The Research Improvement in Minority Institutions (RIMI) program was established to provide support to strengthen the research environments and capabilities of predominantly minority institutions or institutions that have substantial minority student populations. Eligible institutions must also have graduate programs in science or programs in engineering. Funding is provided for faculty research in fields of science and engineering supported by the Foundation and for the acquisition of research instrumentation. Alabama A&M University will use RIMI support to strengthen its poultry meat irradiation technology. Research will be conducted on the effect of combining radurization (low dose irradiation) with other treatments (lactic acid, whey fermented by streptococcus thermophilus) on the nutritional, microbiological and sensory qualities of chicken meat. In addition, the effectiveness of using the threshold dose of Cs-137 (cobalt 60) for an identifiable irradiation flavor in the whole carcasses will be assessed. Past and present work at the institution with whole lactic cultures and extracts prepared from thermophilus milk and thermophilis whey indicate that lactic cultures can be used to extend the shelf life of certain meats. The principal investigator is well-trained in physiology and animal nutrition and has published widely in these fields in refereed journals. The Foundation has supported this project because more minorities will participate in meritorious research on the irradiation of meat.
