Mission
The Food Security Research Center (FSRC) is dedicated to alleviating food insecurity by addressing key dimensions of food security such as Food Safety & Nutrition, Food Production – Plant Science, Food Production – Animal Science, Workforce Development, and Food Access Solutions through innovative, interdisciplinary research and collaborative partnerships.
Vision
Our vision is to be a leader in collaborative, interdisciplinary food security research, pioneering solutions that sustainably improve systemic food insecurity while developing the next generation of food and agriculture researchers, professionals, and innovators.
Team
Key Area Leaders
Research priorities include diet-microbiome-host interactions, microbial food safety and quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). Additionally, health disparities around food and nutrition security and identifying and addressing unique challenges to access safe and high-quality foods for residents in rural Texas communities is a priority.
jabarouei@pvamu.edu
Research priorities include improving performance and productivity in poultry, performing cutting edge research on goat reproduction and providing real world experience to students through the meat processing. One of our primary research goals is to enhance animal productivity, health, and product quality through innovative nutritional strategies. We integrate our expertise in areas such as nutrigenomics, phytogenic additives, gut health, and the gut microbiome to improve growth, immunity, and overall sustainability in animal production.
Research focuses on identifying and addressing barriers to food access, including transportation, affordability, and infrastructure. Collaboration with communities and with researchers from multiple disciplines is emphasized to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to food and nutrition insecurity.
Plant science research explores sustainable agricultural practices and innovative crop production methods to enhance food security by improving crop yields and resilience, especially for small-scale farmers in rural areas. Additionally, research focuses on use of medicinal plants in food production.
The FSRC engages with students at all levels to educate them about, and prepare them for, careers in nutrition, agriculture, food safety and food systems. By fostering a well-trained workforce, we aim to prepare the next generation of professionals to solve the challenges of food and nutrition insecurity.
Students
Members
Grants and Publications
Title: Food Access, Food Safety, and Nutritional Quality: A Comparison of Food and Food Retailers in Rural and Urban Communities of Low Income/Low Food Access.
Investigators: Quinlan, J.J. (PI), Moussavi, M. (Co-PI)
Funding body: USDA-NIFA Grant
Award duration: 2024-2026
Amount: $490,783
Title: Immersive Education of Urban Educators in Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Investigators: Quinlan, J.J. (PI), Lee, V. 2023-2024, currently Lee, V. (PI), Quinlan J.J.
Funding body: USDA-NIFA Grant
Award duration: 2023-2026
Amount: $500,000
Title: NourishWell: Empowering Communities for Food Security and Health.
Investigators: Peterson, N., Austin, S., Michelin-Moore, P, Agboola, P., Barouei, J. (Co-PI)
Funding body: PVAMU CARC-CEP joint grant
Award duration: 2023-2025
Amount: $200,000
Title: The Impact of Proteins and Dietary Fibers on the Microbiome: Is Digestibility the Understudied Driver of Metabolic Dysregulation?
Investigators: Barouei J. (PI), Rabinowitz, J.D.
Funding body: Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation
Award duration: 2023-2025
Amount: $250,000
Title: Experiential Approach to Beef Cattle Production Feedlots for Undergraduate Students
Investigators: Tolen T. (PI), Daley M., Kinman L. A., Herring A.
Funding body: USDA NIFA
Award duration: 2023-2026
Amount: $300,000
Title: Abattoir Academy: Building Capacity for an Educational Workforce Development Program to Promote Experiential Learning Best-In-Class Practices
Investigators: Kinman L. A., Garcia, L., Daley, M., Tolen, T. (Co-PI)
Funding body: USDA NIFA
Award duration: 2023-2026
Amount: $300,000
Title: An Integrated Approach to Minimize Produce Food Safety Risks for Small-Scale Diversified Growers in Texas
Investigators: Barouei, J. (PI), Somenahally, A., Henry, K., Moussavi, M., Park, D., Kebrom, T., Harris, L., Jung, Y.
Funding body: USDA NIFA
Award duration: 2023-2026
Amount: $580,000
Title: A nature-based solution to reduce nitrogenous greenhouse gas emissions.
Investigators: Barouei, J. (PI), Kebrom, T., Moussavi, S. A.
Funding body: Shell International Exploration and Production
Award duration: 2023-2025
Amount: $810,964
Title: Enhancing soil carbon sequestration by implementing innovative tools and interventions under different ecosystems
Investigators: Ray, R., Griffin, R., Carson, L., Qian, L., Weerasooriya, A., Fares, A., Barouei, J. (Co-PI), Gao, Y.
Funding body: Shell International Exploration and Production
Award duration: 2023-2025
Amount: $2,576,237
Title: Southern Regional Center for Food Safety Training and Outreach, and Lead Regional Coordination Center
Investigators: Schneider et al., Tolen, T. (Co-PI)
Funding body: USDA NIFA
Award duration: 2021-2024
Amount: $12,000
**The authors in bold are FSRC members**
Schofield, K., Bruneau, M., Ensslin, J., and Quinlan, J.J. 2025. The DRAGON Project: A Multilevel Peer-led Intervention for High School Students. J. of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404625000363?dgcid=author
Kavanaugh, M., Shewokis, P. and Quinlan, J.J. 2024. Development and Validation of a Food Safety Survey for Older Adults. British Food Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-08-2023-0751
Barouei, J., Martinic A., Bendiks, Z., Mishchuk, D., Heeney, D., Slupsky, C. M., and Marco M. L. 2023. Type 2 resistant starch and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 result in additive and interactive effects in diet-induced obese mice. Nutrition Research, Accepted 15 Jul 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2023.07.003
Moussavi, M., Barouei, J., Evans, C., Adams, M. C., and Baines, S. 2023. Viability and in vitro gastrointestinal transit tolerance of multispecies probiotic combinations incorporated into orange juice and drinking water. Foods, 12, 2249. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112249
Moussavi, M., Cuskelly, A., Jung, Y., Hodgson, D. M. Barouei, J. 2022 Maternal probiotic intake attenuates induced expression of ileal corticotropin-releasing factor receptors genes in rat offspring exposed to early and later life stress. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1093/bbb/zbac199
Gao, M., Moussavi, M., Myers, D. 2021. Analysis and Specification of Starch Granule Size Distributions. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), (169), e61586, https://doi.org/10.3791/61586
Núñez de González, M., Attaie, R., Woldesenbet, S., Mora-Gutierrez, A., Kirven, J., Jung, Y. and Myers, D. 2020. Effect of Feeding a Low Level of Encapsulated Fish Oil to Dairy Goats on Milk Yield, Composition, and Fatty Acid Profile. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 97(3): 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12318
Ampim, P. A.Y., Obeng, E., Olvera Gonzalez, E., Weerasooriya, A., Osuji, G. O., Myers D. 2020 The Response of Egyptian Spinach and Vegetable Amaranth Microgreens to Different Light Regimes. Scientific Journal of Biology & Life Sciences, 1(3): SJBLS.MS.ID.000512. https://irispublishers.com/sjbls/pdf/SJBLS.MS.ID.000512.pdf
Kidane, N., Myers, D., Henry, K. and Lawton, M. B. 2019. Caprine Meat from Farm to Table. http://www.pvamu.edu/cafnr/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2019-Goat-Book-FINAL.pdf
Ampim, P. A.Y., Obeng, E., Olvera Gonzalez, E., Weerasooriya, A., Osuji, G. O., Myers D. 2020 The Response of Egyptian Spinach and Vegetable Amaranth Microgreens to Different Light Regimes. Scientific Journal of Biology & Life Sciences, 1(3): SJBLS.MS.ID.000512. https://irispublishers.com/sjbls/pdf/SJBLS.MS.ID.000512.pdf
Kidane, N., Myers, D., Henry, K. and Lawton, M. B. 2019. Caprine Meat from Farm to Table. http://www.pvamu.edu/cafnr/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2019-Goat-Book-FINAL.pdf