9th Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium

Scientific Presentations

Speakers from around the globe will share cutting edge information on how berries positively impact human health and wellness. During the two and a half day program speakers will present their most current work in clinical, basic and applied research. Scientific sessions on Berries and the Brain, Heart and Healthy Aging, Berries and the Skin, Gut Health and Gut Microflora and Berry Special Topics, Food Technology and Chemistry will be featured. In addition, three seminar sessions will take place between the scientific presentations. Topics will feature marketing the berry health message, supplements, and berry packaging sustainability.

**Schedule is subject to change and will be finalized by August of 2022.**

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Tuesday

8:45am | Opening Remarks – Chris Christian, California Strawberry Commission

                      Welcome – Florida Department of Agriculture

9:00am-11:15am | Berries & the Brain

Current Research Review by Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, USDA/Tufts University

• Effects of an Acute Wild Blueberry Intervention on Cognition and Mood Across the Lifespan – Dr. Claire Williams, Chair of Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading
• Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction – Dr. Robert Krikorian, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
• Berries, Bioactive Nutrients and Alzheimer’s Disease – Dr. Puja Agarwal, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical College, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the Department of Clinical Nutrition
• The Effects of Acute Raspberry Intake on the Relationship Between Enhanced Metabolic Control and Cognitive and Psychomotor Function – Di Xiao, PhD Candidate, Institute for Food Safety and Health, Illinois Institute of Technology

11:15am-12:00pm | TODAY’S FOOD CONVERSATION – What Messages Should We Be Communicating About Berries? – Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND – Sponsored by the Washington Red Raspberry Commission

Lunch Break

12:00pm – 1:15pm

1:15pm-3:15pm | Berries & the Heart / Healthy Aging

Current Research Review by Dr. Britt Burton Freeman, Food Science and Nutrition, Center for Nutrition Research at Illinois Institute of Technology

• Impact of Blueberries on Vascular Endothelial Function in Postmenopausal Women: Clinical Impact and Possible Mechanisms – Dr. Sarah A. Johnson, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University
• Metabolites Mediate the Vascular Effects of Dietary Blueberries – Dr. Anandh Babu Pon Velayutham, Nutrition & Integrative Physiology, The University of Utah
• Cranberries and Cardiometabolic Health – Dr. Claire Berryman, Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, Florida State University
• Role of Dietary Berries in Glycemic Control and Insulin Resistance – Dr. Arpita Basu, Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

4:00pm-5:30pm | Poster Session Presentation Reception

 

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Wednesday

9:00am-10:00am | Industry Panel – Broadening the Berry Basket with Berry Supplements

10:00am-12:10pm | Berries & the Skin

Current Research Review by Dr. Mary Ann Lila, Director, Plants for Human Health Institute, David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor, Food Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University

• Blueberry Extracts as a Novel Approach to Prevent Ozone-Induced Cutaneous Inflammasome Activation – Dr. Giuseppe Valacchi, Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University
• Black Raspberries Mitigate DNFB-Induced Contact Hypersensitivity by Down-Regulating Dendritic Cell Activation and Inhibiting Mediators of Effector Responses – Dr. Steve Oghumu, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University
• Food and Skin Care Convergence: Natural and Sustainable Fruit-derived Compounds to Prevent Skin Damage – Dr. Roberta Hoskin, Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University
• New Horizons for Skin healthcare – Exploring the colour and bioactivity of berry anthocyanins and related structures – Dr. Iva Fernandes, REQUIMTE/LAQV at the Faculty of Science at the University of Porto, Portugal

Keynote Lunch

12:10pm-1:30pm | Flavan-3-ols and Cardiometabolic Health – The First U.S. Based Guideline and Intake Recommendation for a Bioactive – Dr. Taylor Wallace

1:30pm-3:30pm | Berries & Gut Health / Gut Microflora

Current Research Review by Dr. Jess Reed, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• The Gut Microbiome – Brain Connection: Variety is the Spice Brains Need – Dr. Carol L. Cheatham, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Nutrition Research Institute
• Strawberry Consumption Increased the Abundance of Gut Microorganisms Related to Lean Body Weight, Health and Longevity in Healthy Subjects – Dr. Zahra Ezzat Zadeh, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Center for Human Nutrition
• Berry Consumption and the Gut Microbiome – Impacts on the Human Metabolome – Dr. Colin D. Kay, Plants for Human Health Institute, Food Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University
• Dissecting the Impact of Anthocyanin and Residue Fractions of Black raspberries and Protocatechuic Acid, an Anthocyanin Gut Bacterial Metabolite, on Gut Microbiota Profiles – Dr. Li-Shu Wang, Medical College of Wisconsin

4:00pm-5:30pm | Berry Supplements Reception

 

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Thursday

9:00am-10:00am | Industry Panel – Sustainability in Berry Packaging

10:00am-12:15pm | Berry Special Topics, Food Technology & Chemistry Scientific Session

Current Research Review by Dr. Amy B. Howell, Marucci Center for Blueberry Cranberry Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

• Berry Anthocyanins Uptake and Transport Through Human Gastric Epithelial (NCI-N87) Cells – Dr. M. Mónica Giusti, Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University
• Black Currant and Digital Eye Strain: Findings from a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial – Dr. Jessie Hawkins, Franklin Health Research
• Blueberries and Bone Health – Dr. Connie M. Weaver, Purdue University
• Anti-inflammatory Effect of Blackberry Phenolic and Volatile Extracts – Dr. Luke R. Howard, Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas

Boxed Lunch Break

12:15pm – 1:00pm

Florida Berry Discovery Tour

1:00pm – 8:00pm

• Buses leave promptly at 1pm
• Chartered bus tour
• A Behind-the-Scenes look at the Florida berry industry
• Tour the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Balm Campus
• Finish with a Cowboy BBQ at the Southern Grace Ranch

Event Sponsors