published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that dogs sensitized to soy antigen would produce significantly greater amounts of antigen specific IgE antibody compared to a control population before and after challenges with soy, hydrolyzed soy, and non-soy diets. Further, we sought to evaluate important allergenic components of soy using Western blot analysis. Lastly, absorption and mucosal function testing using inert sugars were evaluated for our sensitized and non-sensitized controls. Eight dogs (6 female, 2 male) were sensitized to whole soy using an established protocol. Seven dogs (3 female, 4 male) roughly age matched were used as controls. The dogs were randomly split into three groups. All dogs were fed an elimination diet of egg and Brewer's rice for six weeks. Samples were collected and each group was fed a diet of soy and rice flour, hydrolyzed soy and rice flour, or corn and rice flour for three weeks. Samples were collected and each group was fed the elimination diet followed by challenge with each of the diets. Serum was collected and stored for allergen specific IgE semi-quantitation and Western blot analysis using whole soy fractionated into globulin and whey components. A solution of monosaccharide and disaccharide sugars was administered in a volume determined by weight. Six hours after administration the dogs were catheterized and the entire urine volume was collected for measurement of sugar recovery by high pressure chromatography, followed by pulsed amphometric detection. There was a statistically significant difference in serum IgE between sensitized and control dogs after the elimination diet, and also for each of the challenged diets. There were differences detected by Western blot analysis for allergens within the soy globulin and whey fractions for sensitized dogs compared to control dogs. There were no significant differences between sensitized and control dogs for sugar recovery for any of the diets. We conclude that although there were significant differences in measurable IgE between sensitized and control dogs, we were unable to differentiate these groups using gastrointestinal mucosal permeability and function testing.

Soy meal, a coproduct of the soy oil-based biodiesel industry, has up to 50 wt% protein content. The main aim of this work was to develop value-added application for soy meal by blending with biopolymers. The chosen biopolymers were poly(butylenes adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). This study is divided into two parts: the first part explained the plasticization of soy meal and modification of soy meal by denaturation. Characterization by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed that the soy meal was plasticized and denatured. This part also discussed the fabrication, testing and characterization of blends of PBAT/soy meal (SM), PBAT/plasticized soy meal (PSM) and PBAT/modified plasticized soy meal (mPSM). The elongation at break of the bioblend was found to increase after plasticization of soy meal, and improved furthermore after denaturation while the tensile strength remained the same. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the blends PBAT/mPSM had smoother surfaces and better internal structures than the other two. The second part of the study investigated the properties of mPSM blended with PBAT and PLA at varying ratios. The results revealed that with an increase in PLA content, the tensile strength improved, but the elongation of the blend reduced. No phase separations between PBAT and PLA were observed in the SEM pictures of the ternary blends, indicating limited miscibility between PBAT and PLA. / Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) (Project Title: “New Value-Added Biomaterials from Waste Streams of Biodiesel Industries and Polylactides (PLA)”; Project NO.: SR9223 TF#049549), Hannam Soybean Utilization Fund (HSUF)

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed November 4, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on May 11, 2009) Thesis advisor: Fu-Hung Hsieh. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-115). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-126).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-115). Also available on the Internet.