About

Janie McClurkin Moore is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University. She holds a B.S. degree in Bio-Environmental Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, obtained in 2006, and both her M.S.A.B.E. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University, earned in 2009 and 2015 respectively. Her areas of expertise include post-harvest treatment technologies, bioprocess engineering, biomass valorization, shelf-life preservation, mycotoxins, food safety, agricultural biosecurity, agricultural terrorism risk assessment, storage and packaging methods, design-based research, and innovative instructional strategies for teaching engineering. Her research focuses on improving the safety, quality, and shelf-life of agricultural products through advanced treatment technologies and bioengineering approaches.

Research topics

• Composite material
• Materials science
• Pathology
• Medicine
• Biomedical engineering
• Cardiology
• Nanotechnology
• Internal medicine
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Surgery
• Polymer chemistry
• Anatomy
• Radiology

Selected publications

• Models for Mold Infection and Mycotoxin Production and Influencing Factors: A Review

  Research Journal of Food and Nutrition · 2025-11-11

  articleOpen access

  Mold infection and mycotoxin production, driven by fungi such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, pose significant threats to global food safety, contributing to 25% of crop losses annually [Eskola et al., 2020].This review synthesizes mathematical modeling approaches-empirical, mechanistic, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based-for predicting mold growth and mycotoxin contamination in food systems.Empirical models, like polynomial regressions, offer simplicity but limited generalizability, while mechanistic models, such as the Baranyi-Roberts framework, provide biological insights yet demand detailed data.AI-driven models, including deep learning, achieve up to 95% predictive accuracy by capturing nonlinear environmental interactions (e.g., temperature, water activity) [Mateo et al., 2021].Key factors influencing contaminationtemperature, moisture, pH, oxygen, and substrate-are analyzed, with AI enhancing real-time risk assessment.Challenges include data scarcity, model interpretability, and high costs, particularly in developing regions like Vietnam.By integrating hybrid AI-mechanistic models and leveraging IoT for real-time monitoring, future strategies can reduce mycotoxin risks, supporting safer storage and sustainable food systems.This review guides researchers and policymakers in advancing predictive tools for food safety management.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of Cold Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasma Effects on DNA Endoreplication in <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i>: A Rapid Flow Cytometry‐Based Study

  Plasma Processes and Polymers · 2024-11-26 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT This study investigates the chromosomal changes in Callosobruchus maculatus utilizing flow cytometry analysis following treatment with high‐voltage modified air‐based cold atmospheric‐pressure plasma (CAP) generated in a contained dielectric barrier discharge reactor. C. maculatus , a significant bio‐contaminant in cowpea legumes with potential infestation in other legumes such as chickpeas and lentils, was the focus of this study. CAP treatment has garnered attention as a potential control method for stored product pests, demonstrating high mortalities in various insect species. However, the underlying mechanism of action remains elusive. Our investigation, using a flow cytometry‐based approach, reveals the absence of increased DNA ploidy in CAP‐treated C. maculatus . This finding contributes to the ongoing exploration of the efficacy and mechanisms underlying cold plasma treatment in pest management strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Student performance impacted from modifying a first-year/semester engineering core course during a global pandemic

  2024-02-06

  articleSenior author

  Abstract We consider the impact of precipitous decisions to abruptly migrate a first-year and first-semester engineering core course to partially online as a response to a pandemic. This quantitative and retrospective study seeks to identify any effects of a global pandemic on student performance in a course at a large research university in the southwestern continental United States. The study focuses on student performance as an important factor that directly impacts and concerns many students. The study compares 340 Fall 2019 students' performance to 293 Fall 2020 students' performance on similar coursework. The Fall 2020 course implemented a transition to a hybrid format (combined online and in-room class meetings) as part of precautions over the pandemic. We employed statistical analyses methods (paired t-tests, etc.) on the student data. The Fall 2019 exam average decreased from the first to the second by 13.37 whereas Fall 2020 hardly had a change in the two exam averages (difference in mean of 0.3208). The paired t-tests showed the significance of the variations: 5.974 for the first test for fall 2019 compared to Fall 2020 with a significance of 3.868e−9 and -4.406 for the second test for fall 2019 compared to Fall 2020 with a significance of 1.238e−5. The result of this study can help determine the impact of precipitous decisions to abruptly migrate a course to partially online as a response to a pandemic and thereby help inform future preparations for similar events.

  PublisherDOI

• Using a pilot course to evaluate curriculum redesign for a first year engineering program.

  2024-01-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract To improve pathways in math and physics for first year engineering students, a large Southwestern University redesigned their curriculum. Before the new curriculum was implemented, a pilot course was developed to evaluate the course material and assess the difficulty for the first cohort of freshman students. In the design of the pilot course the full semester materials were condensed to 6 weeks and the cohort of participants represented 12 different engineering disciplines and all 4 grade levels, all of whom had taken the original first year engineering courses. In this work we assessed students' perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge gains using surveys, journals, homework assignments, and the student assessment of learning gains survey. Grounded theory was used to code over 650 survey responses from 26 students. The results were separated into 5 primary codes (book, lecture, quiz, lab assignment, and homework), and 6 secondary codes (clarity, length, what went well, what went wrong, and recommendations). Tertiary codes gave us direction on how to adjust the course once it went live.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Creating a Supportive Space for Teaching-Focused Faculty to Write About their Teaching

  2024-02-08

  articleOpen access

  She enjoys project-

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Valorisation of Agri-Food Waste for Bioactive Compounds: Recent Trends and Future Sustainable Challenges

  Molecules · 2024-04-29 · 126 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Worldwide, a massive amount of agriculture and food waste is a major threat to the environment, the economy and public health. However, these wastes are important sources of phytochemicals (bioactive), such as polyphenols, carotenoids, carnitine, coenzymes, essential oils and tocopherols, which have antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties. Hence, it represents a promising opportunity for the food, agriculture, cosmetics, textiles, energy and pharmaceutical industries to develop cost effective strategies. The value of agri-food wastes has been extracted from various valuable bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, dietary fibre, proteins, lipids, vitamins, carotenoids, organic acids, essential oils and minerals, some of which are found in greater quantities in the discarded parts than in the parts accepted by the market used for different industrial sectors. The value of agri-food wastes and by-products could assure food security, maintain sustainability, efficiently reduce environmental pollution and provide an opportunity to earn additional income for industries. Furthermore, sustainable extraction methodologies like ultrasound-assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, pulse electric field-assisted extraction, ultrasound microwave-assisted extraction and high hydrostatic pressure extraction are extensively used for the isolation, purification and recovery of various bioactive compounds from agri-food waste, according to a circular economy and sustainable approach. This review also includes some of the critical and sustainable challenges in the valorisation of agri-food wastes and explores innovative eco-friendly methods for extracting bioactive compounds from agri-food wastes, particularly for food applications. The highlights of this review are providing information on the valorisation techniques used for the extraction and recovery of different bioactive compounds from agricultural food wastes, innovative and promising approaches. Additionally, the potential use of these products presents an affordable alternative towards a circular economy and, consequently, sustainability. In this context, the encapsulation process considers the integral and sustainable use of agricultural food waste for bioactive compounds that enhance the properties and quality of functional food.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Atmospheric cold plasma-induced mortality in Sitophilus oryzae (L.)

  Crop Protection · 2024-04-07 · 6 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Machine learning-based analysis of nutrient and water uptake in hydroponically grown soybeans

  Scientific Reports · 2024-10-17 · 13 citations

  articleOpen access

  Recent advancements in sustainable agriculture have spurred interest in hydroponics as an alternative to conventional farming methods. However, the lack of data-driven approaches in hydroponic growth presents a significant challenge. This study addresses this gap by varying nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium concentrations in hydroponically grown soybeans and conducting essential nutrient profiling across the growth cycle. Statistical techniques like Linear Interpolation are employed to interpolate nutrient data and a feature selection pipeline consisting of chi-squared testing methods, Linear Regression with Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and ExtraTreesClassifier have been used to select important nutrients for predicting water uptake using non-parametric regression methods. For different nutrient growth media, i.e. for soybeans grown in Hoagland + Nitrogen and Hoagland + Magnesium media, the Random Forest regressor outperformed other methods in predicting water uptake, achieving testing Mean Squared Error (MSE) scores of 24.55 ( $${\text{R}}^{2}$$ score 0.63) and 8.23 ( $${\text{R}}^{2}$$ score 0.81), respectively. Similarly, for soybeans grown in Hoagland + Potassium media, Support Vector Regression demonstrated superior performance with a testing MSE of 4.37 and $${\text{R}}^{2}$$ score of 0.85. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values are examined in each case to elucidate the contributions of individual nutrients to water uptake predictions. This research aims to provide data-driven insights to optimize hydroponic practices for sustainable food production.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Computational Thinking in the Formation of Engineers: Year 2

  2024-02-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract This poster presentation reports the results during the second year of the "Collaborative Research Project: Research in Improving Computational Thinking in the Formation of Engineers, a Multi-Institutional Initiative." During this year, the validation of the ECTD, as a mechanism to assess entry level computational thinking skills as one factor, has been completed. The progress also includes 27 interviews done with 3 cohorts of students that shared similar social identities in one institution (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, first generation/gifted classification, decrease in level of confidence) to explore aspects in the first year experience that might affect the decision to be an engineer. The interviews were done with students that reported different levels of stress given position-of-stress questions added to the ECTD and later asked in the semester (at a different point of stress). These interviews revealed privilege of those with prior computing training or experience. For the next year of this project, the research team expects to expand to mixed-method data collection for all three institutions in the collaborative and to continue gathering longitudinal data. The results are expected to inform current first-year engineering programs and impact curriculum, enculturation of engineers, and increase participation. The research team expects these results will improve the preparation of an inclusive community of diverse engineers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Changes in cottonseed meal quality during post-harvest processing of cottonseed

  Journal of Stored Products Research · 2024-06-27 · 4 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant S06GM008205

  NIH · $38.4M · 2009

• NIH Grant R01HL094269

  NIH · $2.7M · 2015

• Transport Phenomena in the Lymphatic System

  NIH · $2.9M · 2014–2020

• NIH Grant R01EB000115

  NIH · $1.5M · 2008

• NIH Grant R21HL085659

  NIH · $387k · 2011

Frequent coauthors

• David C. Zawieja

  Bryan College

  33 shared

• Michael R. Moreno

  Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

  24 shared

• Christopher Bertram

  University of Sydney

  19 shared

• João S. Soares

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  17 shared

• Mohammad Jafarnejad

  17 shared

• Jennifer Frattolin

  Imperial College London

  16 shared

• Lucas H. Timmins

  Texas A&M University

  16 shared

• Clark A. Meyer

  The University of Texas at Dallas

  14 shared

Education

• B.S., Bio-Environmental Engineering

  North Carolina A&T State University – Greensboro

  2006

• Other, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

  Purdue University – West Lafayette

  2009

• Ph.D., Agricultural and Biological Engineering

  Purdue University – West Lafayette

  2015