Photo of Amilton de Mello, Extension

Amilton de Mello

Associate Professor, State Specialist

Summary

As the population grows, the demand for animal protein is expected to increase. The agricultural sector is entering a new era, and there is an urgent need to increase production by consuming fewer resources. 

Producing sufficient and affordable meat will require sustainable practices and improved labor efficiency. Allied to this concept is the necessity of following rigorous production standards to ensure that meat is nutritious and safe for consumption.

Our research program focuses on meat quality, food security, and human health issues.

Some of our current research projects include topics related to:

  • Identification of molecular biomarkers for meat quality attributes.
  • Optimization of the molecular composition of meat through feeding strategies.
  • Interactions between meat-derived nucleic acids and human health.
  • Post-harvest food safety interventions to minimize cross-contamination during slaughter and processing.

Education

D.V.M. University of Marilia, Veterinary Medicine, 2001
M.S., Sao Paulo State University, 2005
Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 2010

Programs

cooked food

Food Safety Project

Extension has been instrumental in bringing about the "Nevada Food Safety Task Force," which strives to provide a working forum for food safety experts and to improve communication between all entities that are held accountable for food safety and security within our state.Improving Food Safety Education for Child and Adult Care Providers in Nevada.

Honors and Awards

University of Nevada, Reno - Early Career Innovator Award (2018).

Washoe County 4H Program - Friend of 4-H Service Award (2019).

University of Nevada, Reno - Cooperative Extension Outstanding Academic Faculty (2020).

American Meat Science Association - Achievement Award (2022).

 

Service

USDA - State of Nevada HACCP Coordinator (2018- current)

USDA - National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) - Advisor (2018-2020)

Nevada Food Safety Task Force (NFSTF) - Academia Chair (2015-2020)

 

 

News & Journal Articles, Fact Sheets, Reports...

Fact Sheets
Reclaiming Water for Urban Foodsheds: State of Nevada Regulations and Permitting.
The Reclaiming Water for Urban Foodsheds project integrates basic scientific research with Extension outreach to examine the feasibility of using reclaimed water resources for irrigated agriculture in urban environments.
 Sterle, K., Ormerod, K.J., Singletary, L., Pagilla, K., Hanigan, D., Verburg, P. and Yang, Y. 2020, Extension I University of Nevada, Reno, FS-20-11
Reclaiming Water for Urban Foodsheds: Program Overview
Reclaiming Water for Urban Foodsheds integrates basic scientific research with Extension outreach to examine the feasibility of using reclaimed water resources for irrigated agriculture in urban environments.
 Pagilla, K., Hanigan, D., Yang, Y., Verburg, P., Sterle, K., and Singletary, L. 2019, Extension I University of Nevada, Reno, FS-19-08.
Journals
Does montane meadow restoration influence the mineral association and stability of soil carbon? Bagcilar, S.H., Reed, C.C., Poulson, S.R. et al. 2024, Biogeochemistry 167, 1089–1105 (2024)
Modeling the fate of ionizable pharmaceutical and personal care products (iPPCPs) in soil-plant systems: pH and speciation A. Shahriar, D. Hanigan, P. Verburg, K. Pagilla, Y. u. Yang 2022, Environmental Pollution Volume 315, 15 December 2022, 120367
Immediate effects of burning sagebrush vegetation on soil nutrient dynamics and fertile islands in a cold desert ecosystem C. Igono, W. Payne, R. Blank, P.S. Verburg, E. Nyakatawa 2022, Journal of Arid Land Studies. 32 (2022) 76
Montane Meadows: A Soil Carbon Sink or Source? C.C. Reed, A G. Merrill, W. M. Drew, B. Christman, R. A. Hutchinson, L. Keszey, M. Odell,S. Swanson, P. S. J. Verburg, J. Wilcox, S.C. Hart, B. W. Sullivan 2021, Ecosystems, 24(5), 1125–1141
Modeling the fate and human health impacts of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in reclaimed wastewater irrigation for agriculture. Shahriar, A., Tan, J., Sharma, P., Hanigan, D., Verburg, P., Pagilla, K., & Yang, Y. u. 2021, Environmental Pollution Volume 276, 1 May 2021, 116532
Predicting micro-catchment infiltration dynamics Founds, M., McGwire, K., Weltz, M., Verburg, P. S. 2020, CATENA Volume 190, July 2020, 104524
Improving modeling of quinoa growth under saline conditions using enhanced Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender Model. Goehring, N., Saito, L., Jeong, J., Kiniry, J., Meki, N., Verburg, P. S. 2019, Agronomy, 9(10), 592
Aerobic respiration of mineral-bound carbon in a soil. Adhikari, D., Dunham-Cheatham, S., Wordofa, D., Verburg, P. S., Poulson, S. R., Yang, Y. 2018, Science of the Total Environment, 651, 1253-1260
Determination of the Concentration and Isotopic Composition of Soil Carbon in Arid Soils Ketchian E., Trimble B., Poulson S., Verburg P.S.J. 2018, Soil Science Society of America Journal Vol. 82 No. 1, p. 231-234
Conversion of a Semi-Arid Nevada Soil to Irrigated Agriculture Preferentially Removes Labile Carbon. Trimble, B., Calderon, F., Poulson, S., Verburg, P. S. 2018, Soil Systems, 2(38)
Microbial Transformation of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes by Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 You, Y., Das, K., Guo, H., Chang, C.-W., Navas-Moreno, M., Chan, J., Verburg, P. S., Poulson, S. R., Wang, X., Xing, B., Yang, Y. 2017, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2017, 51 (4), pp 2068–2076
Plant species effects on soil nutrients and chemistry in the Great Basin under recent and current climatic conditions. Johnson, B., Verburg, P. S., Arnone, J. 2016, Oecologia, 182, 299-317
A synthesis of climate and vegetation cover effects on biogeochemical cycling in shrub-dominated drylands. de Graaff M-A, Throop H, Verburg PSJ, Arnone JA III, Campos X. 2014, Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-014-9764-6
Effects of climate and vegetation on soil nutrients in the Great Basin studied using a latitudinal-elevational gradient. Johnson, B., Verburg, P. S., Arnone, J. A. 2014, Plant and Soil, 382, 151-163.
Carbon allocation in Larrea tridentata plant-soil systems as affected by elevated soil moisture and N availability Verburg, P. S., Kapitzke, S. E., Stevenson, B. A., Bisiaux, M. 2014, Plant and Soils, Volume 378, Issue 1-2, pp 227-238
Do increased summer precipitation and N deposition alter fine root dynamics in a Mojave Desert ecosystem? Verburg P.S.J., A.C. Young, B.A. Stevenson, I. Glanzmann, J.A. Arnone III, G. M. Marion, C. Holmes, R.S. Nowak 2013, Global Change Biology. 19, 948-956
Moisture effects on carbon and nitrogen emission from burning of wildland biomass. Chen, L.-W. A., P. Verburg, A. Shackelford, D. Zhu, R. Susfalk, J. C. Chow, J. G. Watson. 2010, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion, 10, 7985-8007.
Impacts of an anomalously warm year on nutrient availability in experimentally manipulated tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Verburg, P.S.J., D.W. Johnson, D.E. Schorran, L.L. Wallace, Y. Luo, J.A. Arnone III. 2009, Global Change Biology. 15: 888-900
Reduction of ecosystem CO2 uptake in anomalously warm year persists due to lagged rise in respiration. Arnone III, J.A., P.S.J. Verburg, D.W. Johnson, J.D. Larsen, R.L. Jasoni, A.J. Farnady, C.M. Batts, C. von Nagy, W.G. Coulombe, D.E. Schorran, P.E. Buck, B.H. Braswell, J.S. Coleman, R.A. Sherry, L.L. Wallace, Y. Luo, D.S. Schimel 2008, Nature. 455:383-386.
Soluble element distributions in a Mojave Desert soil. Marion, G.M., P.S.J. Verburg, B. Stevenson, J.A. Arnone III. 2008, Soil Science Society of America Journal. 72:1815-1823
Impacts of an anomalously warm year on soil CO2 fluxes in experimentally manipulated tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Verburg, P.S.J., J. Larsen, D.W. Johnson, D.E. Schorran, J.A. Arnone III. 2005, Global Change Biology. 11:1720-1732
Special Publications
The Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Reclaimed Water Used for Irrigation of Agricultural Crops in Nevada
This publication, which is part of a series, reports on experimental research to quantify the fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal care Products in alfalfa and green wheatgrass irrigated with reclaimed water in a greenhouse setting.
 Busse, G., Verburg, P., Hanigan, D., Sharma, P., Yang, Y., Pagilla, K., & Singletary, L. 2021, Extension I University of Nevada, Reno, SP-21-07