Winter 2002

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RICH FISH

(For larger view of Dan Osterman illustration, click in right navigation.) ARE MACKEREL-DELIGHT ICE CREAM, ALGAE pudding, and fish-oil-and-vinegar salad dressing the foods of the future? Such was the succulent question posed by the UMass news office last fall in promoting the good news of a recently announced USDA-funded study at UMass. Headed by professor of food science ERICK DECKER, the study will explore possibilities for new “functional foods” containing – yum, yum – nutritionally significant levels of an essential fatty acid derived from fish oil. Functional foods are those to which nutrients not inherent in the natural ingredients have been added – orange juice with calcium, for example. Omega-3 lipids, abundant in such marginal parts of the modern American diet as fish, algae, and canola and flaxseed oil, are prime candidates for insertion into more popular foods. “THESE OILS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR good health, especially for infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, and people with coronary heart disease, diabetes, and auto-immune disorders,” says Decker. Proven to benefit brain and eye development in children, omega-3 lipids also are thought to be important in the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis in adults. “Our ancestors ate equal amounts of the fatty acids found in fish and in vegetable oils,” says Decker. “Now we eat 40 times more from vegetable oils. There is strong evidence that most people don’t consume enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet.” Bring on the fishes and green stuff, therefore. Beginning with micro-algae produced through fermentation and oils from Atlantic menhaden – an abundant fish also called mossbunker or pogy – researchers are developing technologies to emulsify the lipids, the news office reported. Stable emulsions are free of fishy odors and can be incorporated into a variety of food products that don’t require high-heat processing – such as beverages, deli meats, and dairy products – with minimal impact on taste or texture.

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Truth, reconciliation, action

TRUTH: larger image

COMMENCEMENT 2001: a catchup

IN A HEARTBEAT: a faculty response to September 11

LOSSES, RESPONSES: ten alumni lost; six alums' response

RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY: Coolidge Bridge project underway

RECONSTRUCTIVE: larger image

HIGHLIGHTS: rich fish - sounds grotty, but pogy oil’s good for you

Fish: larger image

Damp distinctions: water polo fourth in U.S., shower research scores Ig Nobel

Damp distinctions: larger image

Usefulness U: the Translation Center

Plus: Acid rain update, UMass bragging rights, and the soles of insects