April 2025 Arkansas Ag Research Report

Big News

Nonalcoholic Beer Yeasts Evaluated for Fermentation Activity, Flavor Profiles

Small organisms can have a big impact. That’s why researchers explored nearly a dozen yeast strains to find out which ones could brew the best nonalcoholic beers for a rapidly growing market.

Scott Lafontaine, assistant professor of food chemistry in the food science department, and Andrew Maust, a Bumpers College graduate student working in the Center for Beverage Innovation and Lafontaine Lab, published results of their study in the ACS Food Science and Technology journal April 15.

“These findings provide brewers with actionable insights to select yeasts that align with desired nonalcoholic beer characteristics and enable them to produce style-specific, high-quality nonalcoholic beers,” Lafontaine said.

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Andrew Maust, a Bumpers College food science graduate student, left, stands with Scott Lafontaine, assistant professor of food chemistry in the food science department and co-director of the Center for Beverage Innovation.

Arkansas Research Alliance grants support agricultural innovation

Four researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station were awarded Arkansas Research Alliance Impact Grants, which provide funding of up to $75,000 for 12-month scientific and engineering research projects.

The researchers include: Jin-Woo Kim, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering; Aranyak Goswami, an assistant professor in bioinformatics and computational biology; Dongyi Wang, an assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering; and Ali Ubeyitogullari, an assistant professor of food engineering.

“We are very thankful for the investment ARA is making into projects that will propel food and agriculture forward,” said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the experiment station. “Several of these projects have strong industry support, and we look forward to the impact this work will have on food and agriculture in Arkansas and beyond.”

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Jin-Woo Kim, Aranyak Goswami, Dongyi Wang and Ali Ubeyitogullari were awarded Arkansas Research Alliance Impact Grants.

Tzanetakis honored as a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society

Ioannis Tzanetakis, professor of plant virology and director of the Arkansas Clean Plant Center, was recently named a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society.

Ken Korth, head of the entomology and plant pathology department, said Tzanetakis has been a leader, mentor and valued researcher who has identified major viruses, defined virus complexes and improved vector management.

“This is a tremendous and well-deserved honor for Dr. Tzanetakis,” he said. “He is exactly the type of scientist and professional worthy of being named APS Fellow because of his many contributions to our discipline. His efforts have brought visibility and prestige to the Bumpers College and Division of Agriculture.”

Ioannis Tzanetakis is among nine people recently named Fellows of the American Phytopathological Society. He has been an APS member since 2001.

Survey on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs offers more insight on food preferences

The results of a recent national study conducted by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station found Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, or GLP-1s, lead to new food and drink consumption patterns, which underscore observed changes in food and beverage marketing. The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

The study offers deeper insights on how the weight-loss drugs influence food preferences and consumption behavior across different food categories.

Andrew Dilley, a Bumpers College graduate student in the agricultural economics and agribusiness department, was the lead author of the study with Brandon McFadden, professor and Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics, as his adviser. Co-authors included Saroj Adhikari and Pratikshya Silwal, agricultural economics and agribusiness department post-doctoral researchers.

Researchers in the agricultural economics and agribusiness department looked at consumption behavior of people who have taken weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy. (Photo by K KStock – stock.adobe.com)

Fluridone widens Palmer pigweed control options for rice growers, but stick to the label

Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor of weed science in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences and a team of researchers published results from a two-year field trial on a dozen rice cultivars commonly grown in Arkansas to test the tolerance levels when sprayed with fluridone before and after rice plants emerge.

Their study was published in Weed Technology and shows some rice varieties were more sensitive than others to the herbicide which has become a new tool in controlling Palmer pigweed in rice.

The study’s lead author was Maria Souza, a Bumpers College graduate research assistant in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences, with Norsworthy as her adviser.

Injury to paddy rice 10 weeks after emergence is seen in test plots sprayed with fluridone before the approved timing of the three-leaf stage. (Photo courtesy of Jason Norsworthy)

Microplastics: What’s trapping the emerging threat in our streams?

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting a research team to identify what keeps them trapped in stream ecosystems.

Shannon Speir, assistant professor and researcher in the crop, soil, and environmental sciences department, worked with researchers at Notre Dame University and Loyola University Chicago to study microplastics in streams.

Their research was published in Limnology and Oceanography with findings that can inform best practices for reducing the threat of microplastics and optimum times for clean-up projects.

Stream algae is seen at the Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility as part of a collaborative study on microplastics with Shannon Speir titled “Transport and retention of microplastic fibers in streams are impacted by benthic algae, discharge, and substrate.” (Photo courtesy of Shannon Speir)

Sun Ferreira, a food scientist and food processing engineer, was co-author of a review article on single-use plastics published in Trends in Food Science & Technology.

As plastic use soars, researchers examine biodegradable solutions

Sun Ferreira, an assistant professor in the food science department, joined researchers in Brazil and Germany to document a multi-faceted global snapshot of the environmental aspects and trends surrounding single-use plastics. Their review article, recently published in Trends in Food Science & Technology, showed that the largest area of application for biodegradable plastic materials is the packaging segment, which accounts for about half of single-use plastic production.

Biodegradable plastics currently account for a half percent of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic produced annually, but a growing demand for the alternative reflects consumer awareness and corporate response.

Aranyak Goswami – Putting Biological Data to Use

Aranyak Goswami thinks computational biology has the potential to change the course of human civilization.

As an assistant professor in the animal science department, Goswami uses computational genomics and bioinformatics tools to study animal microbiomes with the aim of developing probiotic supplements. He hopes to see these approaches applied to psychiatric disorders in the long term.

2024 Arkansas Cotton Variety Tests

The Arkansas Cotton Variety Tests publication exists to provide unbiased data about the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant.

• May 9 – Composting Awareness Workshop
• June 9 – Getting to the Root of Crop Health: Understanding Water Quality Risks and Treatment Designs
• June 16 – Getting to the Root of Crop Health: Customizing Your Recirculated Hydroponic Solutions
• July 21 – Getting to the Root of Crop Health: Cold Plasma and Ozone for Water Sanitation
• July 29-30 – Soybean College at the Jackson County Extension Center
• July 31 – Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center Field Day
• August 7 – Getting to the Root of Crop Health: Stratified Substrates for Nursery and Greenhouse Crops
• August 7 – Rice Field Day at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart
• August 14 – Pine Tree Research Station Field Day

As a Competitive Grain for Malting, Rice May Open Door to Increase Domestic Demand

Getting to the Root of Crop Health: Four Webinars Set To Inform Root Zone Management in Controlled-Environment Agriculture

Pecan Scab Hours Website Lets Producers Know When It’s Time to Spray