9th Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium

2023 Berry Health Benefits Symposium Pre-Proceedings PDF

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, new for 2023, three seminar sessions will take place between the scientific presentations. Topics will feature marketing the berry health message, supplements, and berry packaging sustainability.

Keynote Address

On Thursday, February 2nd our last day will kickoff with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Taylor Wallace, Principal and CEO at the Think Healthy Group and a Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University. Dr. Wallace’s keynote address will be Flavan-3-ols and Cardiometabolic Health – The First U.S. Based Guideline and Intake Recommendation for a Bioactive.

Dr. Wallace is a Senior Fellow of the Center for Magnesium Education & Research, the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Dietary Supplements, Deputy Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Nutrition Section Editor of Annals of Medicine, the editor of seven academic textbooks, author of over 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, and author of the cookbook, Sizzling Science.

Poster Session

The 2023 BHBS Poster Session is open to industry and private researchers, government agencies (USDA, etc.) and all levels of academic professionals. Posters will be displayed throughout the symposium with a special poster session reception on Tuesday, January 31st in the evening.

Florida Berry Tour

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023. A Behind-the-Scenes look at the Florida berry industry and closing dinner. Enjoy Florida strawberry season with this half day bus tour and explore this rich farmland that grows delicious berries. The tour will include a chartered bus tour to discover Florida berry farms, the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Balm Campus and finishes with a closing dinner at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association Pavilion in Plant City.

Continuing Professional Education Units (CPEUs)

The Berry Health Benefits symposium is working with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to gain prior approval for the symposiums scientific talks, poster session, and exhibitor hours. Our intention is to have Certificate’s of Attendance available for participants at the completion of the 2023 symposium. Please see this flyer for more information or email bhbs@foodfirstmarketing.com with any questions.

Registration Information

We are using a new registration platform for the 2023 Berry Health Benefits Symposium. Please visit our event page on Eventzilla for more information.

**Schedule is subject to change.**

---

2023 Berry Health Benefits Symposium Schedule

Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

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, Mood and Vascular Function Across the Lifespan: the BluLife study – 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 – Posters available for review

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. Ann Skulas-Ray, School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, University of Arizona
• 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 Presentations 

 

---

Wednesday, February 1st, 2023

 

9:00am-10:00am | Industry Panel – Broadening the Berry Basket with Berry Supplements – Christian G. Krueger, Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, Melanie Bush, Artemis International, and Brenda Van Goethem, Nature’s Way®.

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

12:15pm-1:30pm | Lunch

1:30pm-3:25pm | 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. Grant Canipe, Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• 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

3:25pm-3:35pm | Jim Joseph Award Presentation

3:35pm-4:15pm | Junior Investigator Oral Presentations

• Chemical Composition of Volatile Extracts from Blackberries, Black Raspberries, and Blueberries and Their Anti-Proliferative Effect on A549 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells – Inah Gu, University of Arkansas
• Cranberry-derived Extracellular Vesicles Decrease Whole-body Adiposity and Modulate Gut Microbiota Composition in a Mice Model of Diet-induced Obesity -Amélie Légaré, Université Laval
• Phenolic Acids from Wild Blueberry Facilitate Wound Healing via Vascular Remodeling: A Novel Therapy for Clinical Wound Treatment – Tolu Esther Alaba, University of Maine

4:30pm-6:00pm | Berry Supplements Reception

 

---

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023

9:00am-9:45am | KEYNOTE | Flavan-3-ols and Cardiometabolic Health – The First U.S. Based Guideline and Intake Recommendation for a Bioactive – Dr. Taylor Wallace

9:45am-11:55am | 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, San Diego State University
• Anti-inflammatory Effect of Blackberry Phenolic and Volatile Extracts – Dr. Luke R. Howard, Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas

Boxed Lunch Break

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Florida Berry Discovery Tour

1:00pm – 9:00pm

• 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 closing dinner at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association Pavilion in Plant City, FL

Event Sponsors