{"id":19,"date":"2019-03-28T01:19:49","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T01:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/biowire\/?p=19"},"modified":"2022-07-01T17:18:39","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T17:18:39","slug":"chemistry-students-begin-work-on-e3-partner-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/biowire\/2019\/03\/28\/chemistry-students-begin-work-on-e3-partner-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemistry students begin work on E3 partner projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cFerric ion reducing antioxidant power\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shea Walker hastily scrawls descriptions and diagrams across a whiteboard in the front of a conference room in the Biotechnology Laboratory Incubator (BLI) at the edge of the SIUE campus. Seated behind her, Robert Dixon, Ph.D. and chemistry professor and Shea\u2019s classmates look on.
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Detailing the methods they\u2019ll be using for sample testing in the coming weeks and months, Walker completes the notes. She is a Biochemistry major focusing on Fermentation Chemistry at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the student lab leader.
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The success of the BLI is dependent on passionate students, like Walker who perform important research with real-world applications.
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In the BLI, chemistry students have been given the opportunity to conduct scientific research for local, small- and medium-sized businesses as a part of a new USDA grant. The project is entitled \u201cFueling Growth: An Integrated, Capacity-Building Grant for Experiential Learning, Extension and Economic (E3) Development in Rural America.\u201d
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For this, the team\u2019s first project, the lab is working with a local beverage startup Beastman Tea to provide the business with data on the antioxidant levels of its cold-brew green tea. The students are comparing the amount of antioxidants in Beastman to popular ready-to-drink-teas already on the market such as Teavana, Honest Tea, and others.
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Brad Eastman, the owner of Beastman, is hoping the results of the study indicate that his tea has higher levels of the cancer-fighting antioxidants than its competition. Antioxidants can protect cells from damaging free radicals by, \u201cgiving free radicals a source of electrons to take from, rather than taking electrons from your DNA \u201d which may ultimately \u201chelp you from getting cancer,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in the team earn elective course credit for participating, and this is their first meeting of the semester. As they review the, \u201chow and why\u201d of the methods they\u2019ve chosen for testing the teas, Nate Schmidt, another Biochemistry major explains the first method, the Ferric Ion Reducing Antioxidant Power test, a.k.a. the FRAP test.
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\u201cThe FRAP solution contains an iron molecule and has an orange color to it. We\u2019ll add it to the teas and watch over time as the color changes. What it shows is that as the color decreases, less of the iron complex is there because it\u2019s being absorbed by the antioxidants in the tea. The rate of how fast the iron is absorbed depends on the concentration of the antioxidants in the teas.\u201d
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The opportunity to learn important research methods like this is only part of the appeal of this course. Several of the students enrolled this semester agreed that the experience they\u2019re gaining through this lab research by using techniques, procedures, and equipment that\u2019s directly transferable to post-graduate jobs, is invaluable.
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Biochemistry major Catherine Akley said,  \u201cWe\u2019re doing testing that has real-life applications. When I work in a lab there\u2019s a good chance that I\u2019ll be doing sample testing, which is what we\u2019re doing now. I feel like I can relate that to the job. It gives me an edge over competitors who are applying for the same position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second method the students have decided to use this semester to test the teas is called a DPPH test. DPPH is an organic chemical compound composed of stable free radicals. By combining one of the teas and DPPH, the student researchers can measure the antioxidant activity as a product of the tea\u2019s ability to act as a free-radical scavenger.
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Performing tests like these requires the students to become adept at using the necessary
lab equipment, like spectrometers, to properly measure the tea samples.
The research for Beastman is expected to conclude in early April when the team will present their findings to the owner.
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\u201cBrad is getting a lot out of this research, but I think ultimately it\u2019s the students that are really benefiting in all aspects,\u201d Akley said.  
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The student research team is already beginning to plan for future projects where they will conduct research for other local businesses. For these chemistry students, the BLI in conjunction with the USDA grant presents a valuable opportunity to gain experience in their career field and to work on client projects that may help them get a job when they graduate.
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