The university’s Nutraceutical Research Laboratory has received a Georgia Center of Innovation Award from Gov. Sonny Perdue for its work on the nutraceutical value of the muscadine grape. The accompanying grant, funded by the OneGeorgia Authority, will support development of the commercial production process for a concentrated liquid extract from muscadine grape pomace.
The research team is comprised of Diane Hartle and Phillip Greenspan, associate professors in the College of Pharmacy, and James Hargrove, associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
The laboratory has been conducting biomedical research on muscadine photochemical fractions for the past six years. The muscadine is being developed for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and its action against cancer, aging, osteoarthritis and diabetes. Muscadine Medicine, a book written by Hartle, Greenspan and Hargrove in 2005, summarizes the biomedical literature supporting the health benefits of muscadines.
