Reproductive performance in high-producing dairy cows is declining.  The decrease in fertility and early embryonic survival rate is a serious problem worldwide, leading to increased dairy cow cul...
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Many of the documented health-promoting properties of Allium vegetables such as onion, garlic or chive have been ascribed to the organosulfur compounds unique to these species.  These organosulfu...
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Chitosan is a soluble biopolymer derived from chitin, which is a structural element in the shell of marine arthropods.  Chitosan is used in water processing and agriculture.  It also is used...
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Corn silage is a high quality forage crop used on many dairy and cattle farms. The goal of making silage is to preserve the harvested crop by anaerobic fermentation, where bacteria convert soluble car...
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The table beet, a popular garden vegetable throughout the United States, is rich in folate, soluble and insoluble fiber, and vitamins A and C.
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Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal diseases caused by a misfolded form of the prion protein.  TSEs include sheep scrapie; bovine spongiform encephalopathy, know...
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The table beet, a popular garden vegetable throughout the United States, is rich in folate, soluble and insoluble fiber, and vitamins A and C. Monogerm beets produce a single flower, while multigerm b...
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Overall yields of alfalfa, a primary forage crop in Wisconsin, have declined steadily due to a variety of major pathogens, including Verticillium, Phytophthora and Aphanomyces. Aphanomyces and Phytoph...
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Sclerotinia stem rot, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a major disease of crop plants in the north-central United States and southern Canada. Although soybean cultivars have been iden...
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Dark red kidney beans are a $25 million industry in Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.
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Sweet corn results from a mutation at the sugary locus (su), which causes the endosperm of the seed to accumulate twice as much sugar as field corn. New mutants (sh2 and se) have been developed to imp...
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Proteins that bind to specific target molecules can be added to food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products to achieve beneficial effects; however, the use of such proteins has been limited because man...
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Bitterness and off-flavors often develop in cheese during the aging process. One method of reducing bitterness is to add Lactobacillus helveticus to the cheese; however, this step makes cheese more ex...
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Beta-casein, a normal component of milk, is a potent emulsifier suitable for use in a variety of food products. Although reducing the concentration of beta-casein in milk prior to cheese making improv...
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Increased calcium intake is recommended for pregnant women, senior citizens and adolescents.
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Pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract can induce inflammatory responses that negatively affect the ability of animals to efficiently digest food and absorb nutrients. Endotoxin, a characte...
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Most disease in dairy cows occurs during the transition period, which spans from about three weeks before calving to about one month after. Managing lactating dairy cows during this period is importan...
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Functional genomics involves identifying the function of all genes within a sequenced genome. Knockout mutants may be used to identify the in situ function of any gene, without making assumptions abou...
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Avian influenza causes significant economic losses for poultry producers worldwide and can be transmitted to humans and other mammals. The surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (N...
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Clostridium botulinum produces the most poisonous toxin known and is a perennial concern to the food industry.  Several outbreaks of botulism have occurred due to changes in food processing proce...
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Whey proteins, which make up approximately 20 percent of the proteins in milk, are a promising source of high-quality protein for sports, diet, and soft drinks. However, current isolation methods tend...
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As Americans try to reduce the amount of fat in their diets, non- and low-fat cheese has become more popular. However, despite many attempts to improve the quality of these cheeses, a number of undesi...
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Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disorder in which an individual lacks the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) that converts the amino acid phenylalanine into tyrosine.  If left untreated, t...
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Influenza is a major respiratory disorder that affects humans and many animals, including horses. New strains of influenza arise frequently, creating a continuous need to isolate new influenza viruses...
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Beets are generally available in two colors: red and golden. Beet color is determined by a class of antioxidant pigments known as betalains, which consists of red-violet betacyanins and yellow betaxan...
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