• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, September 29, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Study seeks to understand, prevent ice recrystalization

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
September 6, 2025
in Science News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
IMAGE
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Research should improve long-term cold storage of everything from foods to medicines

Have you ever wondered why ice grows ‘out of nowhere’ on that pizza or ice cream you forgot about in the back of your freezer? The phenomenon is called ice recrystallization, and it’s a problem that affects the quality and functional properties of anything stored in a freezer for an extended period. That could include that long-overlooked pizza, ice cream and other foods, and even items and materials stored at commercial facilities like biomedical tissues, cell cultures and certain chemicals.

Scientists at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have been awarded $550,000 from the National Science Foundation to understand ice recrystallization and to study how to restrict the growth of ice crystals caused by fluctuations in freezing temperatures. Tong (Toni) Wang and Vermont Dia, both with the Department of Food Science, say successful methods of ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) should improve the quality of frozen foods. Wang says, “IRI also has the potential to increase the resistance of crops and other plants to freezing temperatures, improve the cold storage of cells and tissues and other items needed to advance biomedical research, and even improve the properties and functionality of materials like de-icers for aircrafts or roads.”

Although synthetic chemicals can be used as ice growth inhibitors, their wide application is limited due to toxicity. Over the course of the three-year grant period, Wang and Dia will seek to understand how biobased and non-toxic peptides act as IRI agents. The peptides will be prepared from food proteins through enzymatic hydrolysis reactions, which is how protein breaks down in water in our digestive system. The researchers also plan to examine how structural modifications to the peptides can enhance their IRI effect. Benjamin Doughty, with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a collaborator for spectroscopic characterization of the IRI active peptides.

The grant includes college-level STEM education, including to underrepresented groups of graduate and undergraduate students. Wang and Dia say the training should increase students’ understanding of the role of fundamental chemistry in advancing science. “It will have a long-lasting impact on the students’ appreciation of applying basic knowledge in problem solving. The students will also grow in key skills to become future biomaterial researchers through leadership training and introduction to FDA and EPA regulations of new biobased compounds and intellectual property protection and technology adoption.”

“We are thrilled that the NSF has recognized the breadth of the science as well as its potential practical impacts on society and future scientists,” Wang emphasizes.

###

Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.

Media Contact
Patricia McDaniels
[email protected]

Original Source

https://utianews.tennessee.edu/study-seeks-to-understand-prevent-ice-recrystalization/

Tags: AgricultureFood/Food ScienceIndustrial Engineering/ChemistryNutrition/Nutrients
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

AI Enables Real-Time Differentiation of Glioblastoma from Similar Tumors During Surgery

September 29, 2025

Study Finds High Rates of Ultra-Processed Food Addiction Among Older Adults, Particularly Gen X Women

September 29, 2025

Exploring Intrinsic Motivation in Laissez-Faire Leadership Effects

September 29, 2025

Ezetimibe Reduces Long-term Cancer Risk: Nationwide Study

September 29, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    85 shares
    Share 34 Tweet 21
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Scientists Discover and Synthesize Active Compound in Magic Mushrooms Again

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • How Donor Human Milk Storage Impacts Gut Health in Preemies

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

AI Enables Real-Time Differentiation of Glioblastoma from Similar Tumors During Surgery

Study Finds High Rates of Ultra-Processed Food Addiction Among Older Adults, Particularly Gen X Women

Exploring Intrinsic Motivation in Laissez-Faire Leadership Effects

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 63 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.