Alyson E. Mitchell

Professor and Food Chemist

Degree

Ph. D. University of California at Davis, 1996

Research

Professor Mitchell researches the influence of phytochemicals and whole foods on human metabolism and health. Her particular interest is in pharmacokinetics of flavonoids, mass spectrometric identification of bioactive forms in flavonoids in foods and biological tissues and developing non-invasive models for understanding the influence of diet on carcinogenic detoxification pathways. Her team is also identifying pre- and post-harvest factors that influence fruit and vegetable quality by assessing the influence of agronomic cultivation practices on nutrient levels and quality of fruits and vegetables, assessing the effects of processing methods on flavonoid stability in foods and exploring new processing/formulation methods to improve processed foods.

Selected Publications

• Mitchell, A.E., J. Zheng, B.D. Hammock, M. Lo Bello and A.D. Jones. 1997. Structural and functional consequences of haloenol lactone inactivation of murine and human glutathione S-transferase. Biochemistry 37(19):6752-6759.

• Hammerstone, J.F., S.A. Lazarus, A.E. Mitchell, R. Rucker and H.H. Schmitz. 1999. Identification of procyanidins in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and chocolate using high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 47(2):490-496.

• Asami, D.K., Y.-J. Hong, D.M. Barrett and A.E. Mitchell. 2003. Comparison of the total phenolic and ascorbic acid content of freeze-dried and air-dried marionberry, strawberry, and corn grown using conventional, organic, and sustainable agricultural practices. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51(5):1237-1241.

• Hong Y.-J. and A.E. Mitchell. 2004. Metabolic profiling of flavonoid metabolites in human urine by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-/MS/MS). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52, 6794-6801.

• Hong, Y.-J., D.M. Barrett and A.E. Mitchell. 2004. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry investigation of the impact of thermal processing and storage on peach procyanidins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52(8)2366-2371.

Awards and Honors

• Departmental Citation for Outstanding Undergraduate Accomplishment in Environmental Toxicology. University of California Davis 1991
• First Place Presentations in In Vitro Studies; International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. 1995
• Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation; Northern California Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology Chemistry. 1996

• Visiting Scientist for the TransTasman Project. Victorian Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia & Crop and Food Research, New Zealand. 2003 - 2004

Extension of Knowledge Activities 

• FST103 - Physical and Chemical Methods for Food Analysis
• FST128 - Food Toxicology
• Freshman Seminar - Food: Evolutionary Perspectives, Food Politics, Marketing and Health Consequences

For more information on Dr. Mitchell, visit her home page.