Bard Professors Gabriel Perron and Swapan Jain Receive Research Support from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
Bard College Food Microbiology class visits the Stone Barns Center.
Bard Associate Professor of Biology Gabriel G. Perron and Bard Associate Professor of Chemistry Swapan S. Jain have received $46,000 from the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to study the impact of farming practices on the nutritional content and microbial diversity of fermented vegetables, which complements existing funds of $50,000 from Hudson Valley Farm Hub to study soil health. “Getting support from such an important organization not only enables us to continue our work on agroecology, but also gives us visibility at the national level,” said Gabriel G. Perron. Both Perron and Jain are also associated with the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities at Bard.
The Stone Barns Center funds will be used to study and document the impact of frost on the nutritional value of raw and fermented cabbage. Perron and Jain will also be investigating how frost impacts the microbial communities developing during fermentation, which affects the probiotic qualities of fermented cabbage (e.g. sauerkraut). This project will be conducted in collaboration with farmers at Stone Barns, chefs at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Bard College researchers Perron and Jain. Former Bard student Pearson Lau ’19, who recently published his Senior Project on the effect of chlorination on sourdough starter cultures, will also be part of the research team. Professors Perron and Jain plan to involve current Bard undergraduates in their research project. This collaboration has also made it possible to bring students from Bard and Bard NYC to visit Stone Barns and Blue Hill at Stone Barns as part of their respective classes.
“We are very excited about this wonderful collaboration with farmers and chefs in our local community. This work will help us in addressing important questions related to nutrition and the overall health of our food ecosystem,” said Swapan S. Jain.
Post Date: 09-24-2024
The Stone Barns Center funds will be used to study and document the impact of frost on the nutritional value of raw and fermented cabbage. Perron and Jain will also be investigating how frost impacts the microbial communities developing during fermentation, which affects the probiotic qualities of fermented cabbage (e.g. sauerkraut). This project will be conducted in collaboration with farmers at Stone Barns, chefs at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Bard College researchers Perron and Jain. Former Bard student Pearson Lau ’19, who recently published his Senior Project on the effect of chlorination on sourdough starter cultures, will also be part of the research team. Professors Perron and Jain plan to involve current Bard undergraduates in their research project. This collaboration has also made it possible to bring students from Bard and Bard NYC to visit Stone Barns and Blue Hill at Stone Barns as part of their respective classes.
“We are very excited about this wonderful collaboration with farmers and chefs in our local community. This work will help us in addressing important questions related to nutrition and the overall health of our food ecosystem,” said Swapan S. Jain.
Post Date: 09-24-2024