D.A. Minott-Kates B.Sc, Ph.D., U.W.I. Lecturer (Food) donna.minott@uwimona.edu.jm

Research Interests:

Classification of food and foodstuffs that have a uniquely Jamaican identity (in origin, method of preparation, etc.) via examination of nutrients and antinutrients (toxicants, carcinogens etc.), flavour profile (essential oils), etc.
Some research projects include:

• Tracking hypoglycin variation in ackees during maturation, across varieties, over seasons; investigation of factors that contribute to elevated levels of hypoglycin
• Chemistry of Jamaican spices (e.g., pimento, Scotch Bonnet pepper); essential oil and oleoresin composition; changes in metabolite profile; biological activity;
• Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in Jamaican jerked meats

Selected Publications:

• Safiyyah J S Dundee and Donna A Minott. "Impact of seed size on residual hypoglycin levels in ackee", Food Research International 2012, 47, 306-309.
• Camille S. Bowen-Forbes, Donna A. Minott. "Tracking Hypoglycins A and B over Different Maturity Stages: Implications for Detoxification of Ackee (Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig) Fruits", Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2011, 59(8), 3869-3875.
• Paula F. Tennant, Simone E. Pinnock, Melissa Powell and Andrew O. Wheatley, Donna A. Minott, "An Overview of the Safety Assessment of Transgenic Papaya for the Management of Papaya Ringspot Virus in Jamaica", Transgenic Plant Journal 2010, 4(SI1), 29-36
• Camille S. Bowen-Forbes and Donna A. Minott, "Structural characterization of hypoglycin B, a diastereomeric dipeptide from the ackee fruit (Blighia sapida Koenig) by NMR experiments", Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry 2009, 47, 1004-1006.
• Madeen Roberts, Donna A. Minott, Paula F. Tennant and Jose C. Jackson, "Assessment of compositional changes during ripening of transgenic papaya modified for protection against Papaya Ringspot Virus", Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2008, 88(11), 1911-1920.
• Donna A. Minott and Heather A Brown. "Differentiation of fruiting and non-fruiting Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. trees based on composition of leaf volatiles". Journal of Essential Oil Research 2007, 19(4), 354-357.