About Us
What we do
- Bioactive compound isolation and characterization, Protein/glycoprotein chemistry, Purification and characterization, Glycomics, Method development, Collaboration with industrial/academic partners
Our thematic areas of research
- Lab-scale analytical discovery of complex glycans in foods and food streams
- Pilot-scale engineering to separate newly discovered glycans and produce unique food ingredients
- In vitro and in vivo studies to establish safety and elucidate the potential health benefits of the isolated complex glycans.
Accomplishments
- Our research explores how novel ‘omics combined with advances in separation science make discoveries of bioactive food components possible.
- Using a combination of Proteomics, Glycomics, Lipidomics and Peptidomics in a cheese whey model system, our work captures previously unavailable bioactive milk components that can be rapidly adapted into novel functional foods while adding value to a waste stream.
- With successful separation of milk components and verification of their similarity to human milk, these can serve as the basis for improved infant formulas and other therapeutic applications.
- Based on this foundation, we recently assembled a comprehensive structural bioinformatic library for bovine milk oligosaccharides. This library includes several novel bioactive (fucosylated) oligosaccharides and will allow rapid identification of low-abundant oligosaccharides in all food streams.
- Currently, the dairy industry must manage the cost of discarding whey permeate as a waste stream from whey protein concentrate production. Capturing the value from this waste stream as a high-value supplement and/or product for both targeted at-risk populations and for the general public could result in significant, direct economic revenue.
- We are conducting the first human study to elucidate tolerability and effectiveness of bovine milk oligosaccharides in enriching intestinal microflora toward beneficial populations (ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Record 264294 )
- Our ultimate goal is to make significant contributions to the development of novel processes that reduce agricultural/industrial waste with the aim of recovering from those side-streams important bioactive components that can be used to improve health.
Our cutting edge technologies
- Nano LC MicroChip Quadrupole ToF (Time of Flight)
- MALDI ToF -Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight
- HPAEC-PAD - High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection
- 6470A Triple Quad LC-MS - Triple Quadrupole Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer
- The combined use of these 4 analytical instruments provides a platform of technologies upon which we can investigate relatively untapped organic “waste” streams for valuable, healthful components, with concomitant mitigation of environmental pollution.
Current Projects
Non-Dairy Projects:
- Fiber Analysis for the Gut Microbiome of People and Pets, sponsored by Mars, Inc.
- Health Promoting Roles of Food Bio-Active Phenolic Compounds on Obesity-Altered Metabolic Functions and Physiology, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA, ARS)
- An Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Cracking the Code of Chardonnay, sponsored by Sonomaceuticals, LLC
- Tailoring Processing Strategies to Produce the New Generation of Chickpea Proteins and Prebiotic Oligosaccharides, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pulse Crop Health Initiative
- Improving Functional and Biological Properties of Almond Proteins with Protease- and Glycosidase- Processing, sponsored by the California Department of Food and Agriculture
- "Glycomics of Winery Antimicrobial Yeast" (European Commission, Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Fellowship awarded to Dr. Oswaldo Hernadez to carry out the project in the Barile lab 2020-2022)
- Development of a bioprocessing method to recover heath enhancing components from agricultural waste streams
- Advanced strategies for production and characterization of novel prebiotic oligosaccharides from coffee and coffee spent grounds
- Polysaccharides from non-Saccharomyces yeasts: a new opportunity to improve wine quality and human health
Dairy-Related Projects:
- Whey Phospholipid Concentrate as a Source of Bioactive Compounds that Improve Human Health, sponsored by Dairy Management Incorporated
- Integrating Biology, Psychology, and Ecology to Mitigate Antibiotic Resistance in Food Animal Production Systems, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Second Generation of Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Beyond Infant Nutrition, sponsored by BASF
- Investigating the Structures and Activities of Bovine Milk Oligosaccharides Extracted from Dairy Streams, Sponsored by ARLA AFI
- Pilot study on the tolerability of feeding different doses of bovine milk oligosaccharides for modifying gastrointestinal function in healthy humans
- Revealing the Function of Bovine Milk Oligosaccharides in the Human Gut Using Metatranscriptomics
- Mechanisms by which human milk peptides and N-glycans shape the infant intestinal microbiota
- Separation and purification of oligosaccharides from human milk
- Oligosaccharide profiles of cow’s milk for the optimization of health promoting attributes
- Enzymatic modification of isolated bovine milk oligosaccharides to mimic human milk oligosaccharides with increased antimicrobial activity
- Activation of Probiotic Bifidobacteria Effects by Milk Glycans
- Diversity of oligosaccharides in milk and milk replacer fed to calves and their effect on diversity of fecal Bifidobacteria
- Quantitative analysis of bovine milk peptides, oligosaccharides and glycolipids in dairy streams