Revolutionary Research Insider | Issue XIX

In this dog days of summer issue of Revolutionary Research Insider, we present you with summertime "news you can use."

Tick Talk

July is peak tick season in New England, and it appears the prevalence of ticks, and tick-borne illnesses, may be on the rise. The University of Massachusetts Amherst houses the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEWVEC), a network of New England-based researchers dedicated to conducting operational research on ticks and mosquitoes, training the next generation of vector biology, and building communities of practice. Their research addresses real-world concerns, including what is working (and not working) to reduce ticks. Below are some smart tick safety tips from the NEWVEC researchers:

• Wear repellent, or repellent-treated clothing;
• Reduce exposed skin when you're in tick-heavy areas like tall grasses or forests;
• Keep your lawn short;
• Do a thorough tick check whenever you've been in tick-heavy areas;
• If you think you were exposed to ticks, put your clothing in the dryer right away to kill any ticks that may be hanging on.

PLUS: Test your tick knowledge with these myth busters.

Better Backyard Barbecues

#Didyouknow UMass Amherst is home to one of the top food science programs in the world? A major research theme in the Department of Food Science is developing tastier, healthier, and more sustainable alternative proteins to replace animal-based products like meat, seafood, and milk.

Creating alternative products that are acceptable (and delicious) for everyone, including the most devoted carnivores, is tricky. One major challenge in creating realistic-looking and delectable plant-based meat is mimicking the marbled effect of animal fat. UMass food scientist Lutz Grossmann has a plan to tackle this quandary by developing new technology supported by a $250,000 grant from The Good Food Institute .

Grossmann aims to incorporate lipids into high-moisture extrusion processes, a technique used to replicate the juiciness, appearance and texture of whole-muscle animal meat.

“While high-moisture extrusion has become a primary method for creating meatlike textures from plant proteins, it currently lacks the ability to generate lipid marbling, a key characteristic for replicating the appearance, flavor and texture of traditional meat products,” Grossmann explains. “The challenges of incorporating lipids into high-moisture extrusion processes are mainly related to the lubricating effect of plant lipids that disrupt the protein melt within the extruder barrel.”

Learn more about this research.

Finally, looking to get the kids off screens and outside to play this summer? Preliminary UMass research, published in the Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, suggests having a family dog may contribute positively to children's physical activity. Now, the UMass Behavioral Medicine Lab is planning a larger study to see if the preliminary results—showing that about 20% of kids' daily physical activity came from time in close proximity with the family dog—hold true at a significant sample size of participants.

Interested in participating in this research? Learn more here.

Like what you read here? Visit our website to explore more UMass Amherst research and innovation, or sign up to receive the Revolutionary Research e-newsletter in your inbox four times a year for more great news, stories, and profiles of researchers. Summer issue drops soon.