Collaborations and Past Work
Dietary vitamin A status influencing the gut microenvironment
The novel near-infrared fluorescent imaging system used to measure gastrointestinal ROS developed by the Raskin Lab was used to measure ROS in the gastrointestinal tracts of vitamin A-deficient mice. Dr. Van Buiten performed all imaging experiments and analyses for this work.
Manuscript in preparation.
Manuscript in preparation.
Reverse electron transport effects on NADH formation and metmyoglobin reduction; Factors affecting chemical stability of beef during storage
Meat color stability affects both the sensory properties of meat products and the safety, as pre-mature browning upon cooking can lead to undercooked beef and foodborne illness. Metabolites such as pyruvate and succinate have been shown to increase color stability of beef via the reduction of metmyoglobin and antioxidant effects on lipids.
Ramanathan, R., Mancini, R. A., Van Buiten, C. B., Suman, S. P. & Beach, C. M. (2012). Effects of Pyruvate on Lipid Oxidation and Ground Beef Color. Journal of Food Science, 77(88), C886-C892.
Ramanathan, R., Mancini, R. A., Dady, G. A. & Van Buiten, C. B. (2013). Effects of succinate and pH on cooked beef color. Meat Science, 93, 888-892.
Dr. Van Buiten's undergraduate research with the Mancini Lab in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut focused on elucidating mechanisms by which meat color is modified over the course of storage. Studying the biochemical activity of animal muscle post-mortem allows for better understanding of the mechanisms which drive myoglobin redox chemistry and the resulting color of stored beef. Previous studies had shown that NADH is produced by reverse electron transport. This study demonstrated the ability of this NADH to reduce metmyoglobin (brown coloration) to oxymyoglobin (red coloration), providing support for a non-enzymatic pathway for meat color preservation.
Belskie, K.M., Van Buiten, C. B., Ramanathan, R. & Mancini, R. A. (2015). Reverse electron transport effects on NADH formation and metmyoglobin reduction. Meat Science, 105, 89-92.
Ramanathan, R., Mancini, R. A., Van Buiten, C. B., Suman, S. P. & Beach, C. M. (2012). Effects of Pyruvate on Lipid Oxidation and Ground Beef Color. Journal of Food Science, 77(88), C886-C892.
Ramanathan, R., Mancini, R. A., Dady, G. A. & Van Buiten, C. B. (2013). Effects of succinate and pH on cooked beef color. Meat Science, 93, 888-892.
Dr. Van Buiten's undergraduate research with the Mancini Lab in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut focused on elucidating mechanisms by which meat color is modified over the course of storage. Studying the biochemical activity of animal muscle post-mortem allows for better understanding of the mechanisms which drive myoglobin redox chemistry and the resulting color of stored beef. Previous studies had shown that NADH is produced by reverse electron transport. This study demonstrated the ability of this NADH to reduce metmyoglobin (brown coloration) to oxymyoglobin (red coloration), providing support for a non-enzymatic pathway for meat color preservation.
Belskie, K.M., Van Buiten, C. B., Ramanathan, R. & Mancini, R. A. (2015). Reverse electron transport effects on NADH formation and metmyoglobin reduction. Meat Science, 105, 89-92.
