Food Product Design: Cover - May 2001 - Abstract on Antioxidents

May 2001

Scientists have come to appreciate oxygen’s importance in essential metabolic pathways for many forms of life. Although oxidation reactions are natural, it is critical to the food industry to suspend these reactions through the use of antioxidants. The ultimate mission of the food product developer is to slow or stop the chemical oxidation reaction long enough for food to be eaten by the consumer before oxidation has rendered it inedible. Oxidation can transform food flavor into stale, fishy or cardboard, dull the color to that of faded paint and change the nutritional value of lipids into toxic ketones and aldehydes.

Because early food developers incorporated antioxidants into prepared foods, they enjoy the positive reputation for quality they have today. Recent advances in thermal processing, food additives, packaging and controlled atmosphere have further reduced oxidation of raw materials and continue to extend the quality and subsequent shelf life of foods. One of the most radical improvements of late, however, is not in the food itself, but in the heightened consumer awareness of this ubiquitous oxidation reaction. The relationship between oxygen and human disease is characterized as a lack of the body’s ability to defend itself from oxidation reactions. Many food-derived antioxidants targeted for dietary benefits also have substantial benefits as antioxidants for food preservation, a payback for the food product developer trying to solve practical preservation problems while providing health-maintenance solutions.

Preventing disease
The two leading causes of death in the United States, cardiovascular disease and cancer, serve as focal points for dietary antioxidant research. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of research publications demonstrating the potential “antioxidant share” for each type of food or food extract in the human diet. Limitations allow only a few of the many promising whole foods and food ingredients to be discussed in detail.

No discussion of antioxidants and health is complete without a review of free-radical theory and its importance to disease and aging. Initially articulated in 1954 by Denham Harman, free radicals are highly reactive molecular fragments that include a free electron. Free radicals found in living organisms include hydroxyl, superoxide, nitric oxide and peroxyl. Chemical oxidation by free electrons damage cell structures such as mitochondria, cell membranes, enzymes and DNA. As the damage accumulates, degeneration of these structures leads to an estimated 50 diseases that are responsible for up to 90% of all U.S. deaths.

Fortunately, the body is not defenseless from these metabolic and environmental oxidation attacks. The human body produces a number of enzymes to defend itself from free radicals and detoxify the end products of oxidation. Antioxidant consumption is one of the defense mechanisms that keep oxidative stress to a manageable level in healthy individuals.

The role of individual antioxidants in cardiovascular-disease prevention is still not well understood, although, collectively, they are well-touted with respect to whole-foods consumption. Oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, has been identified as an important factor in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, although the minimum antioxidant dosage required to prevent this oxidation has not been clearly established.

Oxidation is blamed for the fatty plaques that accumulate in the walls of the large- and medium-size arteries of the heart, restricting blood flow to the heart muscle. The Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study evaluated 2,000 patients with ischemic heart disease. The patients who received 400 or 800 IU of vitamin E per day had a 77% reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction. It is unclear whether the effects of vitamin E on heart-disease prevention are related to its antioxidant activity or to its anticoagulant effects — some antioxidants also have an ability to decrease blood clotting.

The role of vitamin C, a water-soluble antioxidant, is controversial. Found in fresh fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit, apples, bananas and green vegetables, vitamin C affects many bodily functions — it is vital for the production of hormones and collagen, the most abundant protein in the body.

Smokers who are highly susceptible to cardiovascular disease may benefit from antioxidants in their diet, particularly vitamins C, E and beta-carotene (the precursor of vitamin A). Recent research led by Lynn Wallock at the University of California, Berkeley, reported that because smokers tend to have poor diets, low levels of these antioxidant vitamins in the blood could be the result of not eating well rather than smoking. She found that when smokers and nonsmokers were monitored for vitamin E, beta-carotene and lycopene levels in blood plasma, there was no significant difference between smokers and nonsmokers. Smokers, however, had significantly lower vitamin C levels, a difference that was successfully compensated by supplements.

The prevention of cardiovascular disease by specific nutrients is still viewed by the mainstream as inconclusive. A study from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, published in the March 2001 issue of the Lancet, shows vitamin C can reduce the risk of death from chronic disorders, such as cardiovascular and heart disease. A four-year follow-up to this study showed that the vitamin C concentration levels were inversely related to deaths from all causes, however the dietary sources were food, not supplements. The researchers found that a daily increase equivalent to 50 grams of fruits and vegetables was linked with a 20% decrease in the risk of death.

However, other work done in the United Kingdom, published in the May 2000 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that a low plasma concentration of vitamin C was not associated with an increased heart-attack risk, irrespective of smoking status. The American Heart Association, Dallas, recommends a balanced diet of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The American Council on Science and Health, New York City, agrees that more research is needed before supplements can claim to compensate for a lack of foods rich in antioxidants.

Link to cancer prevention
Bruce Ames, professor, biochemistry and molecular biology, University of California, Berkeley, made biochemistry history when he published what has become known as the Ames Test in 1975. This test was invented as a predictor of DNA damage leading to mutation — a change in a DNA sequence that is a preliminary step in cancer development.

Ames’ publication, entitled “The Causes and Prevention of Cancer,” March 1997, points out obvious dietary links: “The degenerative diseases of aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and brain dysfunction, are increasingly found to have, in good part, an oxidative origin. It is argued that dietary antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E and carotenoids, play a major role in minimizing this damage…the main source of dietary antioxidants is fruits and vegetables.” Ames continues his research on leading cancer factors, including smoking, dietary imbalances and chronic inflammation.

Evidence now exists that several major types of cancer have one or more genes associated with them. As genetic screening becomes an affordable risk-assessment option, there is an expectation that dietary solutions will become even more necessary to manage risks through the use of foods and supplements containing antioxidants.

Health connections
Health claims are an integral part of marketing antioxidants’ dietary benefits. Disease-prevention label claims for foods containing antioxidants have not yet been approved. However, this has not prevented the food and health industry from disseminating information through other communication vehicles — the word antioxidant on a label is sometimes all that is needed to alert savvy consumers to a health benefit. Sometimes the product name itself indicates antioxidant activity, such as Hansen’s Anti-Ox™ carbonated beverage. Antioxidants dispensed over the counter as supplements also build awareness of these nutrients in foods.

However, a continuing education program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, University, still advises pharmacists that “the major national health organizations do not currently endorse the use of antioxidant dietary supplements in normal individuals; instead they recommend a healthy and well-balanced diet and lifestyle.” The current recommendations remain the same — five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, at least three of vegetables and two of fruit; if supplements are taken, up to 200 mg of vitamin E (the natural form) and 250 mg of vitamin C per day is recommended.

How many people are getting their five a day? Estimates vary. According to the USDA, the average American adult eats 4.4 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which is an increase from 3.9 servings a day when the “5 A Day” program began in 1991. Children eat 3.4 servings a day, according to information posted at www.5aday.com. The food and beverages that adults and children eat are more likely to deliver these nutrients in reasonable ratios, but many find it easier to rely on supplements and fortified foods.

The FDA may soon make a decision on health claims for antioxidant vitamins with respect to cancer prevention. A letter posted on the FDA website (www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html) states that “FDA’s review of the claim for antioxidant vitamins with respect to cancer has been complicated by the large number of new human studies,” as well as by the “number and different types of cancers” in the proposed claim. If these claims are allowed, the impact on the food industry could be positive, since consumers can easily extrapolate their knowledge of vitamins to vitamin-fortified foods.

Beyond vitamins
Those looking to increase antioxidant consumption have options other than antioxidant vitamins. Many foods and ingredients contain a host of other compounds that help fight oxidation.

In a lab in Davis, CA, Jennifer Donovan, Ph.D. candidate in the department of food science, University of California, first extracted the antioxidant phenolics of prunes and prune juice. Using high pressure liquid chromatography, she quantified levels of the naturally occuring neochlorogenic acid and a related structure, chlorogenic acid, two compounds in the family of antioxidants called hydroxycinnamates. Donovan performed this work as part of her graduate studies with professor Andrew Waterhouse, department of viticulture and enology. Due to this work and studies at other universities, dried plum purveyors have quite a bit to boast about this year.

Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, determined that the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of these dried delicacies double that of raisins, berries and other fruits that command respectable scores of their own. The ORAC method is a recently developed automated assay that combines a fluorescent chemical marker with a test sample and an oxidizing agent.

Antioxidants in dried plums are a recent addition to the research interests of Waterhouse. In September 1996, an item in the Lancet described Waterhouse’s work on chocolate’s phenolic content. He found that its total phenolic content was comparable to red wine (205 mg in 1.5 oz. of chocolate vs. 210 mg in 5 oz. of red wine). However, phenolic content is related not only to the quantity of antioxidants, but also to their ability to inhibit oxidation. Preliminary data showed that cocoa phenols, high in catechins, have even more antioxidant potential than red wine phenols. Waterhouse suggested that the pairing of wine and chocolate might be synergistic, a suggestion that was enthusiastically reported by the international media.

Waterhouse continues to pursue new health evidence in his current research. “Simply reporting the quantity and value of antioxidants in foods and beverages is inconclusive to human health, therefore we studied catechin in plasma, and now recently submitted a publication that describes a method to monitor levels of caffeic acid in human plasma and urine.” Caffeic acid is a byproduct of neochlorogenic acid after digesting dried plums. It is also a breakdown product of other antioxidants found in wine, coffee and stone fruits.

Honey is another wholesome food that offers antioxidant benefits. Studies performed at University of Illinois-Urbana, found that honey’s antioxidant content varies, depending on the nectar’s source. Generally speaking, darker honey has a higher antioxidant content. Dark Illinois buckwheat honey has 20 times the antioxidant levels of California sage honey, which is light in color. Sweet clover honey, also light colored, is, however, rich in antioxidants. Honey is reported to contain a number of antioxidants, such as alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, flavonoids and the antioxidative enzymes catalase and peroxidase.

Dried plum puree and honey have each demonstrated oxidation inhibition in ground meats and poultry chunks in respective studies. Food Product Design’s February 2001 Supplement on dried plum research compares the antioxidant potential of dried plum puree to the chemical antioxidants butylated hyroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytolulene (BHT) for prevention of lipid oxidation in pork sausage. The functional and health benefits of these natural food ingredients promise new opportunities for designing preservation systems in novel foods that combine clean labels with naturally derived antioxidant functions.

Carotenoid considerations
Lycopene, one of a classification of pigments known as carotenoids, gives tomatoes their characteristic color. It is reported to have protective effects against many types of cancer, including prostate, digestive tract, breast, lung and cervical. Lycopene does not have provitamin-A activity, but is one of the most potent antioxidants for quenching singlet oxygen.

Most of the health research on lycopene is aimed at demonstrating the advantages of processed tomato products, the main source of lycopene in the diet. Heat treatment of tomatoes increases absorption of lycopene as a nutrient. The human body only absorbs 10% to 30% of lycopene ingested; however, a high-fat diet increases its absorption. Once tomatoes have been processed into paste, lycopene absorption increases by three times that of fresh tomatoes. Natural lycopene extracts from tomato varieties bred for their high lycopene content were recently made available to the international food industry as natural pigments, by LycoRed Natural Products Industries, Ltd., Israel.

Lutein, another carotenoid making headlines, is correlated to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration. Lutein is the only carotenoid found in the macular region of the eye, the section in charge of central vision. Lutein is most abundant in kale, broccoli, spinach and collard greens, but it also is found at lower levels in egg yolks. Lutein extracted from marigolds is available as a dietary supplement for human consumption.

One benefit of eating fruits and vegetables is ingesting a mixture of these antioxidants, although the synergistic effects are largely determined through epidemiological studies. The diets of most people supply more lutein and lycopene than they do beta-carotene, says Frederick Khachik, chemist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD.

Beta-carotene is found in carrots, and is the precursor of vitamin A. Recent studies claim that twice the amount of beta-carotene is needed to form vitamin A as had been previously believed. To ensure adequate vitamin A levels, men need 900 mcg a day, while women need 700.

A study by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine’s Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), Washington, D.C., estimates that perhaps 25% to 50% of young U.S. adults do not get enough vitamin A to ensure adequate stores in the body. Beta-carotene fortification is preferable to vitamin A to reduce the chances of getting too much vitamin A — the upper limit is set at 3,000 mcg daily. The only side effect of excess beta-carotene is yellowing of the skin; an excess of vitamin A can cause birth defects.

The Es of antioxidants
Tocopherols are found in significant quantities in the seeds of plants, including soybeans, cotton, corn and sunflower, nuts and other whole grains. Most of the natural tocopherols are isolated from soybean oil. Natural tocopherols exist in four chemical forms, d-alpha-, d-beta-, d-gamma- and d-delta-tocopherols. Alpha-tocopherol is natural vitamin E. The gamma and delta forms are the most active antioxidant agents in food products. Products containing the four naturally occurring forms are referred to collectively as mixed tocopherols. These are added to foods for their antioxidant functionality, rather than for vitamin fortification, since the level of the alpha-tocopherol is too low. Chemically synthesized (dl-alpha tocopherol) vitamin E does not demonstrate the same antioxidant properties in rancidity tests, nor is it as equivalent to natural vitamin E when used as a dietary supplement.

One way to extend the benefits of tocopherols is to use them with synergistic additions, notably ascorbic acid, citric acid, ascorbyl palmitate and lecithin. The addition of tocopherols to meats — the USDA allows up to 300 ppm — results in considerable shelf-life improvements, because animal fats do not have the naturally occurring protection that plant oils do. If trace minerals are not present, benefits can be realized by the addition of ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbic acid, which is believed to donate hydrogen back to oxidized tocopherols, recycling them for additional termination reactions.

Food applications of tocopherols include fats and oils, meat, poultry, bread, cereal, baked goods, fish, nuts, dairy and candy. The FDA allows its use with no level restriction when used in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices, and it is approved by regulatory agencies in all countries. Labels can read “natural vitamin E added to preserve freshness” or “natural vitamin E added to protect flavor.”

Tocopherols are available in liquid oil-soluble or water-dispersible powdered forms. Like tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), they exhibit carry-through for frying, baking, extruding and other heat processing. Usage levels for mixed tocopherols and BHA are comparable, and since tocopherols can be used at higher levels than BHA and TBHQ, superior shelf life can be obtained. Although addition will vary depending on the desired shelf life, typical addition levels are between 0.01% to 0.02% of the food’s total fat content.

Preservation chemistry
Fifty years ago, natural antioxidants, such as tocopherols, were viewed as lacking in potency when compared to the chemical blends. This may have been because tocopherols are not very effective in vegetable oils, which already contain significant amounts of tocopherols. The most successful combination in early systems was BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid, all used to stabilize lard. It is now recognized that since animal fats are deficient in tocopherols, addition of tocopherols can significantly improve stability; however, the economically advantageous chemical antioxidants still are preferred for many meat products.

Citric acid remains an important additive to sequester, or chelate, trace minerals that catalyze auto-oxidation of fats. The use of citric acid is well established in meat products that are high in iron, and the USDA allows the addition of citric acid up to 100 ppm based on final-product weight.

Propyl gallate requires citric acid to prevent it from forming color complexes with trace metals. Since citric acid is water soluble, propylene glycol helps dissolve the citric acid into the fat. None of these antioxidants are very soluble, so antioxidant combinations are usually purchased in preblended, presolubilized forms to facilitate ease of handling. Liquid forms also provide a convenient application method for foods. They can be sprayed on cereal flakes, dried spices, salt and nuts after roasting.

To preserve vegetable oils for frying applications, combinations of BHA and BHT initially were used with propyl gallate and citric acid. Although it is not as heat stable as other chemically derived antioxidants, propyl gallate demonstrates synergy with BHA and BHT. In frying operations, this mixture depletes due to its volatility, requiring continual replenishing by addition of antioxidants or fresh antioxidant-rich oil. The volatility of BHA and BHT turned into an advantage when it was discovered that they could be added to the packaging of foods to protect the enclosed food by its vapor.

Propyl gallate is more hydrophilic than BHA or BHT — an advantage in preserving bottled oil because the antioxidant will concentrate at the air/oil interface. For frying oil, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN, discovered that TBHQ was superior to the BHA, BHT and propyl-gallate blend. The 1972 FDA approval of TBHQ solved frying-oil problems due to its low volatility and excellent heat stability. On the basis of the oil stability index (OSI), adding 0.03% tocopherols to soybean oil produced no significant increase in stability. Whereas, adding 0.02% TBHQ will increase stability to almost four times that observed in oil containing no antioxidant.

“TBHQ is still the workhorse antioxidant that is widely used for preventing oxidation of frying oil, and is the most effective antioxidant on the basis of weight for unsaturated vegetable oils,” says Eastman’s Stephen Byrd, technical service technologist. “It is generally approved by FDA for use at levels up to 0.02% (200 ppm) based on the fat content of the food, except in cases where it is prohibited by the standard of identity. When it was approved, FDA did not approve the use of TBHQ in combination with propyl gallate, a regulation still in force. When using oil containing antioxidants such as TBHQ, BHA and BHT, one advantage from the use in the oil is ‘carry through’ — the fat taken up by the product continues to be protected by the antioxidant, increasing the shelf life of the finished product.”

Typical labeling language for antioxidants states their common name and purpose, for example, “TBHQ added to protect flavor.” Eastman Chemical’s food-grade antioxidants are manufactured under rabbinical supervision in accordance with Jewish dietary laws, making them kosher.

Natural options
The application principles of antioxidants have not changed since the 1940s, although the types of antioxidants have, with natural alternatives now capturing a larger share of the market. Among the spices and essential oils that have antioxidant activity, rosemary extract has gained popularity as a natural oxidation inhibitor in foods ranging from McDonalds® chicken salad to Odwalla health bars.

Oxidation inhibitors are extracts or spices with antioxidant properties. These additives are regulated as flavors rather than as antioxidants because they have sensory attributes that antioxidants do not possess. However, the use of rosemary extract has been extended to applications in confectionery and baked goods, and it is not uncommon for the usage level to be so low that it is below the flavor threshold. In these applications the sensory contribution is effectively negligible. Also, low-flavor systems have been developed. Although aromatic rosemary extracts are fat soluble — most oxidation inhibitors are phenols, as are antioxidants — using emulsifiers make them dispersible in hydrophilic food systems. Even beverages can successfully incorporate rosemary extract, as demonstrated by Snapple’s Whipper Snapple®, a fruity, milk smoothie introduced last year that lists rosemary extract on the label.

Addition facts
Most foods that contain fats and oils benefit from antioxidant addition early in processing to prevent auto-oxidation. Hydroperoxides, present in almost all fats, participate in a reaction with oxygen that forms a free radical called a peroxyl radical. After the initiation reaction, a chain of reactions, called propagation, takes place, in which fat molecules are robbed of their hydrogen atoms to form more hydroperoxide and new peroxyl radicals. The peroxide decomposition forms aldehydes and ketones, the molecules responsible for rancidity. When an antioxidant participates in this reaction, a stable radical is formed and terminates the chain reaction. Antioxidants cannot maintain this oxidative stability indefinitely, but they can retard the rancidity process significantly.

In high-fat products, it is important to achieve complete dispersion of the antioxidant. Whether the antioxidant is natural or synthetic, adding small quantities of antioxidants to food products that have small quantities of lipids intensifies the need for dispersion. Timing also is important. During processing, even a short delay before antioxidant protection is added can reduce quality.

Connie Sandusky, technical sales manager, Kalsec Inc., Kalamazoo, MI, confirms this principle when working with customers. “Controlling oxidation is a comprehensive management process, and the inhibitor is one part of that process,” she says. “The quality of the raw materials, processing parameters and other ingredients in the formulation all affect how well the oxidation inhibitor will perform.” She stresses the importance of optimizing the entire food system to ensure the antioxidant’s performance. For example, some ingredients interfere with the dispersion of the inhibitor if they are added in the wrong order during mixing, especially if they compete with the oxidation-inhibitor emulsion for water or binding sites.

Sandusky explains that food product developers have to deal with several different oxidation types. In meat, for example, there is deterioration of flavor during cooking or freezing, deterioration of color from oxidation of hemoglobin, and lipid oxidation of the fat portion. Each type of food also poses a unique problem. In baked snacks with tiny amounts of fat, oxidation still can be an important factor in staling. Grain flours contain fats in very low levels in the form of phospholipids, however the problem is compounded by the large amount of surface area that many snack foods present. Dry products have a porosity that allows oxygen more exposure to the food. Vegetables might have oxidation catalyzed by endogenous enzymes, and this cannot be prevented by the addition of antioxidants. Enzyme inactivation by pH or heat is required to halt these reactions.

Two different antioxidants become more effective when they are used together, such as a blend of mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract. “We have found that our proprietary blend of soybean oil, natural mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract can be used at levels from 0.03% to 0.10% depending on fat content and food regulations in many applications with excellent results. By using a product that is preblended, less handling and blending is required,” says Zoraida DeFreitas, Ph.D., group manager technical services, Kemin Industries, Des Moines, IA.

High-tech help
One of the disadvantages of adding tocopherol (as alpha-tocopheryl acetate) and other fat-soluble vitamins to clear beverages or other foods, such as gels, is the problematic phenomenon of turbidity. Until recently, adding an oil-soluble vitamin to a clear food has meant imparting some degree of cloud, as well as the potential for “ringing” in beverages — the tendency of the hydrophobic molecules to collect in a ring around the interface at the surface of the product due to density differences. Additional oils and/or encapsulating ingredients used in the manufacture of dry forms of fat-soluble vitamins also lend some opacity. Likewise, certain encapsulating ingredients, such as those gelatin-based, react with certain polyphenols in fruit juices and plant extracts to form unappealing sedimentation.

This difficult hurdle can be overcome. Roche Vitamins Inc., Parsippany, NJ, recently introduced a patented form of vitamin E that can be added via simple mixing procedures with minimized dusting — requiring no special procedures or high-pressure homogenization. Even at slightly higher mixing speeds, this form of vitamin E will not cause foaming. The final particle droplet size is estimated to be in the range of 70 to 200 nm, a size that does not interfere with optical clarity and does not contribute to ringing. All the ingredients are compatible with fruit juices, concentrates and plant extracts, therefore the finished drinks, desserts, ices and confections will maintain optimal clarity. It will also meet circle-U kosher requirements.

Beverages containing 20% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin E (considered an “excellent” source of vitamin E for labeling purposes) can be offered as clarified beverages using a modified polysaccharide matrix containing vitamin E. Levels as high as 100% of the RDI can be achieved in a product where absolute crystal clarity is not required. According to Leonard Johnson, director, technical services, Roche Technical Services, Belvidere, NJ, “This new form of vitamin E will help product developers answer more marketing requests for including vitamin E in food and beverage systems without changing their visual aspects.”

Although the patented technology could be applicable to other fat-soluble vitamins, these are still under development. “The A-C-E antioxidant blend is still the most popular nutrient combination recognized by consumers for health benefits,” points out Roche’s Diane Hnat, marketing manager for the North American area, Food Industry Unit. Beta-carotene commonly is used as the source of vitamin A in antioxidant blends, however, beverages must be able to show a yellow, orange or reddish pigment.

Regardless of whether the desired benefit is health or the preservation of fresh, flavorful food, or perhaps both, antioxidants will continue to be a hot topic in science, health and the food industry. Elizabeth Whelan, co-founder and president of the American Council of Science and Health, New York City, notes that, “Those of us who protect our health daily and those of us who put our health in constant jeopardy have exactly the same mortality: 100%. The difference, of course, is in the timing. I believe that epidemiologists should help people learn how to die young — at a very old age.” The use of antioxidants in foods might be one path to achieve this.

Suanne Klahorst is Associate Director of the California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research at the University of California-Davis. She organizes functional-food and food-biotechnology conferences and provides annual reports on UC Davis research in response to industry inquiries. She can be contacted at sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu.

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