The effect of aquaponics on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) sensory, quality, and safety outcomes.

Resource-efficient food production practices are needed to support a sustainable food system. Aquaponics, a system where fish and produce are grown symbiotically in the same water circulating system, minimizes water usage, fertilizer input, and waste production. However, the impact of aquaponics on produce quality is underexplored. We utilize objective testing, descriptive analysis, and consumer acceptance to characterize the impact of aquaponics on tomato quality. Two tomato varieties were grown in an aquaponics system and compared with soil-grown controls across 3 years. Safety was assessed by analyzing coliforms and confirming the absence of Escherichia coli. Weight, texture, color, moisture, titratable acidity, brix, and phenolic and antioxidant measurements were assessed. A semitrained descriptive sensory panel assessed 13 tomato attributes and acceptance was determined using untrained participants. Aquaponic tomatoes were frequently lighter and yellower in color and lower in brix. Descriptive analysis indicated significant differences in several sensory attributes, though these findings were inconsistent between years and varieties. Nutrient deficiencies may explain quality differences, as iron supplementation improved outcomes. Notably, the objective and descriptive differences minimally impacted consumer acceptance, as we found no significant differences in taste, texture, or appearance liking between production method in either variety. Despite variation in produce quality across years, aquaponics tomatoes pose minimal E. coli risk and are liked as much as soil-grown tomatoes. These findings demonstrate that aquaponics can produce products that are as acceptable as their soil-grown counterparts. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Aquaponic tomatoes are as safe as soil-grown tomatoes. Furthermore, aquaponics tomatoes are liked as much as soil-grown tomatoes. Careful monitoring of nutrients in an aquaponic system may optimize quality. Overall, aquaponics has a minimal impact on tomato quality and thus is a sustainable food production method that can compete with conventional products on quality.

Expanding Tiny Earth to genomics: a bioinformatics approach for an undergraduate class to characterize antagonistic strains.

The evolution of multidrug resistant pathogens and the diminishing supply of effective antibiotics are global crisis. Tiny Earth (TE) is undergraduate curriculum that encourage students to pursue science careers by engagement in authentic drug discovery research. Through the TE program, students identify environmental strains that inhibit other bacteria. Although these isolates may produce antibiotics based on the antagonistic phenotype, understanding the activity in regard to genome content remains elusive. Previously, we developed a transposon mutagenesis module for use with TE to identify genes involved in antibiotic production. Here, we extend this approach to a second semester undergraduate course to understand the origin of antagonism and genome diversity. Using a bioinformatics strategy, we identified gene clusters involved in activity, and with annotated genomes in hand, students were able to characterize strain diversity. Genomes were analyzed using different computational tools, including average nucleotide identity for species identification and whole genome comparisons. Because the focus of TE involves the evolution of drug resistance, predicted products in strains were identified and verified using a drug susceptibility assay. An application of this curriculum by TE members would assist in efforts with antibiotic discovery.