The invention of a new small plastic pouch that releases chlorine dioxide gas to eliminate E. coli and other pathogens from the surfaces of fruits and vegetables is among the new nutrition and health findings in the latest issue of the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Food and Nutrition Research Briefs. The latest issue can be found at https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/fnrb/2018/fnrb0118/ The popular online newsletter reports discoveries …
USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Pays It Forward with Research Achievements
With the year drawing to a close, the U.S. Department of agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is preparing for 2018 with renewed vigor, building on its scientific and technological accomplishments to date—from a food nutrient database that consumers can access with the click of a mouse to a natural tire rubber made from guayule, a small flowering shrub native …
Breeding Resistant Chickens for Improved Food Safety
A new test developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in College Station, Texas, could make it easier to breed pathogen-resistant chickens. The test identifies roosters whose blood contains naturally high levels of two key chemicals, cytokine, and chemokines. These chemicals mobilize the birds’ innate immune response, according to ARS microbiologist Christi Swaggerty, in ARS’s Food and Feed Safety Research Unit. Using …
New ARS Website Enhances Access to Scientific Information
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) launched a newly designed website that improves access to information about ARS research. The new site features mobile responsiveness allowing users to better navigate and view information on both mobile and desktop devices. ARS maintains scientific information stemming from research conducted by nearly 2,000 Federal scientists researching animal and crop health, human nutrition, food safety, …
Soft Durum Wheat Opens Door to Expand Food Uses
Soft Svevo, a new soft durum wheat variety developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators, could expand the market for wheat. Traditional durum wheats are primarily grown as a source of semolina—a coarse meal used to make pasta, couscous, and other products. However, producing semolina requires specialized mills that can grind durum wheat’s rock-hard kernels. This, in …
USDA Agency-led Group Profiles U.S. Aquaculture for World Report
Charting a course ahead for the conservation and sustainable farming of freshwater and marine species is a chief focus of the first State of the World’s Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report will contain smaller subsections from 89 contributing countries, including the United States. This summer, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) national program leader Caird …
Heat-Tolerant Broccoli for the Future
Traditionally, broccoli is a cool-weather crop. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are looking to change that by developing new varieties that grow in warm temperatures. ARS plant geneticist Mark Farnham and his team in Charleston, South Carolina, have developed and characterized the genetic sources of broccoli’s heat tolerance. Theoretical and Applied Genetics published these results in March 2017. The team, led by ARS geneticist Sandra …
Salmonella Vaccine Reduces Animal Disease and Foodborne Illness
Some types of Salmonella cause disease in food animals, like pigs. Others cause foodborne illness in humans. A new vaccine developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Ames, Iowa, protects against these types of Salmonella in food animals. Most Salmonella vaccines only protect against one type of the pathogen. This leaves pigs susceptible to disease from other Salmonella pathogens. While some Salmonella vaccines reduce disease in pigs, they may …