Plant-based beverages are inappropriate alternatives to bovine milk, due to lower protein content and not sufficient amount of essential amino acids. To produce nutritionally complete plant-based beverage with high overall acceptability, the technological interventions and fortification techniques need to be developed. Oat is one of the promising raw material for preparation of functional plant-based milk […]

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of foodborne illnesses and 50% of its recent outbreaks are associated with fresh produce. To protect the safety of fresh produce, rapid, cost-effective and easy-to-use detection methods are necessary for government laboratories and food industry to frequently monitor Salmonella level. The gold standard bacteriological culturing and polymerase […]

The project will develop aqueous-free systems for decontaminating (i.e. inactivation of human pathogens and spoilage microbes) fresh produce that can be applied individually or sequentially. The first intervention is based on a forced-air ozone reactor that introduces the antimicrobial gas through the bed of produced at a controlled flow rate. The advantage of the method […]

Sour beers, traditionally made via spontaneous fermentation, are growing in popularity; particularly examples produced using the modern technique of mixed fermentation. These mixed fermentation beers present unique challenges during production. We hypothesize that by examining traditional process spontaneously fermented beer, we can identify new methods and strategies for improving the quality of mixed fermentation beers. […]

Feed formulation is based on ingredient digestibility data, and the assumption of additivity. However, digestibility data generally do not account for interactions among nutrients or ingredients. An enhanced understanding of protein and fiber digestion rates and extent of their fermentation between feedstuffs would help to optimize feed formulation. Furthermore, macro-minerals, including phosphorus, copper and zinc, […]

Building on my recent archival research, my Mitacs project explores the ways early 20th century discourses of betterment and progress, such as eugenics, in southern Ontario were unevenly entwined within rural domestic science educational institutions and connected to cultural histories and legacies of colonialism that diminished and disappeared young women who did not fit the […]

Plant oils are attractive renewable feedstocks for the synthesis of biobased resins. However, the current bioresin technologies are unable to address certain challenges including (1) achieving a sufficiently high biocontent in the final product, (2) the synthesis of bioresins via green chemistry, and (3) a commercially feasible bioresin cost. In this research, the MITACS intern […]

Genacol Canada Corporation Inc. manufactures a collagen hydrolysate (CH) product, sourced from bovine (Genacol® Original Formula), that has shown promising and positive results in three clinical trials for decreasing joint pain, as well as having a positive effect on articular cartilage. Following digestion, and first pass metabolism, CHs release peptides that have been shown to […]

Despite its growing prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal disease in society, its cause is still poorly understood. Emerging research suggests that degenerative spine disease may be an important facilitator to the development of chronic inflammatory musculoskeletal disease. We aim to investigate the effect of degenerative spine disease on muscle inflammation, pain and dysfunction by using an […]

Beer has been brewed since the dawn of civilization and is composed of only 4 simple ingredients: hops, water, toasted barley (called malt) and yeast. Yeast are the factories that convert chemicals in the starting materials to ethanol and flavors. Not all yeast are the same; over the millennia selection of specific yeast strains for […]

The proposed project includes 2 objectives: (1) provision of high quality evidence on the effect of specific food sources of sugars on cardiometabolic risk factors by conducting multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs), to address the effect of replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with either diet pop or water in a randomized controlled clinical trial, and to […]

This project will result in the expansion of an athlete-focused genetic test to include additional genetic markers and algorithms for the purpose of personalized caffeine advice for endurance and other forms of exercise (strength, power, anaerobic-power) through continued analysis of 23 caffeine-associated genes that affect an athlete’s response to caffeine (positive, negative or no effect). […]