Cornell researchers explore alternatives to harmful insecticide

Cornell University

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ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell University research offers a number of alternatives to neonicotinoids (neonics) that might work for farmers who grow large-seeded vegetable crops such as snap bean, dry bean and sweet corn. This class of insecticides has devastating ecological impacts, especially to pollinators, beneficial insects and aquatic invertebrates.

 

“We wanted to find other options for growers to protect their vegetable crops from major pests. The impetus was to identify new products including those in the registration pipeline,” said Brian Nault, professor of entomology. “My program has shifted in recent years and has focused on this major issue.”

 

The task has not been easy, he added. “Insecticides kill insects, so it’s a tall order to find those that kill the pests but have minimal effects on pollinators and other beneficial insects.”

 

The race to find alternatives to neonicotinoids is urgent, Nault said, because the Birds and Bees Protection Act in New York state is phasing out the sale, distribution or purchase of certain neonicotinoid-treated corn, soybean or wheat seeds starting in the next few years.

 

Research shows neonics have made U.S. agriculture more harmful to insects, and the Environmental Protection Agency determined that neonics likely jeopardize the continued existence of more than 200 threatened and endangered species.

 

The researchers conducted field studies from 2021 to 2024 across Delaware, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Wisconsin. They compared protection of vegetable crops from seedcorn maggot using standard neonicotinoid seed treatments, thiamethoxam and clothianidin, with non-neonicotinoid alternatives including spinosad, cyantraniliprole, chlorantraniliprole, isocycloseram and tetraniliprole. They also compared the risk of these alternative insecticides to workers, consumers and the environment using the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) developed by Cornell University's Integrated Pest Management Program.

 

They found that cyantraniliprole and spinosad seed treatments in snap bean performed as well and occasionally better than the neonicotinoid standard, thiamethoxam. None of the alternative insecticide seed treatments in dry bean provided consistent and reliable protection against seedcorn maggot compared with neonics. But the big triumph was that five different alternative seed treatments (chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, isocycloseram, spinosad and tetraniliprole) proved as effective as standard neonics for sweet corn.

 

“Sweet corn is a pretty big crop in New York state,” Nault said. So there is good news about alternatives for sweet corn, less so for dry beans and snap beans, he said. For all of the alternative pesticides, their research shows, supplemental options may be necessary to cover additional pests.

 

“For many vegetable crops, farmers could replace the neonic at planting but may need another pesticide later in the season,” Nault said. Other important factors will need to be considered before adopting non-neonicotinoid alternative seed treatments. For example, many are not yet approved for commercial use on these specific crops, and the cost of these newer products will undoubtedly be more expensive than neonicotinoids.

 

For additional information, read this Cornell Chronicle story.

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Journal

Crop Protection

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Fermentation method transforms unripe fruits into specialty coffees

Normally discarded, green beans from the Arara cultivar were subjected to airless fermentation and produced high-quality beverages in blind tests. Researchers see potential for the product to be valued in domestic and foreign markets

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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Luiza Braga appreciates the aroma of Arara coffee beans during drying after anaerobic fermentation. The method improved the quality of immature beans

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Credit: Da Semente à Xícara Group/archive

In the selection of specialty coffees, those that score above 80 points in blind tests are free of physical and sensory defects. Greenish-colored beans are known to give the drink an astringent taste, which is described as harsh, pungent, and dry. These beans are therefore discarded, along with broken, black, burnt, pitted, or undersized beans.

However, in a study published in the journal Food and Bioprocess Technology, researchers from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) in Patos de Minas (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) conducted a series of fermentations with ripe and unripe fruits of the Arara cultivar of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica). As a result, they obtained beverages comparable to and even superior to those prepared with beans from only ripe fruits, following all the protocols of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), an international organization that sets standards for specialty coffees.

In blind cup tests, which evaluate coffee based on its sensory attributes, professional tasters (known as Q-graders) gave beverages containing a percentage of unripe fruit beans scores above 80, which defines specialty coffee.

The researchers achieved these results using self-induced anaerobic fermentation (SIAF), in which the fruits are placed in bioreactors – 200-liter polystyrene barrels that are hermetically sealed – for up to 96 hours after harvesting. No oxygen enters the bioreactors, and carbon dioxide is released through a valve. The microorganisms naturally present in coffee fruits then carry out a series of biochemical processes that result in a distinctive coffee flavor. In some experiments, inoculants – specific microorganisms previously isolated for this purpose – were added to this type of fermentation.

“With this work, we saw that using SIAF at different fermentation times, with temperature and pH control and with or without the addition of inoculum, can not only minimize the deleterious effects of immature beans on the beverage but also make it superior, adding value to the product while still on the farm,” says Luiza Braga, first author of the study, conducted as part of her master’s degree in the Graduate Program in Food Engineering at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering (FEQ-UFU) in Patos de Minas.

The work is part of a project supported by FAPESP through an agreement with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI), in a partnership between UFU and the Federal University of Lavras. Additional funding for the study was provided by the Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation (FAPEMIG), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, an agency that belongs to the Ministry of Education), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the Brazilian Innovation Agency (FINEP). The latter two agencies are linked to the MCTI.

“Anaerobic fermentation, carried out immediately after harvesting and before drying, is not a traditional process. However, coffee growers and experts have been seeking knowledge about the process because of the gain in flavor and aroma it brings to the drink, which can then fetch higher prices than those usually found on the market,” says Líbia Diniz Santos, a professor at FEQ-UFU and coordinator of the study.

The authors of the study are members of the research group named Da Semente à Xícara (which translates as “from seed to cup”), created in 2019 to bring together researchers, students, postgraduates, and technicians from FEQ, the Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, and the faculties of Electrical and Computer Engineering, all on the Patos de Minas campus of UFU. The group even has its own brand of specialty coffee, Porandu, which means “to research” or “to investigate” in Tupi.

Analysis

The Arara cultivar was launched in 2012 by the Procafé Foundation after 15 years of research in search of a disease-resistant coffee adapted to the diverse climatic conditions of Brazil’s Cerrado savanna biome. The drink is valued for its citrus notes and robust body, making it attractive to both the domestic and export markets.

The authors of the study used an artificial intelligence tool developed by the research group and noted that 70% of the fruits used in the experiments, which were harvested at Fazenda Chuá in Patos de Minas, were immature.

Despite using green beans in the beverages tasted by the panelists, the authors emphasize that the other SCA criteria were strictly followed. Thus, broken and small beans were discarded during preparation. Consequently, green beans represented 13% to 30% of the total beverage. “We believe that if there had been 70% green beans in the beverage, even if fermented, this would have been noticeable in the final product,” Santos points out.

A total of 32 treatments were tested, including different fermentation times ranging from 24 to 96 hours with and without temperature control. The combinations also included the presence or absence of inoculum, as well as submerged fermentation with 30% of the bioreactor filled with water or fermentation in a solid state without water.

The group developed an electronic device that monitors the pH and temperature and transmits the data from sensors inside the bioreactor to an external monitor. This eliminates the need to open the barrel and interfere with the experiment in order to collect information.

“When we controlled the external temperature at 27 °C, we observed that the scores were higher, even higher than those of preparations containing only ripe beans. With this, we can demonstrate that anaerobic fermentation, especially in a solid state, adds sensory attributes that elevate the coffee to the special category,” Braga explains.

The group now intends to understand which compound or compounds generated in the fermented green bean provide the sensory attributes that give the coffee its special qualities. Future work will also explore the effect of anaerobic fermentation on other coffee varieties.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. 

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Journal

Food and Bioprocess Technology

DOI

10.1007/s11947-025-03880-z 

Article Title

Transforming Challenges into Quality: The Power of Controlled Fermentation in Immature Arara Coffee Beans

Would you like that coffee with iron?

New microparticles containing iron or iodine could be used to fortify food and beverages, to help fight malnutrition.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Around the world, about 2 billion people suffer from iron deficiency, which can lead to anemia, impaired brain development in children, and increased infant mortality. 

To combat that problem, MIT researchers have come up with a new way to fortify foods and beverages with iron, using small crystalline particles. These particles, known as metal-organic frameworks, could be sprinkled on food, added to staple foods such as bread, or incorporated into drinks like coffee and tea.

“We’re creating a solution that can be seamlessly added to staple foods across different regions,” says Ana Jaklenec, a principal investigator at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. “What’s considered a staple in Senegal isn’t the same as in India or the U.S., so our goal was to develop something that doesn’t react with the food itself. That way, we don’t have to reformulate for every context — it can be incorporated into a wide range of foods and beverages without compromise.”

The particles designed in this study can also carry iodine, another critical nutrient. The particles could also be adapted to carry important minerals such as zinc, calcium, or magnesium.

“We are very excited about this new approach and what we believe is a novel application of metal-organic frameworks to potentially advance nutrition, particularly in the developing world,” says Robert Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute.

Jaklenec and Langer are the senior authors of the study, which will appear in the journal Matter. MIT postdoc Xin Yang and Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang PhD ’24 are the lead authors of the paper.

Iron stabilization

Food fortification can be a successful way to combat nutrient deficiencies, but this approach is often challenging because many nutrients are fragile and break down during storage or cooking. When iron is added to foods, it can react with other molecules in the food, giving the food a metallic taste.

In previous work, Jaklenec’s lab has shown that encapsulating nutrients in polymers can protect them from breaking down or reacting with other molecules. In a small clinical trial, the researchers found that women who ate bread fortified with encapsulated iron were able to absorb the iron from the food.

However, one drawback to this approach is that the polymer adds a lot of bulk to the material, limiting the amount of iron or other nutrients that end up in the food. 

“Encapsulating iron in polymers significantly improves its stability and reactivity, making it easier to add to food,” Jaklenec says. “But to be effective, it requires a substantial amount of polymer. That limits how much iron you can deliver in a typical serving, making it difficult to meet daily nutritional targets through fortified foods alone.”

To overcome that challenge, Yang came up with a new idea: Instead of encapsulating iron in a polymer, they could use iron itself as a building block for a crystalline particle known as a metal-organic framework, or MOF (pronounced “moff”).

MOFs consist of metal atoms joined by organic molecules called ligands to create a rigid, cage-like structure. Depending on the combination of metals and ligands chosen, they can be used for a wide variety of applications.

“We thought maybe we could synthesize a metal-organic framework with food-grade ligands and food-grade micronutrients,” Yang says. “Metal-organic frameworks have very high porosity, so they can load a lot of cargo. That’s why we thought we could leverage this platform to make a new metal-organic framework that could be used in the food industry.” 

In this case, the researchers designed a MOF consisting of iron bound to a ligand called fumaric acid, which is often used as a food additive to enhance flavor or help preserve food. 

This structure prevents iron from reacting with polyphenols — compounds commonly found in foods such as whole grains and nuts, as well as coffee and tea. When iron does react with those compounds, it forms a metal polyphenol complex that cannot be absorbed by the body.

The MOFs’ structure also allows them to remain stable until they reach an acidic environment, such as the stomach, where they break down and release their iron payload.

Double-fortified salts

The researchers also decided to include iodine in their MOF particle, which they call NuMOF. Iodized salt has been very successful at preventing iodine deficiency, and many efforts are now underway to create “double-fortified salts” that would also contain iron. 

Delivering these nutrients together has proven difficult because iron and iodine can react with each other, making each one less likely to be absorbed by the body. In this study, the MIT team showed that once they formed their iron-containing MOF particles, they could load them with iodine, in a way that the iron and iodine do not react with each other. 

In tests of the particles’ stability, the researchers found that the NuMOFs could withstand long-term storage, high heat and humidity, and boiling water. 

Throughout these tests, the particles maintained their structure. When the researchers then fed the particles to mice, they found that both iron and iodine became available in the bloodstream within several hours of the NuMOF consumption.

The researchers are now working on launching a company that is developing coffee and other beverages fortified with iron and iodine. They also hope to continue working toward a double-fortified salt that could be consumed on its own or incorporated into staple food products. 

The research was partially supported by J-WAFS Fellowships for Water and Food Solutions.

Other authors of the paper include Fangzheng Chen, Wenhao Gao, Zhiling Zheng, Tian Wang, Erika Yan Wang, Behnaz Eshaghi, and Sydney MacDonald.

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Written by Anne Trafton, MIT News

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Journal

Matter

DOI

10.1016/j.matt.2025.102372 

Article Title

Ferrous Nutritional Metal Organic Framework (NuMOF) as Food Fortificant

Article Publication Date

13-Aug-2025

 

Can officials say what they need to say about a health emergency in 280 characters?

Study of Chicago Department of Public Health tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak finds mixed results

Texas A&M University

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Now, one of the first studies of its kind, led by a health policy expert with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, has found that X (Twitter at the time of the events) brought advantages — as well as disadvantages — in getting the word out.

“For the year that the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak overlapped, we wanted to understand how health authorities in Chicago used X: the nature of the posts, what information was shared, how it was presented to the public and how all of that impacted public engagement,” said Matthew Boyce. “We also looked at the relationship between the number of reported mpox cases and the messages shared on social media.”

For their content analysis, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Boyce and colleagues from Georgetown University and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy analyzed 1,105 original, health-related X posts by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) from May 2022 to April 2023.

After giving each post an identifier, the team looked at the post’s date, time, topic, media (image or video) and language (English, Spanish or bilingual), and noted whether the message was proactive or reactive. Health topics included communicable disease, environmental health and maternal and child health, among others.

On Dec. 15, 2022, X implemented a new policy allowing users to see the number of times communications posted after that date were viewed, and the researchers added this information to track public engagement. They then used a coding system to categorize health topics and the intent of the posts related to mpox, followed by two measurements of intercoder reliability to ensure consistency and accuracy.

To assess the relationship between mpox-related communications and reported mpox cases, the team got data on the weekly reported mpox cases from the CDPH website and used a timeframe of four weeks before the first mpox case was reported and four weeks of no reported cases.

“In terms of COVID-19, four broad findings stand out,” Boyce said.

First, the analysis found that the CDPH — like most local and state health departments — used X to engage only in one-way communication during the study period. Two-way dialogues are the essence of social media, however, and this approach could not only enhance public trust levels in these health officials, Boyce noted, but also help counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

Next, findings suggested that communications with additional images or videos received significantly higher levels of engagement compared to communications without media. Boyce said health officials might want to include these additional media — although judiciously — for maximum public engagement.

Third, although this study was conducted during two public health emergencies, it found that communications related to COVID-19 or mpox were not the primary topics of X users. Instead, maternal and child health, mental health and substance use received significantly higher levels of public engagement, underscoring the need for strategies to combat “pandemic fatigue” during prolonged public health emergencies.

Finally, the CDPH X posts were only in English and Spanish, while major U.S. cities are home to speakers of many other languages. Boyce noted, for example, that the Houston Health Department’s X posted the same messaging in Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Furthermore, the CPDH Spanish-language posts received significantly lower levels of public engagement, highlighting the need for outreach efforts in languages other than English.

The mpox analysis found moderate, positive correlations between mpox-related communications and reported mpox cases. It also found that a majority of the CDPH communications related to mpox sought to inform the public, as opposed to manipulating or coercing people to change behaviors.

“The most notable result was that — while all correlations were positive, of moderate strength and statistically significant — the strongest correlation existed when communications and cases occurred at the same time,” Boyce said. “One would expect communications to increase following increases in cases, and the CDPH should be commended for providing accurate information during a critical period of time in the outbreak response.”

Boyce noted four limitations in the research. First, it looked only at text in image-based — not video-based — media. Second, ever-changing algorithms make social media difficult to study. Third, the team did not assess the influence of these communications on public behavior. And finally, the findings might not apply to other public health departments, social media platforms or time periods.

“Still, the bottom line is that social media platforms are valuable tools — but should not be the only tool,” Boyce said. “Other communications tools and approaches might be more appropriate for communicating nuanced information, convincing people to change their behavior and reaching certain demographic groups during public health emergencies.”

By Ann Kellett, Texas A&M University School of Public Health

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Journal

Journal of Medical Internet Research

DOI

10.2196/68200 

Method of Research

Content analysis

Article Title

Chicago Public Health Department Social Media Communications on Twitter During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Mpox Epidemic: Cross-Sectional Content Analysis

 

United for answers: leading ALS organizations announce ‘Champion Insights’ to unlock why athletes and military members face higher ALS risk

State-of-the-art remote-participation research seeks to understand how genetic factors linked to intense activities and lipid metabolism may increase ALS susceptibility

Answer ALS

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NEW ORLEANS, August 13, 2025 — Answer ALS, in collaboration with ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) and Augie’s Quest, today announced plans to launch Champion Insights, an ambitious research initiative designed to uncover critical genetic and metabolic mechanisms that may explain the significantly higher incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among endurance athletes, military service members, and potentially other high-performing populations.

ALS is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure, affecting more than 5,000 Americans annually, and shows a 25% higher incidence in high-performing groups like athletes and military members compared to the general population. Recent European studies highlight endurance athletes, suggesting shared genetic factors may underlie both exceptional performance and increased ALS risk.

Champion Insights will meet this challenge head-on by using remote-participation technology to turn participants’ own homes into real-world research sites. The program will collect blood samples and clinical data from up to 500 participants, eliminating logistical and geographic barriers and greatly expanding who can take part in ALS research. Former NFL athlete Steve Gleason, founder of Answer ALS andTeam Gleason, which provides critical equipment and services to the ALS community, will be the first to participate, remotely giving a blood sample to officially launch the initiative. 

“Understanding ALS requires fundamentally rethinking how research is done,” Gleason explained. “By empowering people to conveniently participate from home, Champion Insights can hopefully unravel why elite athletes and high performers are disproportionately impacted. It’s precisely the kind of science we can’t afford to overlook. I’m giving my blood and self to be participant #1, but because I ordinarily prefer #37, I’m challenging 36 more former athletes, military members, and adrenaline-driven humans with ALS to join me.”

Fernando Vieira, M.D., CEO and CSO, of ALS TDI, highlighted Champion Insights’ transformative potential:

“To solve ALS, research must prioritize the specific genetic and metabolic pathways that distinguish certain populations. Champion Insights does exactly this,” said Vieira. “By allowing higher-risk groups such as elite athletes and military personnel to participate remotely, we can rapidly generate actionable data on lipid metabolism, genetics, and ALS. This innovative approach will meaningfully accelerate therapeutic discovery.”

“Augie Nieto believed the most meaningful progress starts with motivation and passion,” said Shannon K. Shryne, President and Co-Founder of Augie’s Quest. “As both an athlete and a visionary in the fitness world, he pushed for approaches that challenged convention and aimed higher. Champion Insights reflects that spirit — targeting the deeper biological patterns that may explain ALS risk in communities like the one Augie belonged to. Our mission is to make sure bold ideas like this have the support they need to go the distance.”

Champion Insights integrates seamlessly with Answer ALS’s Neuromine Data Portal — the world’s largest openly accessible ALS research repository — adding critical new layers of biological, clinical, and genetic data to drive global ALS research collaboration.

Clare Durrett, Managing Director of Answer ALS, highlighted the strategic importance of this comprehensive approach:

“The mysteries of ALS will only be answered by asking precisely the right questions, to precisely the right populations,” said Durrett. “Champion Insights brings together advanced genomic science, detailed natural history, and a wide array of omics, combined with seamless remote-participation technology, into a single, streamlined initiative. This accelerates our ability to understand and ultimately disrupt the mechanisms behind ALS.” 

“As an aviator, we trained to operate at our best, physically, mentally, and professionally. That relentless pursuit of excellence is something we take pride in. Now, science is beginning to uncover that some of the same traits that drive high performers, whether in the military, athletics, or beyond, may also be linked to increased ALS risk. That’s why Champion Insights is so important. It can help us explore the ‘why’ to unlock answers. We owe it to every warrior, competitor, and teammate impacted by ALS to keep searching,” said Matt Bellina, retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and person living with ALS.

The anticipated start date for recruiting participants will be late November 2025. High-performance athletes and military service members diagnosed with ALS who are interested in participating or learning more about Champion Insights can visit ChampionInsights.org. Other populations determined to exhibit a higher incidence will be considered for inclusion.

About Answer ALS

Answer ALS is the most comprehensive ALS research consortium in history, producing more ALS data and biological samples than has ever been amassed, while openly sharing with the global research community. These data and samples are used to investigate the unique pathways of each variation of ALS and begin to develop and test the right treatments or cure. Answer ALS is an unprecedented approach to understanding and defeating the disease. Headquartered in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., Answer ALS stands at the forefront of global efforts to eradicate the disease, supported by research partners and advocates worldwide.

For more information, visit us at answerals.org, LinkedIn,  X,  Facebook and Instagram.

About ALS TDI

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is the first and largest nonprofit research institute dedicated solely to discovering and inventing effective treatments for ALS.

ALS TDI takes a multifaceted approach to ending ALS—inventing and advancing targeted treatments, identifying causes and risk factors, and cultivating a research ecosystem in which ALS drug development is effective and efficient. In its state-of-the-art labs, ALS TDI researchers drive drug discovery across multiple stages, working to advance the many therapies necessary for addressing the various types of ALS. alstdi.net,  LinkedIn,  X,  Facebook and Instagram.

About Augie’s Quest

Founded by Augie Nieto, Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS is the unwavering force driving breakthroughs in ALS research, defying limitations, and empowering hope for a future without this devastating disease. We are dedicated to funding innovative research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure, while advancing the field and translating scientific knowledge into real-world solutions. For more information, visit us at augiesquest.org,  LinkedIn,  X,  Facebook and Instagram.