Institute News

Apr 7, 2022

A Prescription for Fruits and Veggies

Imagine leaving a doctor’s appointment with a new prescription in hand, but instead of heading to the pharmacy, you go to the grocery store. Instead of getting just pills, you… 

Mar 8, 2022

Elderberry research supports development of new food product possibilities

Marvin Moncada, PhD, came to NC State University to build an Extension research program that creates value-added products, starting with the processing of raw materials and food byproducts and continuing through… 

Feb 3, 2022

Grant aims to improve purple carrot

NC State University awarded USDA grant to improve purple carrots for use in natural food colorants KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The demand for natural food colorants, such as anthocyanins, continues to grow… 

Feb 1, 2022

Kay offers dietary phytochemical metabolome assay expertise to NIH-funded project

North Carolina State University and three partner universities at the North Carolina Research Campus will share a five-year, $19.2 million grant, pending the availability of funds, from the National Institutes… 

Oct 14, 2021

Data mining used to catalog watermelon compounds

Prior to the pandemic, the postharvest physiology lab of Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie was typically buzzing with activity processing fruits and vegetables to assess how plant compounds change after harvest and/or… 

Sep 7, 2021

The Microbiome, Nutrition and Health: Assembling Pieces of a Complex Puzzle

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Superfoods are largely a myth. Kale, cocoa, blueberries, salmon, quinoa. Healthy? Yes. On their own, however, none of these foods… 

May 17, 2021

From Seed to Gut: Digestion Models Reveal Bioavailability Through GI Tract

It’s not just the tools in Dr. Mario Ferruzzi’s lab that are innovative, he insists. After all, the models his lab has developed or adapted are capable of fascinating work.… 

Mar 19, 2021

How Science is Building a Better Berry

Blueberries and cranberries are two of today’s “it” foods. “Tiny, but mighty,” describes the health protective potential of the little blueberry and cranberry. They’re lauded as nutrient-dense fruits that are… 

Feb 16, 2021

Powerful Nutrition that Lasts

NASA is curious about what Dr. Mary Ann Lila is up to in her lab at N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute. The U.S. Army is, too. Ditto… 

Nov 12, 2020

Locals Find Satisfying Careers in Research

Scientists from all over the world–Taiwan, Italy, Great Britain, China, Brazil–do research at N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis. Their research helps people around the world…