North Dakota Ag Connection - Grad Students Recognized at Cereal Chemists Meeting

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Grad Students Recognized at Cereal Chemists Meeting
North Dakota Ag Connection - 11/09/2018

Cereal and food sciences graduate students Ana Magallanes-López and Maneka Malalgoda were recognized with awards during the American Association of Cereal Chemists International meeting in London.

Magallanes-López, a master's degree candidate in cereal science from Mexico, received second place in the Best Student Research Paper competition for her presentation, "Value-Adding Strategies for Deoxynivalenol Contaminated Grain: Characterization of Wet Milling Fractions." She was one of five finalists from around the world competing for the distinguished award. Magallanes-López is advised by Senay Simsek, Bert L. D'Appolonia Cereal Science and Technology of Wheat Endowed Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.

Magallanes-López analyzed the fate of deoxynivalenol during wet milling and the functionality of the obtained fractions, starch and gluten. Magallanes-López and Simsek collaborated with cereal science professor Frank Manthey in the research.

"Ana did an excellent job presenting her work to the audience, which was made up of scientists in many different areas of cereal science research," said Simsek. "She was well prepared and was able to provide answers to questions from the audience, who seemed to be impressed by her work."

Magallanes-López plans to complete her master's degree this fall, and then pursue her doctorate under the guidance of Simsek.

Malalgoda, a doctoral candidate in cereal science from Sri Lanka, served as a student representative on the association's meeting planning committee and presented two posters at the meeting. She received third place in the Carbohydrate Division/Megazyme Poster Award competition for her poster, "Timing of Pre-Harvest Desiccant and Its Effects on Wheat Starch Properties." She is advised by Simsek.

Malalgoda looked at how the timing of pre-harvest desiccants, such as glyphosate, during wheat cultivation affected different aspects of wheat quality and the deposition of starch and proteins. She found starch chemical properties like molecular weight and composition are not affected, although properties like digestibility, pasting/cooking characteristics and the distribution of small and large starch granules are impacted by the timing of desiccant application.

After Malalgoda completes her doctorate, she plans to continue her work in cereal starch and protein chemistry.

In addition, Simsek gave an oral presentation on "Preparation and Characterization of Beta-Cyclodextrin and Wheat Bran Phenolic Acid Inclusion Complexes".

Clifford Hall, professor of cereal and food sciences, presented two posters: "Roller vs Hammer Milling of Yellow Split Pea (Pisum sativumL.)" and "Flow Properties of Yellow Split Pea (Pisum sativumL.) Flour on Several Surfaces."

Research specialist Kristin Whitney presented two posters: "Evaluation of Starch Composition and Quality in Hard Red Spring Wheat Varieties Released Since 1900" and "Mineral, Phenolic Acid and Enzyme Profiles of Hard Red Spring Wheat Varieties Released in the Last 100 years."

Yasuyuki Nishitsuji, a visiting scientist in Simsek's program, presented a poster, "Changes to wheat arabinoxylans during bread-making process."

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