Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / May 23, 1998, edition 1 / Page 14
Part of The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
14-THE CAROLINA TIMES—SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1998 LEARN NC, New Internet Site, Makes Learning, Teaching Better In Tar Heel Classrooms ■ • CHAPEL HILL — Tar Heel pub- lie school teachers and students are clicking their way into a new one- stop Internet resource that is bring ing a high-tech edge to classrooms statewide. Scientists Use Beneficial Bacteria to Battle Germs on Fresh Produce Even though Americans enjoy the world’s safest food supply, highly publicized occurrences of bad hamburger, tainted raspberries and other contaminated foods have shaken public confidence in recent years. Heat, chemical washes, refrigeration and preservatives are among the most common weapons used to combat the germs that cause these occur rences. But scientists at North Carolina State University are taking a dif- . They're fighting fire with fire, by using beneficial bacteria to _stop the, growth of harmful bacteria on fresh produce, irf^jve found that by treating fresh produce with a small amount of bacteria, we can prevent the growth of disease-causing bac- Kria'SQCh as listeria," says Dr. Fred Breidt, a senior researcher in biologi cal aljdjagricultural engineering and food science at NC State. LacT^.jicid bacteria (LAB) are microscopic organisms found naturally on ma'f^lfoods, including yogurt and fermented vegetables. "They’re na ture s own preservatives," says Breidt. "They prevent the growth of other biictsfit). And they don’t affect food’s taste, smell or texture." - HAB -previously have been studied for use in improving the safety of r meat ai)d dairy products, but Breidt and his colleagues are among only a ' haiidfurof researchers worldwide investigating LAB’s u.se on fruit and vegetables. . , Produce could^be treated with LAB in a- two-step process, he says. FirsL chemical treatinents or heat would be used to reduce the bacterial population on the produce. Then, a small amount of LAB, cultured ear lier from the same type of vegetable or vegetable product, would be re applied. The idea is to reintroduce Just enough LAB to beat any harmful bac teria that may develop later, without measurably shortening the vegeta bles shelt liie.Too much bacteria — even beneficial ones — will shorten .shelf life. It’s a delicate balancing act, complicated by the fact that many different kinds of LAB may be present on vegetables, each with different antibac terial properties and strengths. Identifying which of these will be most ef fective in inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria most likely to be lound bn a specific vegetable, or in a specific food processing environ ment. is the locus of Breidt’s current research, Woiking with Dr. Henry Fleming, USDA research leader and professor ol lood science at NC State, and other researchers in the university’s .:HSDA:-Agricultural Research Service Food Science Research Unit, 0feicft-is developing a computer-ba.sed mathematical model that weighs variitus factors to calculate the growth rates and interaction of good and badrhiveteria. "In essence, the model tells us what’s going on between the micro organisms; how they battle and inhibit each other, and whether they also inhibit themselves," he says. The model also reveals which external fac tors.— such as environmental pH or proteinated acids — play a sig nifieant role in bacterial growth. Based on all this data, researchers will be ablegctphoose rationally which LAB is best suited for inhibiting bac teria in a given environment. In contrast to Breidt’s proposed LAB treatment, most food-safety treat ments now used on fresh or minimally processed produce rely on refrigeration and washing — procedures which have been shown to be largely ineffective at reducing bacterial populations. Breidt and his colleagues also are investigating the use of DNA foren sics to evaluate LAB’s efficacy as a biocontrol. Funding for his research comes from a two-year, $86,000 grant from the USDA’s National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program. Rape Your Party And Enjoy It Too! Simply Sensational Sour Cream Trifle is perfect for hassle-free hosting! :(NAPS)—Put life back into yoiirip^ty with a free brochure including tips and recipes from the LAND O LAKES® Sour Cream “Hassle-Free Hosting” program. According to a Land O’Lakes study, nearly 75 percent of con- suiuecs.ientertain, but cite “prepa ration''"^ch as cooking” as their Nd. r challenge. The third and last phase of LAND O LAKES® Sour Cream “Campaign to Cook” provides entertaining tips and recipes ^That can be made in advan'ce,'including Simply Sensa tional Sour Cream Trifle, Zesty Roast Beef Roll-Ups and Hot Artichoke & Sun-Dried Tomato Dip.' “Land O’Lakes wants to take the* hassle out of hosting,” said Lydia Botham, director of Land O’Lakes Test Kitchens & Consumer Affairs. “By providing consumers with easy recipes and helpful information, hosts can relax and enjoy time spent with guests.” To order the free brochure, con sumers can call 800/782-9602 and ask for the “Hassle-Free Hosting” brochure; or send their name and address (postcards preferred) to: LAND 0 LAKES® Sour Cream, “Hassle-Free Hosting,” P.O. Box 26341, Shoreview, MN 55126- 0341; ■ SIMPLY SENSATIONAL SOUR CREAM TRIFLE Preparation time: 15 minutes Chilling time: 2 hours 1 cup LAND O LAKES® Sour Cream (Regular, Light or No •Fat) 1^4 cups milk 1 (3.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 (about 1-pound) angel food cake, tom into bite-sized pieces 2 pints (4 cups) assorted fresh berries (strawberries, hulled and sliced; blue berries and raspberries) • Place sour cream in a large bowl; with wire whisk gradually stir in milk until smooth. Continue stirring, gradually adding pudding and lemon peel, until well mixed and thickened (1 to 2 minutes). • In large clear serving bowl layer half of cake pieces, 1^/2 cups berries and half of pudding mixture. Repeat lay ers. Arrange remaining ber ries on top. Cover, refrigerate at least 2 hours. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. 10 servings. ‘Hassle-Free Host, I •Land O'lMei. Inc. 1997 The Learners’ and Educators’ As sistance and Resource Network of North Carolina (LEARN) helps teachers better incorporate technol ogy into classrooms. It includes j,high-quality lesson plans pegged to the N.C. Standard Course of Study, teacher forums, online libraries and carefully screened Internet links for teachers and students. Teachers, curriculum or technol ogy specialists in 100 of the state's 117 public school districts will be trained and using LEARN by the end of June. LEARN aims to in volve every state public school dis trict — benefiting 2,000 schools, 80,00() teachers and nearly 1.2 mil lion students. Offered for free, LEARN was designed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education with input from the state’s teachers and $1.4 million in academic enhancement funds designated by Chancellor Michael Hooker from flexible state ap propriations. The program received $200,000 from Duke Energy Co. and $100,000 from the N.C. De partment of Public Instruction to spark even more submissions of lesson plans by teachers to the LEARN site. "With LEARN North Carolina, we are using technology to help im prove the education our children receive by giving every teacher in every classroom in North Carolina online access to quality educational and professional development in formation," Hooker said. "Ultimately, this is all about stu dents learning better so they can get better jobs so North Carolina will have a better economy and will be a better state to live in." On April 20-21, Hooker kicked off statewide LEARN demonstra tions at North Johnston Middle School in Micro and Pilot Elementary School in Greensboro. Future stops include Kitty Hawk Elementary School in Dare County in May and Lincoln Heights Elementary ScTiooI in Charlotte in June. Dr. Robert Berlam, project direc tor and a former public school teacher, said L,EARN is accessible with a standard phone line and In ternet access from work or home. Users clicking to www.learnnc.org find resources such as: • an electronic database of ex emplary lesson plans indexed by grade, subject and the N.C. Stan dard Course of Study, set by the N.C. Department of Public Instruc tion and considered to be the teacher’s "bible." So far, teachers have submitted more than 600 les son plans to LEARN’s database. Each plan is reviewed by an expert panel to control quality. • a multimedia resource library containing images, text, sound and video to allow classes to take vir tual field trips. Next fail plans, call for science teachers studying the cosmos to position UNC-CH’s Morehead Observatory telescope at UNC-CH via remote control. Stu dents can tour Ackland Art Muse um or tap the treasures of the N.C. Collection in Chapel Flill without leaving their classrooms. • a Web link library providing ac cess to hundreds of other useful World Wide Web sites. About 320 million Web sites exist; LEARN ofters a onc-slop location so teachers can use the Internet without doing their own tedious, time-consuming searches. LEARN has about 200 links, many of which are specific to North Carolina. • professional development pro grams for teachers, who can seek more training online at their con venience without being dependent upon teacher workdays or class room substitutes. In Johnston County, Emmie Fitzgerald, a 27-year teaching veteran at North Johnston Middle School, used LEARN to change her approach to a lesson on central Europe. Before LEARN, she identified textbooks, visited the li brary for reference . checked with music *** teachers as well as the meri' dinator for help in gatherin'^''’'’' All of that took days and table and cart. Using LEARN, , specialist Jeff Ertzberger h Fitzgerald work with her ■ graders in a computer information on artist/^®^ musicians from central P LEARN connected them V’-'• I will) lih sites on Mozart, for example ^ "We were able to use Ipi North Carolina in that way us a jump start as to where give us some ideas of needed to be looking f'*! Ertzberger said. "It really hej' and saved a lot of time w ^ some very good results." ^ In Greensboro, Shimana p and her second-graders from ? Elementary demonstrated a 1 on dinosaurs created by the system’s ^^chnoio,, specialist. The lesson inni., “ incliidjj word hunt, math exercises Web link to an exhibit from I Children’s Museum of ^ dianapolis. Dr. Jim Causby, Johnston Cou superintendent, said both - veteran teachers from LEARN, educators will have the abiliiv talk with people in similar positju who have the same concerns (Continued On Page 15) are benefiii. "First of.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 23, 1998, edition 1
14
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75