons Foods.

This project was designed to provide Saint Matthews school with a sustainable protein source for their cantina, but the project goes much deeper than that. School faculty have reported difficulty keeping students in school until graduation, as many families need their children to work to provide income for the family. Through this project, I hoped to not only provide nutrition for the students in school, but also to provide protein for them to take home to their families and for the students to learn animal husbandry skills, which could lead to a future career. This project sought to solve many big issues in the community, all starting with a simple small scale poultry farm.

I have been passionate about food security for years, although I truly did not understand the depth of the issue until I began researching for my literature review. Nine million people die of hunger or hunger-related diseases each year, yet 1/3 of calories are wasted. Access to adequate, affordable food is a basic human right, yet there are quite obvious disparities when it comes to this issue. When selecting a topic for my honors thesis, I knew I wanted to make a tangible difference and to promote food security.

Originally, I had chosen a completely separate topic, although it was still related to poultry production in developing countries. I had planned to work with OneEgg in Honduras, but the travel advisory rating upgraded to a 4 and we were no longer allowed to travel there.

During the thesis proposal class, Dr. Wood introduced me to the study abroad program that she leads annually to Belize, where various community outreach programs are conducted, such as community health and creating a school garden. The school had recently expressed the desire for a poultry farm to provide protein in the cantina, which led to the development of this project.

As far as selecting a mentor goes, I would recommend making connections with your professors and learning about their research interests. They may be interested in something that you are also interested in, or they may be able to point you to someone that would align closer with your interests.

Through this project, I learned about the vast differences between commercial and small-scale poultry production—many of which stem from the availability of electricity (and lack thereof), but it was interesting to see how flocks can still be adequately managed without the technology that we use commercially in the poultry industry.

By far, the biggest challenge was the evolving situation with the Covid-19 pandemic. I started my research during spring of my sophomore year, yet it is still a work-in-progress now during my senior year. I had planned to go to Belize to collect measurements, speak with school faculty, and determine availability of supplies during summer of 2020, but we all know how plans were cancelled and turned upside down due to the pandemic. I continued working on the manual and collecting relevant information, while planning to go to Belize the following summer. That study abroad program got cancelled, as did the following January 2022 intersession program. I never imaged that the pandemic would last over two years, but here we are. The greatest takeaway from this experience has been the importance of flexibility and adaptability—it is of the utmost importance during research and life in general. As a person who likes to be organized and make lists of what needs to be done, this was definitely a hard lesson to learn. Overcoming the constant challenges was really about being optimistic and persistent, no matter how many times I wanted to give up.

My mentor was essential in communication between us at the University of Arkansas and our contacts in Belize, as well as providing guidance throughout the entire process. My committee members were also very helpful, as they were able to provide insight from their years of experience in the poultry industry and in the academic world.

In addition, another Bumpers Honors student was very important in the groundwork for this project. As I mentioned, I was not able to travel to Belize to implement my plans, so having her help was crucial. After I finish writing the manual, she will be able to take my plans and construct the poultry house in Belize, which is the ultimate purpose of this work. It is so important to accept the help of those around you— because my project truly would not be as meaningful and would just remain a manual without her help.

Following graduation, I will begin working full time in research and development at Simmons Foods, where I have been interning for the past year. I really love the work environment, my team, and the emphasis that the company places on both personal and professional development. I will be pursuing a Certified Culinary Scientist (CCS) certification and a master’s degree in Food Science while working. I am so excited for this next chapter in life, and to be able to use the skills that I gained throughout my undergraduate career, especially through this honors thesis.