New data challenge could reimagine future food and nutrition facts

Competition from the American Heart Association invites researchers, designers and policy leaders to redesign nutrition information using advanced molecular data from the Periodic Table of Food Initiative

American Heart Association

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DALLAS, Oct. 9, 2025 — As global food systems grow more complex, consumers are looking for clear, trustworthy nutritional guidance to help them with their choices around what they’re eating and how it affects them.[1] In its second annual Periodic Table of Food Initiative® (PTFI) data visualization challenge, the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere,  is innovating to further improve and simplify food and nutrition information.

Themed “Future Food + Nutrition Facts,” this year’s data challenge is open until January 30, 2026. Interdisciplinary teams – including public health, nutrition science, bioinformatics, data visualization/design, food systems and policy – are invited to reimagine nutrition information using molecular data from The PTFI, one of the most advanced open-access food composition databases in the world. 

The data challenge aims to translate complex biomolecular and environmental information into actionable insights for a wide range of audiences, from consumers to policymakers, and industry leaders to researchers. The PTFI is an initiative of RF Catalytic Capital Inc. that is managed by the American Heart Association and the Alliance of Biodiversity and the Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a global agricultural research center based in Rome, Italy. Funding for this data challenge is supported by a financial grant from The Rockefeller Foundation.

“This is a translational competition meant to rethink what we know about food, how we share that data in compelling ways and how it informs action,” said Selena Ahmed, Ph.D., global director of The Periodic Table of Food Initiative and dean of Food EDU at the American Heart Association. “We encourage collaboration between scientists and designers, farmers and nutritionists, along with other food system stakeholders, to translate molecular food data into more precise and actionable daily decisions that nourish both human and planetary health.”

The PTFI is building a comprehensive database that includes molecular profiles of thousands of foods worldwide. These profiles include full ingredient and nutritional details, along with information on how and where specific food products were grown. The resulting data reveals the biomolecular complexity of food beyond calories and macronutrients and highlights connections between food, health, biodiversity and sustainability.

Participants will have access to comprehensive profiles and data informing the origin, structure and relevance of a wide array of whole and processed foods from The PTFI’s scientific database. They will be challenged to create compelling visualizations that move beyond traditional nutrition facts. Winning designs will show how food and nutrition information can better reflect nutritional quality, molecular diversity, sustainability impact or cultural relevance.

“For the first time in history, we are able to detect the full richness and complexity of all the chemistry contained in the world’s food biodiversity. But how do we communicate that? How do we make it mean something, have impact and ultimately improve human and planetary health?” said John de la Parra, Ph.D., director of Food Initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation. “That is what this challenge seeks to address. This competition is a step toward transforming complex food data into visuals and tools that drive better decisions, from policy to plate.”

The competition is open to global participants, as permissible by law, and includes two tracks: a general design category and a specialized research category for scientists and researchers submitting technical summaries. The challenge will award $40,000 in cash prizes, including $20,000 for the top entry, with winning visualizations showcased at an upcoming PTFI Science Symposium in 2026 and across digital platforms.

Top entries will be evaluated on creativity, scientific accuracy, accessibility and real-world relevance. There is no cost to enter. Register for the webinar detailing the challenge here. Full challenge guidelines and submission rules will be made available during the webinar.

Additional Resources:

• American Heart Association News Release: New scientific resources map food components to improve human and environmental health
• American Heart Association News Release: ‘Food is medicine’ shows potential for improving diet quality and food security
• American Heart Association research program information
• Follow AHA/ASA news on X @HeartNews 

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. www.alliancebioversityciat.org

About Periodic Table of Food Initiative

The Periodic Table of Food Initiative is a global effort to map food quality of the planet’s edible biodiversity based on biomolecular composition and associated metadata. The ultimate translational goal of the Initiative is to empower stakeholders across food systems. The Initiative is supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and its public charity, RF Catalytic Capital, Inc., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, Seerave Foundation, Fourfold Foundation, The Atria Health Collective, and is facilitated by the American Heart Association and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture). foodperiodictable.org.

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[1] Seligman, Hilary K., et al. “A systematic review of ‘food is medicine’ randomized controlled trials for Noncommunicable Disease in the United States: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association.” Circulation, vol. 152, no. 4, 29 July 2025, https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000001343.

 

Earliest Neolithic communities were inclusive and open to newcomers

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona

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An international team of researchers, including the involvement of the Research Group in Archaeology of the Mediterranean and the Near East (GRAMPO) of the Department of Prehistory at the UAB, analysed the chemical signatures of the teeth of 71 people found in five archaeological sites in the Euphrates Valley, present-day Syria. The remains cover the entire Neolithic period between 11,600 and 7,500 years ago, the period in which the first settlements and cities were created.

By analysing the strontium and oxygen isotopes of tooth enamel, researchers were able to establish whether individuals were locals or had moved there from a different area, reconstructing previously invisible patterns of mobility.

Analysis of the teeth, combined with skeletal remains found at the sites and evidence of funerary practices, reveal that once villages were firmly established, the majority of the population stayed and ties with particular communities were strengthened.

Women were more likely to move

Interestingly, the research demonstrates that towards the end of the Neolithic it appears that women were more likely than men to move between communities. This suggests patrilocal traditions, in which women relocated to form marriages in new communities, whereas men remained in their home villages. 

This movement cycle may have evolved to avoid inbreeding within communities. 

Inclusive communities

Researchers found that in most cases individuals born elsewhere appeared fully integrated into village life, suggesting early farming communities were inclusive and open to newcomers. Evidence of that was that local and non-local people were buried in close proximity in the same cemeteries and spaces, with the same elaborate burial assemblages and with similar post-mortem manipulations, such as being buried in a seated position.  

One striking example of this came from one of the sites, Tell Halula, where multiple layers of human remains were preserved within house floors. The analysis revealed that the individuals buried together in the same house included both locals and non-locals, all treated with the same funerary practices.  

This indicates that mobility did not preclude social inclusion, and that villagers in the Neolithic period were open to assimilating newcomers fully into community life and that newcomers received the same distinct treatment in death. 

“The study is important for the interdisciplinary methodology used, on the one hand a broad development of isotope analysis (strontium and oxygen) and on the other hand the study of the archaeological and historical context of the area”, explains Anna Bach, lecturer in the UAB Department of Prehistory. The research team of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona worked for more than 20 years at the Tell Halula site, located in the Euphrates Valley near Aleppo. “The digs began in 1991 and were suspended in 2011 due to the war, and unfortunately we have not been able to continue our work there, and are now working in Iraqi Kurdistan”, says Miquel Molist, lecturer in the same department and coordinator of the UAB’s GRAMPO research group. Despite the hardships, the studies on the Neolithic in the Euphrates Valley continue “with the analysis and study of the archaeological samples that were obtained and temporarily deposited at the UAB, both by researchers from the university and, above all, by the broad international collaboration, an example of which is the work that has given rise to this publication”.

The research recently published in Nature Scientific Reports is the result of a project led by Eva Fernández, lecturer at Durham University, UK, and a team of several European universities and research groups, including the Research Group in Archaeology of the Mediterranean and the Near East (2012 SGR 00744) of the UAB Department of Prehistory.

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-18134-3 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Human tissue samples

Article Title

Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis reveals changing connections to place and group membership in the world’s earliest village societies

Article Publication Date

7-Oct-2025

 

Climate change may increase the spread of neurotoxin in the oceans

Umea University

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Eric Capo, Assistant Professor at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Umeå University

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Credit: Mattias Pettersson

Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study published in Nature Water, led by Eric Capo at Umeå University, which suggests that similar processes could occur in today’s warming oceans.

Methylmercury is a highly toxic compound that accumulates in fish and seafood, posing severe health risks to humans. It is formed when certain microbes convert inorganic mercury under low-oxygen conditions.

Today, climate change is causing such oxygen-depleted areas to expand in coastal marine environments, including parts of the Baltic Sea. Warmer and more stagnant waters mix less efficiently, and increased algal blooms contribute to oxygen loss in deeper layers, creating ideal conditions for these microbes.

Traces of ancient microbes

By analysing DNA from Black Sea sediments spanning the past 13,500 years, researchers detected genes (hgcA) associated with microorganisms that produce methylmercury. The highest abundance occurred during the warm and humid period around 9,000–5,500 years ago, when oxygen levels in the water decreased significantly – a situation similar to ongoing trends observed in modern seas and coastal areas.

“Our findings show that climate warming and oxygen loss alone – without industrial mercury pollution – can create hotspots for methylmercury production,” says Eric Capo, Assistant Professor at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Umeå University and lead author of the study.

“This raises serious concerns for the future, as expanding oxygen-deficient zones may increase human exposure to this neurotoxin through seafood consumption,” says Meifang Zhong, first author of the study and doctoral student in Eric Capo’s research group.

Oxygen loss and mercury pollution

In the study, the researchers compared the microbial signal from ancient sediments with the one from the present-day water column, and found both similarities and striking differences. While modern mercury-methylating microbes in the Black Sea are influenced by industrial mercury pollution and eutrophication, those living thousands of years ago were primarily fueled by climate-driven oxygen loss and the accumulation of organic matter.

The results highlight the importance of considering both past and present microbial responses to environmental change. By studying ancient microbial DNA, the researchers show how climate-driven deoxygenation has shaped – and will continue to shape – the risks of methylmercury contamination in marine ecosystems.

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Journal

Nature Water

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2025

 

Poultry growers: Have you checked your water lines lately?

Study shows impact water quality can have on biofilm bacterial makeup

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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A broiler chicken sips water from a water line in a poultry growing house. A study by researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station examined the microbial makeup of biofilms in poultry house drinking water lines.

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Credit: U of A System Division of Agriculture photo

By John Lovett

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Water quality could impact the kind of microbial populations in poultry drinking water lines and lead to the buildup of a biofilm that can harbor pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, according to a new study.

Biofilm is a thin, slimy layer made up of long-chain carbohydrates, proteins, fats and other substances that serve as a sort of cocoon for microscopic bacteria. These biofilms form regardless of water quality, according to Tomi Obe, an assistant professor of poultry science with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

"If you have good water quality, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to understand what’s in your water lines and in the biofilm,” said Obe, who is also a member of the food science department and the Arkansas Center for Food Safety. "We want to know what's in the biofilm, and how that can contribute to the persistence of pathogenic bacteria."

A recent study by Obe, with lead author Tolulope Ogundipe, DVM, who recently completed a master’s degree from the poultry science department under Obe’s advisement, examined two groups of poultry houses. One group of five houses had historically normal sulfur-iron water and another group of five houses had historically high sulfur-iron water. Between the two groups, the researchers found there were no major differences in the quantity of Salmonella incidence. However, there were differences in the microbial makeup of both the poultry litter on the ground and in the biofilms within the poultry water drinking lines.

The study showed that a Bacillus species with probiotic properties was more prevalent in the biofilms of poultry house water lines with a historically normal sulfur-iron content, and a pathogenic Bacillus species was more prevalent in the biofilm of water lines in the historically high sulfur-iron content group.

Additionally, the one farm showing a low level of Salmonella in the biofilm was also the farm with the highest quantity of Salmonella in the litter. Although that farm was in the historically high sulfur-iron water group, another farm in that group had the lowest quantity of Salmonella in its litter.

“It's hard to say that one group is good compared to the other,” Obe said. “We just observed different microbial populations, and we’re saying the water quality can impact the kind of microbial population that we see in the water line.”

The recently published study is titled “Differences in microbial composition of litter and water line biofilm of broiler farms as influenced by water quality history.” Other co-authors of the study include Samantha Beitia, University of Arkansas Ph.D. student in the poultry science department, and Li Zhang and Xue Zhang, assistant professors of poultry science and animal and dairy sciences, respectively, both with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at Mississippi State University.

Effective removal of biofilms is “crucial for controlling Salmonella at pre-harvest poultry production,” the study noted.

Pipeline monitoring

Although the microbial load of drinking water is monitored regularly at the source on broiler farms, Obe said not much has been done to assess the inside of drinking water pipelines for the presence and composition of biofilm despite it being a control point for Salmonella.

The study noted that while maximum recommended levels for poultry drinking water are less than 0.3 parts per million for iron and 200 ppm for sulfate, sulfate concentrations of 50 ppm or more in combination with high levels of magnesium and chloride in water could negatively affect bird performance. Water containing high levels of iron and manganese supplied in commercial poultry houses can also serve as nutrients for the survival of some pathogens. This is problematic, the study added, especially for farms in rural areas that use well water and have a history of such water quality issues.

Poultry farmers will often add a water filtration system to help reduce the mineral content; however, routine water line microbial analysis is not a common practice, Obe said.

“We don’t often think of it, but water is a very important nutrient, and routine monitoring of water lines should be important to the poultry industry — not only the quality but the content as well,” Li Zhang said. “We didn’t expect a big difference in quality, but the water source apparently does affect biofilm content.”

Obe and Li Zhang said they are considering the potential for adapting “sight glasses,” or small windows that let viewers see inside pipelines, for visual monitoring and access to swab and analyze microbial content.

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are part of a system of agricultural research centers at 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities across the southern U.S. Our scientists collaborate to conduct research and outreach focused on preserving the region’s natural resources and enhancing food production for a growing global population.

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three system campuses.  

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

 

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Media Contact: John Lovett
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 763-5929
jlovett@uada.edu

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Journal

Poultry Science

DOI

10.1016/j.psj.2025.105832 

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Differences in microbial composition of litter and water line biofilm of broiler farms as influenced by water quality history