Clifford Hall III, associate professor and food science undergraduate program coordinator, received a North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission research grant to determine if a new low-temperature pasteurization technique will improve the safety and shelf life of flax seed.
Hall was awarded a Basic and Applied Research Grant on a project titled “Optimizing Pasteurization Conditions for Flaxseed Quality and Safety” from the commission in November.
The commission is a division of the North Dakota Department of Commerce.
Pasteurization is important for processing flax for human consumption to reduce the number of potentially harmful microorganisms. However, traditional high-temperature pasteurization of flax can cause degradation of linolenic acid, a key omega-3 fatty acid that provides health benefits, most notably in chronic diseases such as heart disease and arthritis. Degradation of linolenic acid causes off-smells and flavors and reduces health benefits.
Hall will work with Napasol, a food safety equipment manufacturing company in Fargo, and Teresa Bergholz, NDSU assistant professor of veterinary and microbiological sciences, to determine if a new low-temperature pasteurization technique will reduce the microbial populations on flaxseed and still maintain shelf life of flaxseed sold for human consumption. Bergholz will assess the microorganism populations of flax samples in the study. The duration is of the project is one year.
Hall joined the NDSU faculty in 1998. He earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a master's and doctorate in food science and technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The mission of Agricultural Products Utilization Commission is to create new wealth and jobs through the development of new and expanded uses of North Dakota agricultural products and resources. It awards grants in six areas: basic and applied research, marketing and utilization, farm diversification, nature-based agri-tourism, prototype and technology and technical assistance. Grants are awarded quarterly.
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