SOUTHWEST RETORT
EIGHTITH YEAR
September 2026
Published for the advancement of Chemists, Chemical Engineers and Chemistry in this area published by The Dallas-Fort Worth Section, with the cooperation of five other local sections of the American Chemical Society in the Southwest Region.
Vol. 80 (1) September 2026 Editorial and Business Offices: Contact the Editor for subscription and advertisement information. Editor: Connie Hendrickson: retort@acsdfw.org Copy and Layout Editor: Lance Hughes: hugla64@gmail.com Business Manager: Martha Gilchrist: Martha.Gilchrist@tccd.edu The Southwest Retort is published monthly, September through May, by the Dallas-Ft. Worth Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc., for the ACS Sections of the Southwest Region.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLES and COLUMNS Letter from the Editor…..…..……..............17 NEWS SHORTS Protein-enriched ketchup gets a boost from algae extracts ……………………...………..5 Scented cleaning products create invisible air pollution…………………...……...…….…...6 This cookie started its life as a plastic bottle ........................................….……………........10 Making life more colorful on the wings of a butterfly…………......….......………..….….12 .
Extracting magnesium salt from seawater with Electricity…………….………... .………….14 AROUND the AREA UT Dallas…………………………………...15 ANNOUNCEMENTS Call for Nominations! Local Section Officers …………………………………………….….9 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
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From the ACS Press Room Protein-enriched ketchup gets a boost from algae extracts A dash of algae protein increases nutritional value while maintaining the popular condiment’s familiar flavor Science Releases August 7, 20264 min read
the year using comparatively little land and freshwater, making it a potentially more resource-efficient protein source than many terrestrial crops,” says Adadi.
"Physicochemical, Nutritional, Microbial, Sensory, and Antinutritional Evaluation of Tomato Ketchup Fortified with Chlorella vulgaris Protein Isolates" ACS Food Science & Technology Added protein is showing up in foods from breakfast cereal to pasta, but not many condiments … yet. Researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have now developed an enriched tomato ketchup by incorporating protein extracted from algae. A panel of taste testers preferred the recipes containing up to 3% added algal extract, saying the samples maintained the sweet, tangy taste and reddish appearance expected of the condiment.
Tomato ketchup recipes that contain 3% (left) or 5% (right) algal protein extracts balanced enhanced nutritional value and consumer acceptability compared to commercial ketchup. Adapted from ACS Food Science & Technology 2026, DOI: 10.1021/acsfoodscitech.6c00450
Previously, another research team incorporated algae proteins into vegan seafood mimics, where the microalgae’s fishy taste complimented the squid-ring analogues that they 3D-printed and deep-fried. For ketchup, the challenge was adding algal protein in a way that wouldn’t change the condiment’s distinct flavor.
Ketchup is familiar, shelf-stable, and suitable for incorporating functional ingredients.” — The researchers accomplished this by exParise Adadi tracting the proteins from C. vulgaris. Then they developed ketchup recipes containing “We wanted to improve the nutritional value 1% to 13% algal protein along with typical of a widely consumed condiment using a ingredients such as plum tomatoes, sugar, sustainable protein source,” says Parise salt, vinegar, spices, and citric acid. After Adadi, the corresponding author of the study. they bottled and pasteurized the ketchup “Ketchup is familiar, shelf-stable, and suita- samples, including a plain ketchup with no ble for incorporating functional ingredients.” added algae, a panel of 15 people tasted them. The panelists shared that: Although many protein-added foods get the • Samples with 1% and 3% added protein enrichment from whey, pea, or soy sources, retained the familiar sweet, tangy, and Adadi and colleagues wanted to try a potenmildly spiced flavor, and had only a tially more sustainable alternative: microalsubtle algal note. gae that are rich in protein. “Chlorella vulContinued on page 16 garis can be cultivated rapidly throughout September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room Scented cleaning products create invisible air pollution Surface cleaners remove germs and grime, but their fragrances react with indoor ozone to form nanoparticles at levels rivaling that of city traffic. Science Releases August 27, 20266 min read CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2026 — What does a clean room smell like? Many people say citrus, pine, or flowers because these fragrances are common in cleaning products. A research team led by Brandon Boor found that scent compounds in cleaning products — conventional and botanical essential oil-based — quickly react in the air, forming nanoparticles that can travel deep into the lungs if inhaled. To reduce exposure to this invisible pollution, the team suggests using unscented products, running exhaust fans, and avoiding ozone-generating devices while cleaning. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) during the “Healthy Indoor Spaces: Bridging the Microbiome and Chemistry” symposium in McCormick Place. ACS Fall 2026 is being held August 2327. “Importantly, cleaning removes viruses and bacteria from surfaces, but it can also generate invisible air pollution. There's no visible dust or smoke in the air, but these particles are forming.” — Brandon Boor A trailer-sized tiny house on wheels sits outside a multi-story academic building. This “tiny house lab,” which sits outside Purdue’s Delon and Elizabeth Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering, allows researchers to study indoor air quality more comprehensively than has been possible in other settings. Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever
“We showed that indoor ozone reactions with fragrances from cleaning produce nanoparticles that carry a respiratory dose comparable to, or greater than, what you would experience from standing outside along a busy road,” says Boor, an Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University who studies indoor air quality. “The particles are different in terms of their composition, but the total dose can be higher. You're not seeing smoke, dust, or haze in the air. Instead, you think the air smells great so it must be clean.” Continued on next page September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room Boor and his colleague Nusrat Jung, a Purdue Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering, started studying the impact of cleaning products and chemical disinfectants on indoor environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that work, they observed that many of these products are heavily scented. “That's often to create a pleasant smellscape in the indoor space,” says Boor. “But clean air should not smell like highly concentrated citrus fruit. It should not really smell of anything.” Atmospheric chemists previously established that terpenes emitted by plants, such as pinene from pine trees, react with ozone to create airborne nanoparticles. The nanoparticles aggregate and eventually grow large enough to seed clouds. But in forests, terpene levels are relatively low, so particle formation occurs slowly. Using scented products indoors releases terpenes as the The inside of Purdue’s tiny house lab has various sensors and equipment to accufragrance compounds evapo- rately and precisely measure air pollutant emissions from common household acrate from surfaces or spray tivities in real time. Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever droplets. Common terpenes in cleaning liquids include pinene, limonene (lemon), thymol (thyme), and linalool (lavender), and at concentrations much higher than are found naturally outdoors. As a result, airborne terpene levels during cleaning can reach tens to hundreds of times those found in a forest, says Boor. To study what happens in the process of routine cleaning, the researchers tested scented conventional liquid products and botanical-containing disinfectant sprays and wipes in a model house on Purdue’s campus. The tiny house has a working kitchen, wood flooring, and a bathroom. They found that the same chemistry that forms nanoparticles outside occurs inside at faster and at higher concentrations, which has important implications for human health. Activities such as mopping, spraying countertops, and wiping surfaces with scented products formed billions or trillions of particles, depending on the product used. Most of the particles, called nanoparticles or ultrafine particles, were 1–30 nanometers wide, a size range often Continued on next page September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room missed by at-home air quality monitors. By tracking them, the researchers observed that routine cleaning can generate ultrafine particle pollution at levels above those found outdoors. This poses potential health risks because ultrafine particles are small enough to deposit throughout the airways and deep into the lungs. There, they can contribute to respiratory system irritation and inflammation, or they can potentially enter the bloodstream. Most surprising to the researchers was how fast the particles formed and grew — it took a matter of minutes. “By the time you finish cleaning up an indoor space, you’ve already formed a lot of nanoparticles and inhaled them,” says Boor. More recently, Boor and Ernest Blatchley, a Professor at Purdue, found that simultaneously disinfecting air with germicidal far-UV (UV-C) lamps and cleaning surfaces with scented products creates an environment ripe for nanoparticle formation. In fact, the lamps interact with oxygen in the air and generate ozone, raising ozone levels in the tiny home to around 20 to 40 parts per billion, comparable to, though somewhat lower than, levels outdoors at the time of the experiments. The combination of elevated ozone and high terpene concentrations drove even more intense particle Boor wants these findings to inform consumers’ choices, not alarm them, and provides several steps people can take to reduce their exposure while cleaning: • Choose low-fragrance or fragrancefree products. • Avoid applying several scented products in the same cleaning session. Cleaning the countertop inside a tiny house lab revealed that • Run exhaust fans or open windows scented products produced high amounts of airborne nanoparticles within a few minutes. to ventilate the space. Brian Magnuson • Do not simultaneously clean surfaces with scented products while using ozone-generating devices, such as far UV-C lamps. “Importantly, cleaning removes viruses and bacteria from surfaces, but it can also generate invisible air pollution,” says Boor. “There's no visible dust or smoke in the air, but these particles are forming.” Boor thanks all the graduate students who have worked with him in the tiny house experiments along with the support of undergraduate students. The research was funded by a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. September 2026
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Call for Nominations! Local Section Officers
TO RUN for OFFICE in the Dallas-Fort Worth Local Section https://acsdfw.org/event/call-for-nominations/
Details
Start:September 15 @ 8:00 pm End:October 15 @ 11:30 pm Section website:https://acsdfw.org/contact-us/
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From the ACS Press Room
This cookie started its life as a plastic bottle Specialized microbes transform inedible material into protein-rich snacks. Science Releases August 24, 20265 min read CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2026 — Plastic might be the last ingredient you would ever add to a cookie recipe. But a team of researchers is looking to change that. They’ve programmed yeasts to turn plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins and flavoring molecules, creating a treat from trash. The technology not only offers a new upcycling method but could also sustain life in disaster zones or even deep-space missions with humans aboard. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) during the “Undergraduate and Graduate Research in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology” symposium in McCormick Place. ACS Fall 2026 is being held August 23-27.
food for humans. The work was conducted as part of a project led by NASA aimed at creating food for the resource-limited environment of deep-space exploration. “We were trying to develop technologies for plastic upcycling to make more valuable products. We thought, why not focus on making food? Because plastic is carbon and food is carbon,” explains Associate Professor Lahiru Jayakody.
This cookie is made using waste plant materials and plastic and could feed humans everywhere from submarines to spaceships. SIU Carbondale Communications
Microbes are very clever. So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created.” — La- One of the most common forms of plastic is hiru Jayakody polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a material often used to make soda and water bottles. Watch a Headline Science YouTube PET contains molecules with lots of carbon Short about this research: https:// that could be rebuilt into something like a www.youtube.com/shorts/bEcu1PdyqOk protein. And while that rebuilding could be done using chemical reactions and solvents As the world struggles with growing plastic in a lab, a simpler and more eco-friendly sopollution and increasing concerns about food lution is to outsource the work to microbes. security, researchers are looking for ways to Jayakody adds, “microbes are very clever. turn one problem into a means of solving the So, we are using their traits to solve the probother. So, a team from Southern Illinois Uni- lems we created.” versity (SIU) Carbondale has put microbes to the test to transform plastic waste into edible Continued on next page September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room Scientists have long used microbes, including yeast, as miniature factories to make a variety of molecules. For example, insulin is no longer extracted from animal pancreases — now, yeast can be programmed to make it. Similarly, Jayakody and graduate student Sandhya Jayasekara programmed a variety of yeasts, including baker’s yeast, to convert molecules present in plastic and agricultural waste into proteins, vitamins, and flavorings.
microbes, including the added starch, fiber, and sweetener. He also hopes µBites will be ready for public consumption within a few years and could be used both on Earth and in more extreme environments, like submarines or even colonies on the moon or Mars. “Global food demand is expected to rise 35– 56% by the year 2050, and about
30% of the world population will be at risk of hunger in the future. The way to address The researchers took PET plastic, discarded that, I believe, is by using microbes,” he concorn plant stalks and leaves, and other bio- cludes. mass and put it through a proprietary process called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution. 30% of the world population will be at risk Created by SIU Carbondale Geology Profes- of hunger in the future. The way to address sor Ken Anderson, this method uses water that, I believe, is by using microbes,” he conand oxygen at high temperature and pressure cludes. to break down tough material into microbeaccessible pieces. Then, those pieces are fed The research was funded by the NASA Deep to the programmed yeasts, which reform Space Food Challenge and a National Scithose pieces into a variety of new food ingre- ence Foundation Faculty Early Career Dedients, including proteins, fats, and acids. Finally, the researchers add fiber, starch, and sweetener to the mix and then extruded it velopment Program (CAREER) Grant. through a 3D printer, forming protein-rich cookies dubbed µBites (pronounced “microbites”). To make µBites into something consumers might opt for in less dire circumstances, Jayasekara created yeasts that can produce more food additives. Now, baker’s yeast can produce vanilla flavoring from plant biomass, while a different strain can now turn ethylene glycol from PET into beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. “We’re using microbes to develop the cookie into a more attractive, consumer-friendly product,” says Jayasekara. In the future, Jayakody and team hope to produce the main ingredients in the µBites using September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room
Making life more colorful on the wings of a butterfly Researchers take inspiration from nature to find longer lasting, safer colors for cosmetics, food coatings, and paints.
Science Releases August 26, 20266 min read
the chemical compounds can break down and the colors fade, requiring a refresh. Additionally, many commercial dye and pigment formulas contain toxic chemicals — or may themselves be toxic. Nature also produces what are known as structural colors resulting from the physical arrangement (e.g., crystal structures) of molecules. These microscopic formations bend, scatter, and interfere with specific wavelengths of light, so that we only see the reflected wavelengths. Structural colors are what cause the rainbow of opal gemstones, the blues and greens of peacock feathers, and the deep blue of morpho butterfly wings.
CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2026 — The next time you need to freshen up the paint on your house or apply a bit of cosmetic glitter before heading out for the night, you might want to give a quick nod to the butterflies fluttering in a nearby garden. Taking inspiration from structures on those wings that make their vibrant colors, researchers are now devising more durable and adjustable colors that are also safer for human health and the environment. “Structural color materials offer two key advantages over most traditional, pigmentThe researchers will present their results at based products: durability and vibrancy,” the fall meeting of the American Chemical says Leila Deravi, the principal investigator Society (ACS) during the “Carbon-based Na- of this study. “Because structural color arises nomaterials: From Fundamental Insights to from the physical architecture of the material Applications” symposium in McCormick rather than light absorption by a biomolecule, Place. ACS Fall 2026 is being held August it does not fade over time.” 23-27. Trying to understand how chemical composiBecause structural color arises from the physi- tion and crystal structure influence color gencal architecture of the material rather than light eration, Deravi, Associate Professor of absorption by a biomolecule, it does not fade Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and her over time.” — Leila Deravi. colleagues at Northeastern University studied butterflies in the Pieridae family, such as the In nature, the chemical structure of some Cabbage White and Clouded Sulfur varieties molecules causes them to absorb specific commonly found in open meadows. wavelengths of light, reflecting the rest, and The researchers will present their findings on it is the reflected light that we perceive as pterins, compounds that are related to those pigmentary color. This is what makes carrots that make up DNA and found on the surface orange (carotenoids), blood red of butterfly wings. (hemoglobin), and plants green (chlorophyll). Deravi suggests color intensity could be adAs pigmentary colors are exposed to sunlight and other environmental elements, however, Continued on next page September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room justed by controlling the size and packing of the pterin crystals rather than requiring many different pigments. There might also be safety advantages because these natural biomolecules are already being produced and used by Inspired by butterflies and damselflies, Clara Dou and colleagues create colorants that mimic nature to potentially overcome toxicity concerns associated with the metal oxides used in products such as cosmetic glitter. Northeastern University
animals and plants.
takes several weeks to complete. “If the animals can do this without DMSO, how can we replicate this natural process in the lab?” Dou asks. “Our work addresses this by exploring how water, salt, and acidity influence crystallization,” she continues. Using the new method, Dou can get crystals to precipitate out of solution and isolate them in a matter of minutes. The researchers can then see how changing crystal growth conditions change the reflected color. The team’s new process reduces the need for organic solvents, making it more environmentally friendly than the currently used methods.
“They’re safe for the environment,” Deravi continues. “They’re safe for people, and they don’t have a lot of downstream toxicity like some of the forever chemicals used in synthetic pigmentary dyes.”
Although the current work produces only milligram-size (like grains of table salt) amounts of structural colors, the researchers are currently scaling up production as they believe it has commercial potential. They say these pterin structural colors could be a natuThe researchers are quick to note, however, ral and sustainable source that overcomes that they have not yet initiated studies to val- some of the toxicity concerns associated idate pterin safety. with, for example, the metal oxides used in products such as cosmetic glitter. Critical to studying structural colors from pterins, however, is the need to produce and “If we can make some templates for glitter modify pterin crystals in the lab, the focus of using essentially derivatives of DNA, that Clara Dou, a graduate student in Deravi’s lab would be incredible,” Deravi says. and presenter of their work at the meeting. “Ultimately, there’s still a great deal left to To do this, she synthesized pterin granules learn about biological color,” she continues. that mimic the structures on butterfly wings. “It’s something we all interact with daily in the flowers, insects, and animals around us, As Dou explains, forming the microscopic yet the underlying mechanisms behind their crystals out of pterins has historically re- long-lived, fade-resistant color are still being quired organic solvents such as dimethyl sul- defined.” foxide (DMSO), chemicals that can present safety concerns for human health and the en- The research was funded in part by Northvironment. And crystallization using DMSO eastern University. September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room
Extracting magnesium salt from seawater with electricity Magnesium can be isolated from seawater — a nearly unlimited resource — with new electrodes at a fraction of the energy and cost of the traditional method from rocks. Science Releases August 12, 20264 min read “Direct Magnesium Recovery from Ocean Waters Using Bismuth Electrochemistry” ACS Energy Letters Magnesium supplements are gaining popularity to treat conditions such as insomnia, migraines, and constipation. Most magnesium salts are extracted from rocks by crushing and heating them, which requires a lot of energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have developed bismuth electrodes that selectively pull magnesium ions from seawater, another abundant source of the element. They say their electrochemical approach could be more sustainable and less expensive than current methods. This magnesium chloride salt was extracted from seawater using bismuth electrodes and a reversible electric field. Adapted from ACS Energy Letters 2026, DOI: 10.1021/ acsenergylett.6c01659
While minerals in rocks contain large amounts of magnesium, this element is also present in the oceans, where it is the second most abundant cation after sodium. “We have traditionally thought of seawater as something to desalinate and protect, but it is an enormous reservoir of valuable resources,” says David Kim, the first author of the study. “Seawater represents an essentially limitless yet underutilized reservoir for such resources.”
Historically, extracting magnesium from ocean water required chemical additives to precipitate and remove the metal, a method that was honored in a National Historic Chemical Landmark. Scientists have instead experimented with electric fields to pull magnesium salts out of seawater. But thus far, these electrochemical methods have relied on expensive membranes to effectively convert the magnesium ions into a form that can be separated from the large amount of sodium ions in seawater. In previous work, T. Alan Hatton and Kripa Varanasi, who are the corresponding authors on this research, developed bismuth electrodes that change the acidity of seawater, and they wanted to test whether these electrodes could extract magnesium without chemical additives or costly materials.
The researchers built a layered electrochemical cell, with thin bismuth electrode sheets We have traditionally thought of seawater as sandwiching two channels separated by a something to desalinate and protect, but it is an membrane. In tests of the system, the reenormous reservoir of valuable resources.” – searchers flowed real seawater through one David Kim Continued on next page September 2026
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From the ACS Press Room channel and an electrolyte solution through the other, all under an electric field, to collect magnesium hydroxide. By switching the polarity of the electric field and switching the solutions flowing through each channel, they converted magnesium hydroxide to a consumable form, magnesium chloride.
for bismuth-based electrodes in a recent ACS Electrochemistry article co-authored by Kim, Hatton, and Varanasi. The authors acknowledge funding from the Massachusetts Advanced Research Projects Agendy-Energy.
Through an iterative process, the concentration of magnesium from a seawater sample increased by eight-fold and a ratio of 20 to 1 magnesium to sodium ions. The researchers say this result shows the process was more selective than the other electrochemical membrane systems reported thus far.
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Finally, the team calculated that producing magnesium chloride with their electrochemical approach would cost around $107 per ton. This is substantially lower than current market prices for magnesium chloride; however, the researchers acknowledge that this figure doesn’t account for several post-extraction steps such as drying the salt. As demand for magnesium salts continues to rise for applications from health care to construction, the team hopes that electrochemistry could provide an economical option to produce this mineral. “If this work similarly excites and inspires even one other person to think about how electrochemistry can transform our available resources into sustainable markets,” says Kim, “then we have accomplished something meaningful.” Varanasi concludes, “by turning seawater itself into a source of magnesium, this technology can enable domestic production and make our supply chains for critical materials more robust — moving us toward a blue economy where the ocean becomes a platform for producing the critical materials our industries need.” Read more about other potential applications September 2026
UT Dallas Drs. Gabriele Meloni, Jung-Mo Ahn, and Mario Wriedt have been promoted to Full Professors. Dr. Amandeep Sra was elected to the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Dr. Namali Abeykoon was named the 2026 School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Teacher of the Year in the category of Professors of Instruction. Dr. Stephanie Taylor received the 2026 UTD President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Undergraduate Instruction. Dr. Inga H. Musselman returns to the Chemistry Department after 18 years in the Office of the Provost, including the last 8 years as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Assistant Professor and CPRIT Scholar Dr. Filippo Romiti was selected as one of the 15 tenure-track assistant professors across North America, Europe and Asia to be part of the prestigious Organic Syntheses Workshop; additionally, he was selected as one of the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Academic Young Investigator Awardees.
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From the ACS Press Room continued
Protein-enriched ketchup Continued from page 5
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At 5% and 13% added protein, the algal taste and greenish color became more noticeable, reducing the samples’ acceptability despite the higher protein content. The authors acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation via the Ural Federal University Program of Development within the Priority 2030 Program. •
2026 SOUTHWEST REGIONAL MEETING OF THE ACS The 2026 Southwest Regional Meeting (SWRM) of the American Chemical Society, themed “Chemistry at the Intersection of Energy, Sustainability, and Biology,” will showcase cutting-edge advances across diverse areas of chemistry and their connections to emerging scientific and technological fields. The meeting will feature both general and specialized symposia, as well as a plenary lecture delivered by Dr. H. N. Cheng, ACS President 2021. September 2026
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From the Editor It’s that time of year again...national meeting just over, and regional meeting coming up. AND it’s time for the Southwest Retort! Keep an eye out for the Southwest Regional Meeting (SWRM) coming up in Fort Worth in November: https://swrm.org...registration is now open, My favorite press release this month concerns adding algal extracts to prepared foods to boost protein. Chlorella vulgaris microalgae rich in protein and can be cultivated rapidly. Interesting fact is that the algae extract tastes fishy, so that it is readily usuable in seafood products. In ketchup, it was a bit of a challenge; keeping the percentage of algae down did control that little problem.
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