Dr. Larry Parnell
Computational Biologist
USDA Agricultural Research Service (https://www.ars.usda.gov)
Nutrition & Genomics Laboratory (https://hnrca.tufts.edu/research-laboratories/nutritional-genomics/)
JM-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/boston-ma/jean-mayer-human-nutrition-research-center-on-aging/)
Boston, MA USA
USDA Agricultural Research Service (https://www.ars.usda.gov)
Nutrition & Genomics Laboratory (https://hnrca.tufts.edu/research-laboratories/nutritional-genomics/)
JM-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/boston-ma/jean-mayer-human-nutrition-research-center-on-aging/)
Boston, MA USA
The “dark matter” of nutrition – just what are you eating?
Phytochemicals and other molecules in foods can have many health benefits; but what might they be and by what mechanism? Much of this is still poorly understood due to the presence of nutrition "dark matter" - spectral data that cannot be assigned to known molecules. Parnell and colleagues have investigated this dark matter using a computational prediction tool called PhyteByte; the results of which have now been published in BMC Bioinformatics. He explains more about this work here.
Imagine digging into a bowl of strawberries. They are in season and make for a delicious, healthy snack. The deep red color and the aroma of the sliced berries are striking. That’s pelargonidin 3-glucoside (1) and methoxyfuraneol (2) captivating the senses. There’s gamma-decalactone (3) in those berries too. In fact, there are hundreds of other biochemical compounds naturally present in this fruit. The situation is no different for other foods like turmeric, ginger, garlic, romaine lettuce, chocolate, coffee, and even wine.
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