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Interest in using renewable raw materials to prepare biobased monomers, polymers, and materials is rapidly increasing. The goal of the research described is to develop branched polyesters of plant oil fatty acids, using different core pol yo ls (i.e. sucrose, dipentaerythritol, and tripentaerythritol) and plant oils (i.e. linseed, safflower, and soybean), into curing systems that have potential uses in applications such as coatings, composites, and adhesives. This study is mainly focused on the use of sucrose as the core polyol in the soyate resins. Sucrose esters and their derivatives have a compact structure, high density, and high functionality-double bonds, epoxides, or hydroxyls. When considering the use of sucrose ester compounds to form cross linked materials, the rigid core of sucrose can potentially impart hardness to the thermoset, and the high functionality can lead to rapid gelation and high cross link density. Thus, these novel biobased resins using sucrose esters of plant oils have the potential to be a significant advance in biobased resin technology, as well as to be competitive with the conventional petroleum-based resins.

Patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption begin in childhood and persist into adulthood. Educating parents regarding appropriate dietary requirements for preschoolers is critical to supporting their appropriate growth and development. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a parent health report (including information about the child's fruit and vegetable consumption and recommendations regarding how to increase fruit and vegetable consumption) resulted in a greater fruit and vegetable intake in preschoolers and kindergarteners. Results from both the open trial and the randomized-controlled trial suggest that the parent health report may be a beneficial tool to increase vegetable consumption in preschoolers and kindergarteners. Increases in vegetable consumption can lead to the establishment of lifelong habits of healthy vegetable intake and decrease risk for chronic diseases in the future.

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The growing consumer demand for edamame (vegetable soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the U.S. has led to current research efforts to increase the production of this nutritious vegetable in the country. This specialty crop has been suggested as an economically attractive alternative to tobacco production, which has decreased in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast areas. Thus, breeding programs led by Virginia Tech and University of Arkansas have been working on the development of edamame cultivars that meet both agronomical and consumer expectations for production and sales in the U.S. In two consecutive years, selected genotypes were tested in the field and by consumers, in order to identify breeding lines that could potentially be released and succeed in the U.S. market. Twenty genotypes were grown in Virginia and Arkansas in 2018 and, among them, ten were selected to be grown in Virginia, Missouri and Mississippi in 2019. Then, sensory evaluation and consumer studies (surveys) were conducted to identify desired/valuable characteristics of edamame and support breeding selection criteria. Participants of the sensory panels were adult volunteers not allergic to soy. Both years, overall acceptability was significantly different among edamame genotypes (p < 0.05) and higher scores were positively associated with 'salty' and 'sweet', but negatively associated with 'bitter', 'sour', 'sulfury/rotten egg' flavor attributes. The a* color coordinate (CIELAB) and green intensity index were significant predictors of appearance liking (p < 0.05) and consumers were willing to pay more for dark green than light green edamame beans. The outcomes of our web-based survey suggested consumers have a positive attitude towards domestically produced edamame and have a higher intention to buy fresh products and edamame in the pods. Additionally, price, availability, and familiarity with the vegetable brand, respectively, seemed to be the most important factors consumers consider in their decision-making process to purchase edamame. These important findings will continue to provide guidance for further research on edamame and can be used to prepare key messages to stakeholders at all stages of the agriculture and food (edamame) systems for the purpose of promoting a sustainable domestic production of this specialty crop in the U.S. / Doctor of Philosophy / The agriculture and food systems have been challenged to develop more nutritious foods and adopt more sustainable practices in order to properly feed our growing global population and improve food security. In this context, foods with sensory characteristics (appearance, aroma, taste, texture) that consumers appreciate have higher chances to succeed in the market, which may reduce food waste. Over the years, several fruit and vegetable crops for U.S. production had their nutritional value, overall quality, and/or agronomic characteristics improved through breeding techniques. In the last decade, edamame (vegetable soybean) has gained attention from plant breeders and food producers due to its increasing consumption and sales in the country. Edamame is a protein-rich legume traditionally consumed in Asia; it has been suggested as a high-value crop for production in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast areas, where tobacco production has decreased significantly. Thus, researchers across the country have been working to develop high-quality edamame seeds that can grow well in the U.S. and can succeed in the domestic market. In 2018, Virginia Tech and University of Arkansas breeding programs selected twenty edamame seeds to be grown in Virginia and Arkansas; then, in 2019, ten of these seeds were grown in Virginia, Missouri, and Mississippi. In sequence, sensory evaluation and consumer studies were performed to support breeding decisions and identify consumers preferences. Overall, edamame described as 'salty' or 'sweet' was preferred over edamame described as 'bitter' or 'sour' and differences in consumer acceptability helped breeders to identify seeds with higher sensory quality. Greener color of edamame beans was associated with more likeable appearance and consumers showed willingness to pay higher price for darker green edamame beans. Our study suggested consumers have a preference for fresh products, for edamame in the pods, and tend to value domestically grown edamame over imported products. Price, availability, and familiarity with the vegetable brand were suggested as the major factors that consumers ponder when purchasing edamame. Our findings will support future research on edamame and can be used to prepare key messages for the purpose of promoting a sustainable production of this nutritious vegetable in the U.S.

Persistent interest in edamame, vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), by U.S. consumers has continued to fuel the development of a domestic edamame supply chain. Studies have shown edamame to be a nutritious specialty crop with potential to provide economic benefit to local growers. Domestically bred and grown edamame has shown to be preferred by growers and consumers with competitive agronomic traits. While domestic varieties of edamame will encourage growers to produce a product catered towards the domestic market, additional considerations of final product quality are necessary to positively influence the market success. Domestically grown and store-bought edamame samples were utilized to research quality attributes including flavor, taste, and texture of edamame representative of domestic market and supply chain. Solid phase microextraction was utilized for aroma extraction prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) analyses to obtain (1) impactful volatile compounds present, (2) changes in these compounds by stink bug feeding injury, and (3) volatile contributions to sensory characteristics. Sensory methods were utilized to (1) evaluate differences in perception of edamame with and without stink bug feeding injury, and (2) understand important sensory characteristics for domestic edamame. Volatile analysis recognized 16 volatile compounds when investigating edamame genotypes with 14 compounds having significant differences in contents by genotype. Only 10 compounds were consistently detected through GC-O by panelists, so called aroma-active compounds, and only one compound (E)-2-octenal was significantly different in odor intensities across genotypes. Stink bug injured samples showed dramatic differences in volatile profile compared with the not injured counterpart, from mass chromatogram; however, no noticeable differences were perceived by GC-O or sensory difference testing. An instrumental texture analysis method was proven to be sensitive enough to detect the textural differences of edamame beans after processing. The multi-dimensional sensory characteristics including taste, aroma, and texture, were established showing significant differences by edamame variety and growing location. Domestically bred edamame was found to be sweeter, as is preferred by domestic consumers, confirming encouraging breeding outcome. Despite significant differences in edamame volatile profiles by genotype and stink bug feeding injury, sensory discrimination of these differences seems to be less noticeable than changes from taste and texture. Utilizing our findings toward future research and product development will support the domestic edamame supply chain by providing a foundational understanding of quality attributes and their impacts. / Doctor of Philosophy / Edamame, or vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), has been gaining popularity in the U.S. as plant based and alternative proteins continue to see increased attention. Research has shown edamame to be a nutritious specialty crop with potential to provide economic benefit to local growers. Edamame developed and grown in the U.S. has been shown to be preferred by growers and consumers. Understanding the quality of these products is important for a positive and lasting presence in the market. In this work, locally grown edamame as well as storebought edamame were investigated for flavor and texture. Chemistry methods to research volatile compounds were used to determine impactful flavor compounds, changes in these compounds caused by stink bug injury, and specific aroma of these compounds in edamame. Sensory methods were used to determine differences in edamame injured by stink bugs and to determine taste, flavor, and texture terms related to local edamame. This work identified 16 volatile compounds consistently in edamame samples with 14 being found to vary in amount by edamame genotype. Only 10 volatile compounds were detected through human sniffing results with only one being found to vary in amount of aroma detected by edamame genotype. Edamame showing visual signs of stink bug feeding injury showed different amounts of chemical compounds compared to the uninjured edamame, but aroma detected by human sniffing and sensory evaluation did not show differences. A method using a texture instrument was proven to be sensitive enough to detect even minor differences of edamame beans by texture. Sensory qualities including taste, aroma, and texture, were found to have differences in edamame based on edamame variety and growing location of the edamame. Locally bred and grown edamame was found to be sweeter than comparable edamame, as is preferred by consumer in the U.S. Despite differences in volatile compounds in edamame as identified in volatile analysis by differences in stink bug feeding injury, edamame genotype, and growing location, detection of these differences through aroma and taste by human panelists is not seen in this work. Providing these understanding of sensory qualities and their impact on the edamame will help support the local edamame supply in decision making and product development.

This study evaluates the effectiveness and impacts of USAID's IPM IL vegetable technology transfer subproject in Bangladesh. The effectiveness of the technology transfer is evaluated in four ways: IPM adoption rates and determinants of IPM adoption, measuring the impact of IPM adoption on vegetable yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications used, estimation of the economic impacts of IPM adoption and the technology transfer, and analysis of the relative efficiency of the various technology transfer methods used to transfer the IPM practices to farmers. Adoption determinants were identified using traditional and ordered probit regression analysis. Difference-in-difference models were used to identify the impacts of IPM adoption on yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications applied. Economic impacts of IPM technology adoption were measured using economic surplus analysis. Finally, to compare the relative efficiency of different technology transfer methods, adoption rates were identified for each transfer method and combined with the training cost per farmer to identify the cost per farmer adopting IPM practices. The results from the adoption analysis suggest the number of years of agricultural experience of the household head, the number of IPM adopters known by the household, and learning agricultural information from media sources and/or farm training events such as field days significantly increase the likelihood of IPM adoption. The impacts of IPM adoption on vegetable yields, pest management costs, and the number of pesticide applications were non-significant for vegetable crops. Analysis of the cost efficiency of the different IPM technology transfer methods suggests that media sources such as television, radio, and newspapers have the lowest cost per farmer. / Master of Science