Dr. Amanda Wright
Associate Professor
Academic Advisor
Nutritional and Nutraceutical Sciences Major, Nutritional Sciences Minor & Functional Foods and Nutraceutical Sciences Minor
Email: ajwright@uoguelph.ca
Office: ANNU 329A
Ext: 54697
Lab: ANNU 312
NANS Faculty Advising Office Hours:
Wednesdays 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. (most weeks during the Winter semester).
If you are unable to meet during this time, please email Dr. Wright to schedule an appointment.
Profile | Education | Research | Publications | Teaching | Grad Students | Links |
Profile
As an undergraduate student, I discovered that being a food scientist was a great way to apply basic scientific principles to everyday life. By its very nature, food science is an interdisciplinary field; it deals with the chemistry, physics and microbiology of foods and food systems. This interdisciplinary nature appealed to me right away- it was an added bonus that studying food science also meant I had lots of interesting things to share with family and friends over dinner! My graduate and post doctoral research was largely concerned with understanding and modifying the physical functionality and structure of lipids in foods such as butter and chocolate. However, more and more I began to realize that what I was studying also had implications for nutrition and human health. I became excited, about understanding how the structure and physical properties of foods influence their nutritional value and, ultimately, human health. This is the motivation behind my current work.
Education
B.Sc. - Food Science, University of Guelph
Ph.D. - Food Chemistry, University of Guelph
Research
The Canadian functional food and nutraceutical (FFN) industry has seen rapid growth in recent years. However, there are conflicting reports as to the efficacy of many products that are for sale. Some of the discrepancies have been attributed to differences in bioavailability which are related specifically to matrix structure of the food or nutraceutical. In fact, there are many unanswered questions about how food or supplement structure and processing influence nutraceutical digestion and absorption and thus their biological effects. In particular, lipophilic nutraceuticals such as the carotenoids tend to be poorly released from foods or supplements and inefficiently incorporated into mixed micelles. Therefore, they have limited potential for absorption during digestion. The physiochemical mechanisms responsible for this are not well understood, although there are important implications for human health.
My research will examine how the structure and physical properties of food materials determine the stability and delivery of bioactive compounds. The research will focus on the encapsulation and release mechanisms of lipid-based carriers using in vitro digestion models. Novel encapsulation strategies which optimize the stability, delivery and potential absorption of lipophilic nutraceuticals for use in supplements or as food ingredients will be developed and ultimately, through collaborations with others in the Department, tested in humans to determine their impact on health.
As part of my appointment, I also serve as Director of the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit (HNRU) on campus. This is a research and educational unit within the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences. Part of our mandate is to conduct clinical trials of natural health products to contracting customers. In addition, we maintain close associations with other food- and nutrition-related groups on campus and regionally. The HNRU recognizes the potential that interdisciplinary food-nutrition partnerships have to significantly improve human health and well being.
Selected Publications
Trujillo, C.C. and Wright, A.J. 2010. Properties and stability of solid
lipid particle dispersions based on canola stearin and poloxamer 188. J.
Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 87(7): 715-730.
Malaki Nik A., Wright A.J., Corredig, M. 2010. Surface adsorption alters the susceptibility of whey proteins to pepsin-digestion. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 344(2): 372-81.
Veenstra, J.M., Duncan, A.M., Cryne, C.N., Deschambault, B.R., Boyce, J., Benali, M., Marcotte, M., Tosh, S.M., Farnworth, T.E., Wright, A.J. 2009. Effect of pulse consumption on perceived flatulence and gastrointestinal function in healthy males, Food Res. Int. 43; 553–559.
D. M. Robinson, Martin, N., Robinson, L.E., Ahmadi, L., Marangoni, A.G. and Wright, A.J. 2009. Influence of interesterification of a stearic acid-rich spreadable fat on acute metabolic risk factors. Lipids. 44; 17-26.
Hughes, N.E. Marangoni, A.G. Wright, A.J. Rogers, M.A., Rush, J.E. 2009. Potential Food Applications of Edible Oil Organogels. Trends Food Sci. & Technol. Epub ahead of publication. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2009.06.002.
Rogers, M.A., Wright, A.J., Marangoni, A.G., 2009. Oil Organogels: The Fat of the Future. Soft Matter. 5, 8, 1594-1596.
Ahmadi, L., Wright, A.J. and Marangoni, A.G. 2009. Structural and Mechanical Behavior of Tristearin/Triolein-rich Mixtures and the Modification Achieved by Interesterification. Food Biophysics. 4; 64-76.
Wright, A.J., Pietrangelo, C. and MacNaughton, A. 2008. Influence of simulated upper intestinal parameters on the efficiency of beta carotene micellarization using an in vitro model of digestion. Food Chem. 107; 1253-1260.
Teaching
NUTR*4330 Applied Nutritional & Nutraceutical Sciences II
Grad Students
J. Amyoony (MSc student)
M. Arppe-Robertson (MSc student)
E. Connelly (PhD student - co-advisor)
J. Jackson (MSc student)
S. Yurchenko (MSc student)
Links
Human Nutraceutical Research Unit
Natural Health Products Technology Cluster
Natural Health Products Directorate