Canada Research Chair in Grain-based Functional Foods & Associate Professor in Food Science
(see: http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/food_science/staff/beta_trust09.html)

2000 PhD Food Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Dissertation: Processing of Polyphenol-Rich Sorghums for Food
1993 MSc Food Science & Technology, Texas A&M University
Thesis: Malting Characteristics of Sorghum Cultivars
1987 BSc General (Chemistry & Biochemistry), University of Zimbabwe

Projects focus on nontraditional components in plant foods that can potentially prevent or delay onset of diseases related to aging. At the heart of my current activities are a battery of techniques for measuring antioxidants in plants and foods including cereal grains and grain products. Can we follow these throughout food processing and food consumption? -You bet! That is the whole idea. Analytical techniques are in use to understand the chemistry of food components, their antioxidant properties and interactions with other constituents. Collaboration is welcome on food production, processing, nutrition and human health in the general areas of functional foods, grains as human foods, infant foods, food antioxidants, and food polyphenols.

Giovana Celli, MSc student (exchange student from Brazil)
Meili Hao, MSc student (China)
Rhanissa Hirawan, MSc student (Indonesia)
Carien Schoeman, MSc student (exchange from South Africa)

Qiu, Y., Liu, Q., and Beta, T. (2010) Antioxidant properties of commercial wild rice and analysis of soluble and insoluble phenolic acids. Food Chemistry (in press) doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.12.021

Hirawan, R., Ser, W., Arntfield, S. D., and Beta, T. (2010) Antioxidant properties of commercial, regular- and whole- wheat spaghetti. Food Chemistry 119(1): 258-264 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.06.022

Qiu, Y., Liu, Q., and Beta, T. (2009) Antioxidant activity of commercial wild rice and identification of flavonoid compounds in active fractions. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57 (16): 7543-7551 http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf901074b

Li, W., Hydamaka, A.W., Lowry, L., and Beta, T. (2009) Comparison of antioxidant capacity of berries, chokecherry and seabuckthorn. Central European Journal of Biology 4 (4): 499-506. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s11535-009-0041-1

Bellido, G., and Beta, T. (2009) Anthocyanins and ORAC values in pearled and milled purple, black and common barley. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57 (3): 1022–1028. doi: 10.1021/jf802846x

Hosseinian F.S., and Beta, T. (2009) Patented techniques for the extraction and isolation of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside from flaxseed. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 1(1): 25-31.

Li, W., Hosseinian, F.S., Tsopmo, A., Friel, J., and Beta, T. (2009) Evaluation of antioxidant capacity and aroma quality of breast milk. Nutrition 25: 109-114. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2008.07.017

Ross, K.A, Beta, T., and Arntfield, S.D. (2009) A comparative study on the phenolic acids identified and quantified in dry beans using HPLC as affected by different extraction and hydrolysis methods. Food Chemistry 113(1): 336-344. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.07.064

Hosseinian, F.S., Li, W. and Beta, T. (2008) Measurement of anthocyanins and other phytochemicals in purple wheat. Food Chemistry 109(4): 916-924.

Ross, K.A., Arntfield, S.D., Beta, T., Cenkowski. S., and Fulcher, R.G. (2008) Understanding and modifying water uptake of seed coats through characterization of the glass transition. International Journal of Food Properties 11(3): 544-560.

Anton, A., Ross, K.A., Beta, T., Fulcher, R.G., and Arntfield, S.D. (2008) Effect of pre-dehulling treatments on some physical and nutritional properties of navy and pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). LWT – Food Science and Technology 41(5): 771-778.

Luciano, F. Hosseinian, F.S., Beta, T., and Holley, R.A. (2008) Effect of free-SH containing compounds on allyl isothiocyanate antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7. Journal of Food Science 73(5): M214-20.

Li, W., Hosseinian, F.S., Hydamaka, A.W, Lowry, L., and Beta, T. (2008) The potential of Manitoba chokecherry as a source of high natural antioxidants. Available from Nature Precedings

Rosa, C.F., Fulcher, G., Beta, T., and De Francisco, A. (2007) Efeito do perolamento na atividade antioxidant e composição fenólica de cevada (Effect of pearling in the antioxidant activity and the phenolic composition of barley). Alimentos e Nutricao 18(1): 69-75. (in Spanish)

Hosseinian, F.S., and Beta, T. (2007) Saskatoon and wild blueberries have higher anthocyanin contents than other Manitoba Berries. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(26): 10832–10838.

Li, W., Pickard, M.D., and Beta, T. (2007) Evaluation of antioxidant activity and electronic taste and aroma properties of antho-beers from purple wheat grain. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(22): 8958–8966.

Hosseinian, F.S., Li, W., Hydamaka, A.W., Tsopmo, A., Lowry, L., Friel, J., and Beta, T. (2007) Proanthocyanidin profile and ORAC values of Manitoba berries, chokecherries and seabuckthorn. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(17): 6970-6976.

Li, W., Pickard, M.D., and Beta, T. (2007) Effect of thermal processing on antioxidant properties of purple wheat bran. Food Chemistry 104(3): 1080-1086. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.01.024

Li, W., Corke, H., and Beta, T. (2007) Kinetics of hydrolysis and changes in amylose content during preparation of microcrystalline starch from high amylose maize starches. Carbohydrate Polymers 69: 398-405. DOI 10.1016/j.carbpol.2006.01.022

Li, W., Wei, C.V., White, P.J., and Beta, T. (2007) High-amylose corn exhibits better antioxidant activity than typical and waxy genotypes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(2): 291-298.

Mpofu, A., Sapirstein, H.D., and Beta, T. (2006) Genotype and environmental variation in phenolic content, phenolic acid composition and antioxidant activity of hard spring wheat. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54(4): 1265-1270.

Wu, J., Beta, T., and Corke, H. (2006) Effects of salt and alkaline reagents on the dynamic rheological properties of fresh oriental wheat noodles. Cereal Chemistry 83 (2): 211-217.

Li, W., Beta, T., Sun, S., and Corke, H. (2006) Protein characteristics of Chinese black-grained wheat. Food Chemistry 98(3): 661-670.

Book Chapters

Mpofu, A., Sapirstein, H., and Beta, T. (2008) Superoxide scavenging capacities of wheat genotypes grown in different environments. Pages 165-178 (Chapter 10), in Volume 21 Phytopharmacology and Therapeutic Values III of the Series “Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants (RPMP)” edited by V.K. Singh and J.N.Govil. Studium Press LLC, Houston, TX.

Mpofu, A., Beta, T. and Sapirstein, H. (2007) Effects of genotype, environment and genotype × environment interaction on the antioxidant properties of wheat. Pages 24-41 in Wheat Antioxidants. Liangli Yu, ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc. Print ISBN 978-0-470-04259-5. Online ISBN: 978-0-470-22833-3

Beta, T., Kyaw Naing, S., Nam, S., Mpofu, A., and Therrien, M. (2007) Antioxidant activity in relationship to phenolic content of diverse food barley genotypes. Pages 242-254 in American Chemical Society Symposium Series No. 956 / Antioxidant Measurements and Applications F. Shahidi and C.T. Ho, eds. ISBN 978-0-8412-7428-0