I am an Associate Professor in Food Science & Human Nutrition and in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. Research in my lab group solves problems related to various aspects of fermentation. Specifically, we (1) develop strategies to improve the safety of fermented dairy products, especially Hispanic-style cheeses; (2) develop contamination solutions for industrial fermentations; and (3) investigate the microbial metabolism of dietary components (glucosinolates, estrogens, and oligosaccharides) in the gut to maximize health benefits for humans. My group has been evaluating the ability of the gut microbiota to convert the biologically inactive glucosinolates found in brassica vegetables to bioactive isothiocyanates. Recently, we determined that frequent consumption of brassica vegetables increases the ability of the gut microbiota to metabolize these glucosinolates. We are actively trying to identify the microorganisms responsible for glucosinolate to isothiocyanate conversion.
