Edamame is becoming more popular in the U.S. due to its high nutritional value and potential health benefits. However, more than 70% of edamame is imported from outside of the U.S. Therefore, developing elite edamame genotypes is critically desirable to increase the domestic production of edamame in the U.S. Genotype, planting location, and harvest time play essential roles in the chemical composition of edamame, which further decide edamame's nutritional value and sensory characteristics. Therefore, the first goal of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the chemical composition of edamame genotypes grown in different locations. Ten selected edamame genotypes were grown in three locations in the U.S. - Whitethorne, Virginia (VA), Little Rock, Arkansas (AR) and Painter, VA. Sugars, alanine, protein, oil, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), starch, ash, and moisture contents, were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that location had significant effects on all chemical components of edamame with p < 0.05. Compared to Painter and Little Rock, genotypes planted in Whitethorne had higher averaged free sucrose, fructose, glucose, raffinose, stachyose, and starch contents and total sweetness. The highest crude protein and oil contents were found on edamame planted in Painter, while Little Rock produced edamame with the highest free alanine, ash, and moisture contents. Genotype significantly affected chemical compositions except for NDF and raffinose. Therefore, planting location and edamame genotype should be considered when producing elite edamame for the U.S. market. Chemical composition changes with the development of edamame; therefore, harvest time is essential for harvesting high-quality edamame. The second objective of this study is to quantify the changes in both physical and chemical properties of edamame over bean development and apply a combined spectroscopy and machine learning (ML) technique to help determine the optimal harvest time. Physical and chemical properties were analyzed for edamame harvested at R5 (beginning seed), R6 (full seed), and R7 (beginning maturity) growth stages, and the spectral reflectance (360 – 740 nm) of edamame pods was measured using a handheld spectrophotometer. The samples harvested at different stages were labeled as 'early,' 'ready,' and 'late.' At R6, pod/bean weight and pod thickness reached the peak and then stayed stable, while sugar, alanine, starch, and glycine also peaked at R6 but declined afterward. The spectra-based ML method had high accuracy (0.95) when classifying 'early' and 'late' edamame, and the accuracy was 0.87 for classifying 'early' and 'ready' edamame. These results indicated that this spectra-based ML method could determine the optimal harvest time of edamame. Food waste and loss not only lead to economic loss but also significant greenhouse gas emissions. With edamame food/snack production increasing, edamame shells, the low-value byproduct from this processing, will potentially threaten the environment. Similar to other food processing byproducts, edamame shell is rich in dietary fiber (DF). However, the high concentration of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) limits its application as a food additive. Therefore, extraction/modification processes are needed to convert IDF to soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and improve the properties of edamame shell-derived DF. Ball milling is one of the most efficient techniques to break down biomaterials into sub-micro-level particles. Citric acid, as a natural and safe food additive, can help break down cell walls and improve the dissolution of SDF by ionizing the hydrogen ions with carboxyl groups. Therefore, the third objective of this study is to develop a process that combines ball milling and citric acid treatments to produce SDF from edamame shells. We investigated different treatment parameters, including different citric acid concentrations, treatment temperatures and time, and the application of ball milling. To determine if the combined treatment can potentially improve the properties of the produced SDFs, we characterized the physicochemical, morphological, structural, rheological, thermal, and functional properties of SDFs produced at different conditions. The results showed that the highest SDF yield (19.5%) was found when the edamame shells were pretreated by a ball mill. In addition, the combined citric acid and ball milling treatment altered several properties of the produced SDFs, including particle size, morphology, and crystallinity. Moreover, ball milling treatment led to a higher exothermic temperature peak of SDF indicating better thermal stability. All produced SDFs significantly elevated the production of short-chain fatty acids during in vitro fermentation (compared to the control fermentation) which indicated their potential benefits of promoting gut health. Overall, we demonstrated that ball-milling-assisted citric acid processing can be an effective green technique to produce SDF from edamame shells. The SDF produced from edamame shells can be regarded as a promising and novel ingredient with great potential to be used in foods. / Doctor of Philosophy / Edamame is becoming increasingly popular among consumers in the U.S. because it is nutritious and good for health. However, more than 70% of edamame in the U.S. market is imported from other countries. Therefore, having more edamame genotypes that adapt to the growing environment in the U.S. will help increase the domestic production of edamame. Genotype and planting location are essential in deciding edamame's nutritional value and taste. Therefore, the first objective of this study is to comprehensively understand the nutritional value of different edamame genotypes grown in three planting locations. The results showed that both location and genotype affected the nutritional values of edamame, indicating that planting location and edamame genotype should be considered when developing better edamame for the U.S. market. Nutritional value and sweetness change with the growth of edamame beans. Therefore, harvest time is crucial for harvesting edamame with better nutrition and taste. This study's second objective is to observe edamame's nutritional factors and sweetness over bean development and develop a method using a handheld colorimeter to help determine the optimal harvest time. The results showed that the edamame harvested at the full seed stage (called R6) is the sweetest compared to the other two stages. In addition, the handheld colorimeter combined with the machine learning technique showed high accuracy in separating 'early' and 'late' harvested edamame and 'early' and 'ready' harvested samples. These results indicated that the combination of colorimeter and machine learning could help determine the optimal harvest time of edamame. Food waste and loss not only lead to economic loss but also significant greenhouse gas emissions. Edamame shells, the low-value byproduct from edamame snack/food processing, will potentially threaten the environment if edamame consumption keeps increasing. Like other food waste, edamame shell is rich in dietary fiber (DF). Therefore, it is vital to find a way to recover the DF in edamame for other applications. Ball milling is a green technology that can efficiently break down big particles. Citric acid is a natural and safe food additive and can help break down insoluble cell walls. Therefore, this study aims to produce soluble dietary fiber (SDF) from edamame shells using ball milling and citric acid. We proved that ball-milling assisted acid processing can be an environmentally friendly method to produce edamame shell SDF which can potentially be used as a suitable food ingredient.

Dietary fibers can interfere in the bioavailability of mineral elements both negatively and positively. This has been the subject of several researches because there is a great interest in essential minerals; also, some studies have been done regarding toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd). Environmental contamination with Cd and its consequent interference in the food chain can cause serious problems in humans and animals affecting several organs in general, and this can become even worse when exposure takes place during growth. Fiber-rich supplements are employed by people that have low levels of fiber in the diet. On the other hand, multimixtures (MMs) are low-cost food supplements with different compositions that are used to improve the nutritional conditions of children. These supplements are normally rich in fibers and mineral elements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of MMs and other food products rich in dietary fibers on the absorption of mineral elements and on Cd absorption, accumulation, and toxicity in growing rats. Three independent experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, MMs, used as supplements at a 5% proportion in diets, increased apparent absolute absorption of phosphorus, magnesium and manganese, proportionally to its level of dietary fiber, but did not interfere in calcium or copper absorption. This suggests that these supplements can be a source of some minerals in the diet, and similar proportions to those employed in this study did not diminish calcium and copper absorption. In the second experiment, one MM, rich in fibers and essential minerals did not diminish either Cd accumulation or toxicity when this metal was employed at 25 mg/kg in the diet, but MM diminished Cd accumulation in the kidneys when it was employed at 5 mg/kg in the diet. This latter Cd level is similar to human exposure in some contaminated areas, which suggests that MM may contribute to diminish Cd toxicity in polluted areas. In the third experiment, when flaxseed and bran wheat were compared to purified cellulose, it was observed that flaxseed, which has a higher proportion of soluble fiber, increased Cd accumulation in the liver and kidneys of growing rats in comparison to the other two fiber sources, which have basically insoluble fiber. These results indicate that foods with a higher proportion of soluble fiber can increase Cd body retention, suggesting that one should be careful when ingesting these foods in Cd contaminated areas. Flaxseed and bran wheat, used as sources of dietary fiber for rats exposed do Cd, decreased apparent absorption of Ca and P and increased apparent absorption of Mg in comparison to purified cellulose, which might be attributed to an interaction of Cd and phytate present in these fiber sources. Results of the present study show that MMs can be source of some essential mineral, besides reducing renal Cd accumulation, after exposure to low Cd doses. It was also observed that different sources of fiber may differentially affect the retention of toxic metals like Cd, and one should be careful when using foodstuffs rich in soluble fiber, like flaxseed, which can increase Cd retention. / As fibras alimentares (FA) podem interferir na biodisponibilidade de elementos minerais tanto negativa quanto positivamente. Este tem sido um assunto de diversas pesquisas e grande interesse em relação aos minerais essenciais e alguns estudos também têm sido feitos em relação aos elementos tóxicos como o cádmio (Cd). A contaminação ambiental com Cd e sua conseqüente entrada na cadeia alimentar pode levar a graves problemas no homem e nos animais em geral, afetando vários órgãos, o que pode ser mais grave quando a exposição se dá durante a fase de crescimento. Suplementos ricos em fibra são utilizados por parte da população em face da falta deste constituinte em suas dietas. Por outro lado, as multimisturas (MMs) são suplementos alimentares de composição variável e baixo custo, utilizados para melhorar o estado nutricional de crianças, sendo que estes suplementos são normalmente ricos em fibra e também em elementos minerais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de MMs e outros produtos alimentícios ricos em FA sobre a absorção de elementos minerais e sobre a absorção, acumulação e toxicidade do Cd, em ratos em crescimento. Foram conduzidos três experimentos independentes. No primeiro experimento as multimisturas, usadas como suplementos na proporção de 5% da dieta, aumentaram a absorção absoluta aparente de fósforo, magnésio e manganês, proporcionalmente ao seu teor de fibra alimentar, não chegando a interferir na absorção de cálcio e cobre, o que sugere que estes suplementos podem ser fonte de alguns minerais na dieta e, em proporções semelhantes àquela utilizada neste estudo, não reduziriam a absorção de cálcio ou cobre. Num segundo estudo, uma MM, rica em fibra e em minerais essenciais, não reduziu a acumulação nem a toxicidade do Cd quando este foi utilizado na dose de 25 mg/kg de dieta, mas reduziu a acumulação renal do metal quando este foi utilizado na dose de 5 mg/kg de dieta, a qual é compatível com a exposição humana em algumas áreas contaminadas, sugerindo que a multimistura poderia contribuir para reduzir a toxicidade do Cd em zonas de contaminação ainda inevitável. No terceiro experimento, em que se comparou a linhaça e o farelo de trigo com a celulose purificada, observou-se que a linhaça, que contêm maior proporção de fibra solúvel, aumentou a quantidade de Cd retido no fígado e rins dos ratos em crescimento em comparação com as outras duas fontes, que contêm predominantemente fibra insolúvel. Estes resultados indicam que alimentos com maior proporção de fibra solúvel podem aumentar a deposição corporal de Cd, sugerindo que deve haver cuidado na ingestão dos mesmos em regiões contaminadas com Cd. A linhaça e o farelo de trigo, usados como fonte de fibra alimentar para os ratos expostos ao Cd, reduziram a absorção aparente do cálcio e do fósforo e aumentaram a absorção aparente de magnésio em comparação com a celulose, o que poderia ser atribuído a uma interação do Cd com o fitato presente naquelas fontes de fibra. Os resultados deste trabalho mostram que as MMs podem ser fonte de alguns minerais essenciais, além de reduzir a acumulação renal de cádmio, após exposição a baixas doses deste metal. Também observou-se que diferentes fontes de fibra podem interferir de forma diversa na retenção de minerais tóxicos como o Cd, devendo-se ter cuidado com fontes ricas em fibras solúveis, como a linhaça, que podem aumentar a retenção do metal.