UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Researchers from the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science at Penn State have recently received $420,000 in funding from the McCormick Science Institute (MSI) to study the use of herbs and spices in school lunch recipes over the next two years.
Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences, and Travis Masterson, assistant professor of nutritional sciences and Broadhurst Career Development Professor for the Study of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, received this funding in partnership with John Hayes, professor of food science and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center.
The funding will be used to support a collaborative research project to investigate the use of herbs and spices in developing recipes that meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s updated guidelines for school lunches while enhancing the taste of the meals.
“In addition to testing recipes that meet these guidelines, we will be using a holistic approach to determine how herbs and spices can improve the health of students,” Masterson said. “To achieve this, we will also identify the barriers to students and parents accepting these recipes, how to effectively promote consumption of those foods and the health impacts on the students.”
This project is currently underway with the labs collaborating with MSI chefs to develop improved school lunch recipes and will continue through the next two years.
Postdoctoral scholars involved in this research, including Gail D’Souza-Ruston, will also be supported by this funding.
This recent funding from MSI brings the total amount of funding for Penn State nutrition research to nearly $1 million since 2020.
Hamed Faridi, executive director of the McCormick Science Institute and former chief science officer of McCormick & Company, explained why the MSI continues to support nutrition research at Penn State.
“We approached nutrition and food researchers at Penn State early on because of their scientific reputation and the caliber of their research and publications,” said Faridi. “The Institute’s respect for Penn State researchers and enthusiasm to collaborate with them grew significantly for the past 15 years due to the impeccable quality of their research and the high integrity of the scientists we were working with.”
About MSI
Through the McCormick Science Institute (MSI) Research Program, MSI sponsors research at leading universities and research institutions, governed by its funding guidelines and focused on advancing the scientific study of the health-enhancing properties of culinary herbs and spices in areas which it considers to have the potential to impact public health. Consistent with MSI’s mission to support broad scientific understanding, research teams that receive funding are required to submit their findings to reputable scientific journals for publication.