Crops to Clinic; Diverse Gut Microbiome; Meet Myriam Loeffler

Crops to Clinic Paradigm
In the new bimonthly Inside Academia column, debuting in this issue, Senior Writer/Editor Toni Tarver begins her exploration of the research and breakthroughs taking place in food science departments at colleges and universities. This month, Tarver reports on her visit to Ohio State University, which is a land-grant university with departments of agriculture, food science, public health, nutrition, medicine, and a comprehensive cancer center that enables investigators to collaborate effectively and to speed the transfer of knowledge. Visit ift.org/insideacademia to view videos of Tarver’s interviews with Ohio State researchers Steven Schwartz, Steven Clinton, and Yael Vodovotz, explaining their work to develop functional foods that may prevent cancer.

Face-to-Face: Meet Myriam Loeffler
Getting ready to graduate this summer with her PhD in food science from the University of Hohenheim in Germany, Myriam Loeffler is currently a member-at-large of the IFT International Division. For her Master’s degree, Loeffler wrote her thesis on antimicrobial systems to improve the shelf life of carbonated and noncarbonated beverages. Now, she is finalizing her PhD thesis on the antimicrobial active components for meat products. She also has an interest in studying starter cultures and their potential to control microbiologically induced spore formation in cooked hams. Read more about Loeffler’s research interests and what she is looking forward to pursuing after graduation in her Face-to-Face interview.

What's Hot on Pinterest: Chefs' Recipes
Find the recipes featured in the Culinary Point of View column, including the recipe for Iron Chef Marc Forgione’s Strip Steak, Escargot, and Braised Lettuce with Sorghum Air Bread.

IFT15 News show daily
Whether you are attending IFT15 in Chicago this July or not, make sure you visit IFT’s online show daily, IFT15 News, at news.ift.org for live reporting from the show. IFT15 News brings you exclusive news, live reports, onsite updates, photos, video, and much more from IFT15.

This Month's List: A Diverse Gut Microbiome Does a Body Good
Neuroendocrinologist Mark Heiman is working on nutritional therapies to boost the variety of microorganisms in the GI tract. He says the lack of diversity in the human diet contributes to a lack of diversity in the GI microbiome, which can lead to diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Did you know?

• 75% of the world eats only 5 animal species and only 12 plant species
• 60% of the world thrives on only rice, wheat, and corn

Kelly Hensel
Senior Digital Editor
[email protected]