New Research Proposes Salty Take on Rye
www.producer.com, 9/3/2015
The western Canadian prairie has one thing in common with the well-groomed golf courses surrounding
New Jersey's Rutgers University: the need for stronger saline tolerant grass varieties... Golf courses are
a different story. Rutgers, the prestigious Big Ten university, is working on turf grasses with greater saline
tolerance. Not only will the school provide golfers with better turf grass, but it will also provide an
environmentally friendly way to use a large volume of saline waste water... Breeding saline tolerant turf
grass for golfers may seem frivolous, but it makes sense if golf courses could be irrigated with salt-laden
waste water, said Rutgers plant breeder Stacy Bonos. Golf courses already using treated waste water
for irrigation obtain it directly from municipal sewage treatment plants... "We decided to use perennial rye
grass because it has pretty good salt tolerance to begin with, compared to something like Kentucky blue
grass," she said.
Vitamin D Lack 'Speeds Up Age-related Mental Decline', Says Study
www.yahoo.com, 9/14/2015
Lack of vitamin D greatly accelerates the loss of mental ability that comes with age, a study has shown...
Researchers found that low levels of the vitamin doubled or even tripled the rate of cognitive decline in
382 men and women over the age of 60... Lead researcher Professor Joshua Miller, from Rutgers
University in the US, said: "There were some people in the study who had low vitamin D who didn't
decline at all and some people with adequate vitamin D who declined quickly. But on average, people
with low vitamin D declined two to three times as fast as those with adequate vitamin D."... Prof Miller
recommended that the over-60s consult their doctors about taking vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D Deficiency May Accelerate Cognitive Decline
www.neurologyadvisor.com, 9/15/2015
Vitamin D has increasingly become the focus of several scientific investigations as researchers seek to
better understand the role that the compound plays in organ function, especially that of the brain. Now,
new research indicates that vitamin D insufficiency may be associated with faster decline of cognitive
function... The study, led by Joshua W. Miller, PhD, of Rutgers University, and colleagues included an
ethnically diverse group of 382 older adults, from which baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD)
status, and change in subdomains of cognitive function were collected. The average age of study
participants was 75.5 years, 61.8% were female, and 41.4% were white, 29.6% were African American,
25.1% were Hispanic, and 3.9% were of another race or ethnicity. At enrollment, 17.5% had dementia,
32.7% had mild cognitive impairment, and 49.5% were cognitively normal... Compared to those with
adequate vitamin D levels, those with deficient or insufficient levels experienced a greater rate of decline
in episodic memory and executive function over a 4.8-year follow-up. However, vitamin D status was not
significantly associated with declines in semantic memory or visuospacial ability.
Rutgers' Plant Breeders: Fighting Hunger and Disease, Bringing Back Jersey Tomato
www.njspotlight.com, 9/16/2015
As part of its 250th anniversary celebration, state's largest public college will honor its world-renowned
program and a cornucopia of vegetables, nuts, and berries... Agricultural scientist Jack Rabin tends to
show his enthusiasm when he speaks about the staff at Rutgers University's plant-breeding program.
"Rob Pyne has the most perfume-scented job on God's earth being a Ph.D. candidate plant breeder of
basil," he'll say. And, "If Jim Simon were not here and did not have his germplasm collection who would
do this for society?"... The obvious ardor of the associate director of farm programs at Rutgers' New
Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) is contagious. And it makes it difficult to dismiss his
assertion that his coworkers' contributions to the global food pantry are not only groundbreaking but of
unassailable importance.
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked To Faster Decline In Cognitive Function Among Older Adults
www.medicaldaily.com, 9/16/2015
Low levels of vitamin D may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, a new study finds... "It remains to
be determined whether vitamin D supplementation slows cognitive decline," the researchers noted.
Importantly, they found Hispanic and African-American participants, on average, had significantly lower
vitamin D levels when compared to their European American peers... "Deficiency is probably due to some
combination of limited sun exposure and low dietary intake," Dr. Joshua Miller, study co-author and
chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University, told Medical Daily. "There are
genetic polymorphisms that can influence the function of vitamin D within cells."... First, "about 60 percent
or more of the participants were low in vitamin D, either insufficient or outright deficient," Dr. Joshua
Miller, study co-author and chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University, said in
an interview.
Rutgers Launches Food Accelerator Program, Conference
www.mycentraljersey.com, 9/16/2015
The Rutgers Food Innovation Center recently launched RutgersX, the first business accelerator
program at the university... Business accelerators provide a cohort of entrepreneurial companies with a
mentoring team that brings professional expertise and a venue in which they can "pitch" their business to
a community of angel and venture investors, strategic partners, and retail and food-service customers.
The first cohort of companies will be pitch presenters at the RutgersX Accelerating Food
Entrepreneurs Conference on Nov. 16 at the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center in New
Brunswick... "Given the tremendous interest we have in RutgersX, and our New Brunswick location that
makes this an easy commute from the tristate area, we are confident that our 2015 conference will be a
sold-out event, and will be continued in 2016 and beyond," said Lou Cooperhouse, founder of
RutgersX and director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in a news release. "We are already
making plans to expand our program and include other industry sectors in future years."
Researchers Partner for Studies on Standardbreds
www.thehorse.com, 9/16/2015
The Equine Science Center at Rutgers University partnered with the University of Minnesota in
procuring blood samples from over 700 Standardbred horses in New Jersey and New York for a new
group of studies aimed at identifying genetic factors underlying musculoskeletal diseases in horses...
"The Equine Science Center was proud to be able to show our colleagues from Minnesota some of the
best Standardbred horses in the country," said Karyn Malinowski, PhD, professor of animal science
and the director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center. "To be able to get blood samples from these
top-tier competitors will not only help to diversify the genetic studies taking place, but will also provide
great performance data to be used by the trainers of these horses. My heartfelt thanks goes out to the
over 20 trainers who participated in the data collection."... Sampling in New Jersey and New York took
place Sept. 10-13, and will be added to a larger sampling conducted by the University of Minnesota team.
Rutgers Scientist Explains Fisheries Management in New Jersey
www.thesandpaper.com, 9/16/2015
Olaf Jensen, assistant professor at Rutgers University's Department of Marine and Coastal
Sciences, is one member of the scientific community who helps decide how best to manage fish species
in New Jersey as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical
Committee... Jensen explained the challenges and difficulties in assessing dynamic fish populations. To
put his audience of mostly recreational fishermen at ease, he told a funny story about a forester and a
scientist having a conversation on numbers. "The forester says he goes out and counts the trees and
makes a decision on how many he can cut down while still sustaining the forest. The fisheries manager
says, "I do the same thing, except you can't see the fish and they move."... Determining the amount of the
black sea bass biomass and subsequently setting fishing limits has been made more difficult by the
biology of that species. Black sea bass are "protogenous hermaphrodites," said Jensen. "They start out
as females and change sex," he said.
The Quest for the Perfect Tomato
www.washingtonpost.com, 9/16/2015
In the day when the mass production of food trumped everything else, plant breeders developed the
"perfect" supermarket tomato. Thick-skinned and with a shelf life for the ages, it was a boon for growers,
shippers and retailers... But even non-foodie consumers realized that they were getting the short end of
the stick. Those reddish orbs looked like the real thing but tasted like damp cardboard, and the
supermarket tomato became a standing joke. It also spurred the rediscovery and celebration of the
heirloom tomato, the antique, vernacular fruit that managed to capture not only the folksy history of a
regional variety but also the warmth and memory of summer itself. The poster child was the brassy
beefsteak Brandywine, but thousands of tomato varieties have survived thanks in large part to this
renaissance... This is the magic driving another tomato breeding program in New Jersey, a state where
the tomato is a cultural icon. At Rutgers University's agricultural research farm in Pittstown,
hybridizer Tom Orton has been trying to capture the lost flavor of a famous old variety named, simply,
Rutgers... I recently met his colleague Jack Rabin at the Snyder farm in Pittstown to taste the shortlisted
finalists. We abbreviated their actual identification numbers to No. 1, No. 3 and No. 6.
Low Vitamin D Level Linked To Faster Cognitive Decline
www.techtimes.com, 9/17/2015
Aside from maintaining healthy bones and boosting the immune system, vitamin D is essential to
maintaining cognitive function, recent studies have shown... In fact, vitamin D deficiency may be causing
a decrease in memory retention and thinking abilities, especially among the elderly... The study was
conducted by Dr. Joshua Miller from Rutgers University and a team from the University of California
Davis with 318 participants. The researchers aimed to understand the relationship between vitamin D
levels and cognitive functioning... Among Dr. Miller and his team's respondents, at least 60 percent had
insufficient vitamin D, with African Americans being three times more likely to have insufficient vitamin D
compared to whites and Hispanics... Known dementia cases among the participants had less vitamin D
than those without or with mild impairments. Decreased vitamin D levels are also attributed to increased
difficulty in recalling general information, such as certain objects, spatial relationship recognition and
reality orientation.
What Exactly Is The Microwave Doing To Your Food? Here's The Science
www.huffingtonpost.com, 9/19/2015
Americans have been using microwave ovens for about 60 years, and we finally seemed convinced that
they're safe as well as convenient... But it seems we just can't stop wondering if microwaved foods are
somehow less nutritious than the same foods cooked on the stove or in a conventional oven. As it turns
out, scientists say, microwaved foods may be more nutritious than you probably thought... "Any process
that heats a food (microwaving, baking, boiling, frying, etc.) reduces the level of heat sensitive vitamins.
The details depend on the time and temperature and the specific vitamin," Dr. Don Schaffner, extension
specialist in food science and professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told The Huffington
Post in an email.
The Quest to Resurrect America's Best Tomato
www.theguardian.com, 9/20/2015
It might seem strange that the state known for mobsters, gas refineries and toxic superfund sites also
gave the world one of the most delicious fruits known to man: the plump, red and juicy Jersey tomato...
Food scientists have been tinkering with the molecular structure of the tomato for years, so tomato
processors who now harvest by machine could have fruit that easily falls off the stem. Scientists also
thickened the tomato's skin and interior walls so they were more durable during the shipping process...
But scientists at Rutgers University want to change that - they're trying to bring the Jersey tomato back
to its mouthwatering heyday... "You don't know how good they were until you've tasted one. They really
were just out of this world," said William Hlubik, a faculty member with the Rutgers Cooperative
Research & Extension.
Rutgers Develops "Super Catnip"
www.enn.com, 9/21/2015
A bigger more hearty catnip plant - whose enriched oil not only promises to drive cats crazy with pleasure
but also may be a safer, more effective mosquito repellent - has been developed for specialized
commercial farmers by Rutgers University... A super catnip has been developed by Rutgers that will
allow commercial farmers to grow bigger yields at more affordable prices... The Rutgers New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), which has spent more than a decade developing the new
breed, CR9, for the insect repellant and pet toy industries recently licensed the product to Ball
Horticulture, an Illinois company that will produce the seeds for commercial farmers... "In the past catnip
wasn't grown much because the plant itself was never developed to generate commercially acceptable
yields from its leaves and flowers which produce its aromatic volatiles oils, and thus, wasn't profitable"
said James Simon, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at the Rutgers
School of Environment and Biological Sciences who led the plant breeding in the development of the
new catnip variety.
Researchers Create Heartier Catnip Breed For Specialized Commercial Farmers
www.phys.org, 9/21/2015
A bigger more hearty catnip plant - whose enriched oil not only promises to drive cats crazy with pleasure
but also may be a safer, more effective mosquito repellent - has been developed for specialized
commercial farmers by Rutgers University... The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment
Station (NJAES), which has spent more than a decade developing the new breed, CR9, for the insect
repellant and pet toy industries recently licensed the product to Ball Horticulture, an Illinois company that
will produce the seeds for commercial farmers... "In the past catnip wasn't grown much because the plant
itself was never developed to generate commercially acceptable yields from its leaves and flowers which
produce its aromatic volatiles oils, and thus, wasn't profitable" said James Simon, professor in the
Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at the Rutgers School of Environment and Biological
Sciences who led the plant breeding in the development of the new catnip variety... Catnip oil has also
been shown to repel flies, cockroaches, termites, dust mites and deer ticks and is being suggested as an
organic pesticide for peach orchards and potato fields. The problem is that it has been too expensive to
use as a repellent.
Rutgers Announces 'N.J.-Israel Healthy, Functional and Medical Foods Alliance'
www.njbiz.com, 9/21/2015
On Friday, Representatives from Rutgers, Israel's Tel-Hai College and its Economic Development
Taskforce, Choose NJ and the New Jersey state government gathered at the new facility for Rutgers'
New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health... After speeches from representatives from the
involved institutions, the speakers signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the New JerseyIsrael Health, Functional, Medical Foods Alliance... Lou Cooperhouse, director of the Rutgers Food
Innovation Center, highlighted the eight major tenants of the partnership... Erel Margalit, member of the
Knesset, Israel's Economic Development Taskforce of Knesset, said the partnership holds the potential to
be as influential as another benchmark in the New Jersey economy.
Scientists Are Now Saying That A Little More Vitamin D Could Go A Long Way to Prevent
Cognitive Decline
www.piercepioneer.com, 9/21/2015
Scientists have been very interested in finding ways to ward off cognitive decline and the latest studies
now indicate that it could be as simple as spending more time in the sun... The study comes out of the
University of California at Davis as well as some efforts from Rutgers University. Researcher Joshua
Miller, of Rutgers, notes, "This work, and that of others, suggests that there is enough evidence to
recommend that people in their 60s and older discuss taking a daily vitamin D supplement with their
physicians. Even if doing so proves to not be effective, there's still very low health risk to doing it."... Miller
comments that insufficient vitamin D has, in fact, been shown to be linked to significantly faster decline in
both episodic memory and executive function. This is the difference between remembering isolated
moments and organizational thought... Finally, the researchers conclude, "Independent of race or
ethnicity, baseline cognitive ability, and a host of other risk factors, VitD insufficiency was associated with
significantly faster declines in both episodic memory and executive function performance, which may
correspond to elevated risk for incident AD [Alzheimer disease] dementia."
Forget the Mousetrap - Rutgers Builds a Better Catnip
www.nj.com, 9/22/2015
First they bred a better strawberry. Next up, a retro tomato. Now the Rutgers Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station has tackled catnip, coming up with a variety that is taller, heartier, and more potent...
The university - which owns the patent for the plant - recently licensed the new plant to an Illinois seed
distributor for commercial use... "We developed a super catnip that can survive northern winters and
produce copious amounts of aromatic oil, with a special composition that is rich in the bioactive
compound that repels the mosquitoes away and drives cats wild," said James Simon, a professor at
the Rutgers School of Environment and Biological Sciences... The plant was cultivated through
conventional breeding, where different strains are bred, then the most desirable offspring selected for the
next round of breeding... Doctoral student William Reichert, who is studying the genetics of catnip for
his thesis, said the new Rutgers variety outperforms all the commercial catnip currently on the market.
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