EXAMINING ENZYMES FOR PRIME CUTS

Someday you may be able to tell if a piece of meat is going to be tender just by a quick litmus test, thanks to Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan and the meat science team at Iowa State.

Tenderness depends on many factors, including the animal’s genetics, how it was raised and processed and the cooking method.

She and colleagues are looking at enzymes present in the live animals that are responsible for regulating protein turnover, muscle growth and efficiency of muscle growth. Those same enzymes are responsible for tenderization and the breakdown of muscle fiber after the animal is harvested.

What happens to the animal during harvesting can influence cell-signaling pathways that affect some of these enzymes. “The ultimate goal is to discover some interventions we can make, maybe at the time of harvest, that can influence some of these pathways and give us the quality we want,” she says.

For example, a graduate student she works with is trying to identify chemicals in the purge, or juice that seeps from raw meat, for tenderness indicators.

“That’s a really cool place to look if you want to identify something quick, like a dipstick test,” she says.

“You could get a preview of its tenderness and process it accordingly—if tender, steaks; if not, hamburger.”

Huff-Lonergan earned master’s and doctorate degrees at Iowa State. She married her graduate student office mate, Steven Lonergan, and worked with him when they were both assistant professors in meat science in the Animal and Dairy Science Department at Auburn University before returning to Iowa State in 1998.

“We work pretty closely on a lot of projects. Most of my work focuses on the enzyme calpain. A lot of his work is focused on calpastatin, the inhibitor to that enzyme. So that’s a nice combination,” she says.

Having both on the faculty is a boost for the department’s meat science team, which has a tradition of being one of the best in the country, says department chair Maynard Hogberg.

“In addition to being an outstanding scientist, Elisabeth is emerging as a leader in the department and in her profession,” he says.

Huff-Lonergan helped coordinate a much-needed peer review of teaching that was implemented in the department last fall, Hogberg says. And she serves as the department’s representative to the ISU ADVANCE program, which seeks to increase the participation of women in academic science and engineering careers.

On the research front, she and Steven Lonergan are part of an international swine efficiency project led by Iowa State animal scientist John Patience (see story on page 28). Their labs are working to identify if selection for increased feed efficiency affects pork quality and if so, how. They also are investigating how increased feed efficiency influences muscle growth in pigs.

Click here for Huff-Lonergan’s recipe for Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw and Rack o f Lamb

FINDING VALUE IN HEALTHFUL GENETIC MODIFICATIONS

Wallace Huffman studies whatdrives consumers’ decisions on food purchases.

A recently published study by the ISU economist found that when given a choice,informed consumers are willing to pay more for genetically modified food that offers health benefits. But the type of modification made a difference.

He and his colleagues randomly selected groups of consumers, provided them with information about the experimental foods and asked them to register their preferences by placing bids for all presented foods.

Participants offered to pay more, compared to plain produce, for produce with increased nutrients from intragenic modification, which uses genes from the same plant species. They weren’t willing to pay more for produce enhanced by transgenic modification, which takes genes from other species.

“When genes for enhancing the amount of antioxidants and vitamin C in fresh produce—broccoli, potatoes and tomatoes— were transferred by intragenic methods, consumers are willing to pay on average 25 percent more than for a plain product. That is a sizable increase,” says Huffman, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Before making their decisions the participants were given information on different perspectives about genetic modification. It included positive, negative and neutral perspectives each organized under headings of general information and scientific, human, financial and environmental impacts.

The positive information on the food was given from the point of view of the food industry. The negative information was presented from the perspective of environmental groups. Neutral information was given from the scientific community. The industry and neutral perspectives contained definitions of intragenic and transgenic modifications.

Huffman says information from the food industry was usually given more weight by consumers than the information presented by environmental groups. The neutral information moderated the negative effect of environmental group information.

This study contrasts with a consumers’ willingness to pay study Huffman conducted on transgenic foods in 2001. At that time, consumers discounted transgenic food designed for pest control by 15 percent on average relative to plain-labeled product.

“Participants were so excited about these healthful consumer traits rather than the farmer traits we had tested 10 years ago,” Huffman says. “People were looking forward to these type of products hitting the market.”

Among other current research, Huffman is starting a study of the willingness of consumers to purchase potatoes with reduced acrylamides, a potential carcinogen that is produced when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures.

While Huffman is doing more food related research recently, he has a number of economic interests in teaching and research.

The Iowa native and Iowa State alum (’66 farm operations) with a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago, is co-author of a popular book, Science for Agriculture, which is described as “the first thorough quantitative and analytical treatment of the history of the U.S. agricultural research system.”

Huffman joined the faculty at Iowa State in 1974, hired to work in the area of the economics of human capital in agriculture. He teaches a human capital time allocation course, an undergraduate labor economics class and econometrics research methods.

ENJOYING THE CHANGE OF SEASONS

Bill LaGrange always considered that his work as an Extension food scientist was, at its core, about helping people do their jobs to their utmost ability.

“I loved working with people in processing plants, regulatory agencies and scientific organizations related to the food industry. Plus, those flavor evaluations at 10 a.m. at Sara Lee’s plant in New Hampton was icing on the cake,” he says with a smile.

For four decades LaGrange offered extension programs to help with food safety, regulatory requirements, quality testing methods, product packaging and facility management.

“I worked with everyone from the food plant executives to the folks cleaning the floors,” he says.

LaGrange (’53 dairy industry, PhD ’59 food microbiology) helped the Iowa food processing industry change, as consolidation became the norm and the number of facilities in Iowa decreased. The remaining plants increased in processing capacity and product volume.

As the industry changed, so did his department. The Department of Dairy Industry became the Department of Dairy and Food Industry, then Food Technology, and finally the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition,which it remains today.

“In addition to dairy facilities my clientele included large plants manufacturing foods like BBQ sauce, cookies and potato chips,” he says.

LaGrange was involved with the Institute of Food Technologists, of which he was named fellow; the Iowa State Dairy Association; The International Association for Food Protection; and the FFA. He also
worked as a consultant in Brazil, Ireland and Australia.

Iowa State campus had always been familiar to LaGrange. He grew up accompanying his father and namesake to the Iowa State livestock farms. The eldest LaGrange was a professor of animal husbandry at Iowa State College.

LaGrange says he considered following in his father’s footsteps but thought majoring in dairy industry was a better fit since he had “no real farm experience other than hoeing and detassling corn.”

Today at 80, he runs four miles three times a week and plays tennis as often. He is an accomplished stained glass artist. LaGrange also is an active member of several Ames community organizations including Rotary, Ames Historical Society, Ames Trees Forever, the Ames Foundation and the Ames Public Arts Commission.

Read LaGrange’s essay reflecting on experiences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and working at Moore’s Dairy in Ames.

Click here for ideas on how to enjoy LaGrange’s favorite dairy treat: orange sherbet.

KETCHUP OR SALSA?

Do Americans consume more ketchup or salsa in one year?

Lester Wilson knows the answer.
Wilson, a University Professor in food science and human nutrition, has a buffet of tidbits about the science of food. It’s the type of fun-food trivia Wilson shares with students in his introductory food
science classes.

“Who would have thought, from the condiment standpoint, that more salsa is sold in the United States each year than ketchup?” Wilson asks.

Using humor in the classroom, Wilson says, helps loosen up students. His methods work. He has won numerous awards for teaching and advising. In 2009, he received the State of Iowa Regents Award for Faculty Excellence and this September he received the university’s James Huntington Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching.

“I try to get students to become good consumers and understand why it’s important to understand the labels and how it allrelates to marketing,” Wilson says.

If you attend any food science student event, you’ll find him surrounded by students. It’s evident he enjoys what he’s doing —and that’s the advice he gives students.

“I tell students to find something they enjoy and they won’t find a better job,” Wilson says.

Wilson, who grew up in Portland, originally planned to go into forestry. A chemistry teacher stirred his interest in food and mentors helped him focus on the science of food. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, Wilson came to Iowa State because of its emphasis on teaching and student advising.

He attends every commencement because he enjoys seeing students off at graduation. After graduation, students often contact him to tell him how useful his classes were in preparing them for a career in the food industry.

“When they come back and say I made them successful, I tell them, ‘No you made yourself successful, I just helped along the way and gave you some tools,’” Wilson says. “I like to help them develop their
critical thinking skills, because in the food industry they have to make tough decisions every day.”

Wilson says the popularity of food science is evident in the current trends such as fair trade, gluten free and green products. Food scientists also research ways to reduce obesity, offer nutritious diets, low sodium foods and provide consumers with gourmet dining experiences at home.

“As long as people eat, there will be jobs for food scientists,” Wilson says.

From food safety to flavor chemistry to product development to thermal process evaluation, Wilson covers a wide variety of food-related research. One project involves NASA and the development of foods for missions to the Moon and Mars. Much of Wilson’s research is focused on soy, so much so that one of his peers posted Dr. Tofu on his office door.

Click here for Lester Wilson’s seasonal stir fry recipe.