
USDA Research Agency
Honors Scientists for Technology TransferBy Jan Suszkiw February 2, 1999BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 2--New products made from corn fiber and a
substance called alum for treating poultry litter are the
Agricultural Research Services top
picks for 1998 technology transfer awards. ARS, the U.S. Department of
Agricultures chief scientific research agency, will honor scientists
who developed the technologies Feb. 10 at a 1 p.m. ceremony at the
agencys Beltsville
(Md.) Agricultural Research Center. There, ARS chemist Phillip A. Moore and a
team led by ARS chemist Kevin B. Hicks will receive plaque and cash awards from
ARS Administrator Floyd P. Horn for outstanding technology transfer efforts. The event, begun in 1986, provides a venue each year to honor ARS
researchers whove gone the extra mile in moving promising new research
technologies from the lab bench to the marketplace, said Horn. Moore works at ARS Poultry
Production and Product Safety Research Unit in Fayetteville, Ark. He
patented a technique for using aluminum sulfate, or alum, to help reduce
phosphorus runoff from crop fields fertilized with poultry litter. About 7 million tons of the poultry waste is generated each year. Spreading
it on crop fields is a common disposal method. Runoff, however, can send excess
phosphorus into nearby waterways or lakes. Moore designed experiments showing that an application of alum can reduce
phosphorus losses by 70 percent. Another benefit is decreased ammonia
emissions, which can cause respiratory problems for birds and poultry house
workers alike. General Chemical, a Parsippany, N.J., firm has licensed the technology under
the product name Al+ Clear. Poultry producers in 15 states and Canada are now
using the product. Kevin B. Hicks is the team leader for a group of ARS and university
scientists who developed two new multi-use products from the hulls and fibers
of corn. Hicks, who will accept the Feb. 10 award on his groups behalf,
works at the Plant Science and Technology Unit, located at ARS
Eastern Regional Research Center in
Wyndmoor, Pa. Combining their expertise in biochemistry, the team discovered a new corn
fiber oil that reduces levels of serum and LDL cholesterol, forms that clog
arteries, obstructing blood flow. The new product, Amaizing Oil, is
a joint patent of ARS and the University of
Massachusetts. It also covers techniques for extracting the corn fiber oil
and processing it into cholesterol-lowering products. The work could open a new market for the fibers, which the corn processing
industry produces at the rate of 4 million tons annually.
Monsanto, based in
St. Louis, Mo., has licensed the oil technology to develop a variety of
cholesterol-lowering foods. The second new product is a white corn fiber gum. It is the focus of a
cooperative agreement between Hicks team and
The
National Starch and Chemical Company, located in Bridgewater, N.J. Under
the agreement, the scientists will help explore the gums potential as an
emulsifier, soluble dietary fiber, thickener, and other products. At the Feb. 10 ceremony, ARS will also present individual or team awards for
significant contributions in technology transfer. The recipients are: - Plant pathologist Peter
J. Cotty, Southern Regional
Research Center, New Orleans. Cotty developed a new biopesticide for cotton
growers. The product contains benign Aspergillus fungi that exclude
toxin-producing strains from cotton plants.
- Entomologist
Carrol
O. Calkins, leader of a 17-member ARS and university team that is helping
Washington states apple growers conduct an area-wide program to suppress
codling moths. The strategy includes heavy doses of pheromone substances so
male moths are less apt to find mates.
- Soil scientist Michael Glenn and entomologist Gary Puterka,
Appalachian Fruit Research
Station, Kearneysville, W.Va. Working with
Engelhard Corp. of Iselin,
N.J., they created a particle film that shields apples and pears from microbial
and insect attack.
- Plant physiologist Michael J. Kasperbauer and soil scientist Patrick G.
Hunt, Coastal Plains Soil, Water,
and Plant Research Center, Florence, S.C. The scientists developed, tested
and patented a red plastic mulch for tomato plants that boosts yields, and
helps keep weeds and nematodes in check. The mulches are now sold commercially.
Scientific contact: Stephen H. Feairheller, technology transfer
coordinator, Office of the Director, ARS Eastern Regional Research Center,
Wyndmoor, Penn., phone: (215) 233-6610, fax: (215) 233-6777,
[email protected]. ----------Individual news releases about each award are available on request to the
ARS News Service. Story contacts Gary J Puterka Jan R Suszkiw U.S. Department of Agriculture | |