

Latest ARS
Food & Nutrition Research Briefs PostedBy Judy McBride April 6, 2001The Agricultural Research Service has posted
the April 2001 issue of the Food & Nutrition Research Briefs to its web
site at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb401.htm The Research Briefs is a quarterly newsletter containing the latest ARS
findings in human nutrition, food freshness and safety, and new foods and
varieties. Included in this issue: - Its no secret that people need ample calcium and vitamin D to
maintain strong bones, even in their twilight years. Now, a study suggests that
protein may be important in reducing bone loss in elders.
- Planning a cookout? To be on the safe side, youd be wise to check
the internal temperature of those ground beef burgers with a meat thermometer
instead of relying on color.
- Cayenne pepper--a popular spice for flavoring food--contains a compound
that kills several noxious fungi and yeasts, including Candida albicans.
But it doesnt hurt human cells, so a company is testing its potential as
a candidate drug for treating patients with fungal infections.
- A small dose of sodium chlorate--oxidized table salt--fed to pigs before
slaughter could reduce the chance of foodborne illness. The compound
selectively kills the pathogens Salmonella typhimurium and E.
coli O157:H7.
ARS is the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Contact: Judy McBride, ARS Information Staff, Beltsville, Md., phone
(301) 504-1628, fax (301) 504-1641, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |