U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Service, Lincoln, Nebraska
Date of this Version
4-2012
Document Type
Article
Citation
Agricultural Research Magazine 60(4): April 2012 pp. 6-7; ISSN 0002-161X
Abstract
Television shows featuring crime scene investigators have been keeping viewers intrigued for years. But the Agricultural Research Service’s intriguing “food composition investigators” are just as innovative at deciphering truth from fiction relating to ingredients of plant-based foods and dietary supplements. The researchers are at the ARS Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, which is headed by research leader James Harnly. The laboratory is part of the Beltsville [Maryland] Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC).
They’re using new equipment and a metabolomics approach to discover compounds and to accurately identify ingredients in foods and supplements. They are also looking at chemical composition patterns to find differences between cultivars, growing years, and locations—knowledge important for consumers, farmers, and marketers.
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Animal Sciences Commons, Food Science Commons, Plant Sciences Commons