Biorefining

The Center received a USDA NRI grant ($750,000) to refine whole grain components to functional ingredients with health benefits. The funded project, titled "Whole Grain Ingredients: Health Benefits of Bioactive Phytonutrients And Dietary Fibers From Cereal Grains,  is to develop processes that will result in highly functional whole grain ingredients (WGI) that have excellent sensory characteristics and increased bioavailability of key bioactive phytochemicals, and that deliver significant health benefits.  Incorporating these highly functional WGI into refined flour to make products with enhanced health benefits and improved sensory quality and stability represents a whole foods approach. Our specific objectives are (1)  to develop processes for production of bioactive WGI, (2) to develop WGI-containing foods with acceptable sensory quality and stability, (3) to phytochemical profiles of WGI and evaluate the efficacy and functionality of bioactive components in WGI and WGI-containing foods, (4) to analyze the cholesterol lowering and antioxidant activities of WGI in animal models, and (5) to evaluate the relevance of the integrated research process/results on stakeholders and training of graduate students/post-doctoral fellows. The outcomes are expected to help our stakeholders gain new knowledge of bioavailability of phytochemicals in grains, and provide solutions to technical problems with manufacture of healthy whole grain foods. This project provides a platform for future scientists (graduate students/post-docs) to cultivate the necessary skills to function in an integrated / multidisciplinary research and education environment involving complex food and health-related issues.  Stakeholder involvement facilitates innovative research ideas and recommendations for prioritizing and focusing research efforts for tomorrow’s food scientists and nutritionists in the sectors of government, industry and academia.