Lucas Krusinski

Overview

The research in the Krusinski Lab is performed at the nexus of food and animal science. We investigate the effects of agricultural practices on meat nutrient density and authenticity. The Krusinski Lab performs high-throughput multi-omics work to measure fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, secondary metabolites, and animal health biomarkers in beef. Most of the work is performed on grass-finished cattle, and we are deeply interested in the use of supplemental feeds and agricultural by-products to enhance meat nutrient density and animal welfare. We love solving rancher-identified issues, so if you are a rancher and would like to collaborate, please contact us!

Publications

From practices to outcomes: a perspective on regenerative agriculture, nutrient density, and the need for results-based verification in U.S. food systems
Krusinski L
Published, Explor. Foods Foodomics, 2026
https://doi.org/10.37349/eff.2026.1010142 

Design principles of cells for eatability and scalability of cultivated meat
Smith CS, Krusinski L, Cohen CA, Kawecki SN, Moccio L, ..., Fenton JI, Rowat AC
Published, Trends Food Sci. Technol., 2026
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105731 

Highly targeted metabolomics coupled with gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR improves beef separation based on grass, grain, or grape supplemented diet
Krusinski L, Castanon C, Hellberg RS, Maciel ICF, Ahsin M, van Vliet S, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Food Front., 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70022

Fatty acids and secondary metabolites can predict grass-fiinished beef and cattle supplemental feeds
Krusinski L, Maciel ICF, van Vliet S, Ahsin M, Adams J, Lu G, Bitler CA, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, npj Sci. Food, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-024-00315-5

Measuring the phytochemical richness of meat: Effects of grass/grain-finishing systems and grapeseed extract supplementation on the fatty acid and phytochemical content of beef
Krusinski L, Maciel ICF, van Vliet S, Ahsin M, Lu G, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Foods, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12193547 

Effects of hay, baleage, and soybean hulls waste used as supplemental feeds on the nutritional profile of grass-finished beef
Krusinski L, Maciel ICF, Sergin S, Jambunathan V, Garg E, Garmyn AJ, Singh S, Bitler CA, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Foods, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233856 

Fatty acid and micronutrient profile of longissimus lumborum from Red Angus and Red Angus x Akaushi cattle finished on grass or grain
Krusinski L, Maciel ICF, Sergin S, Goeden T, Schweihofer J, Singh S, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Foods, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213451 

Evaluation of fatty acid and antioxidant variation in a complex pasture system as compared to standard cattle feed in the Great Lakes Region
Krusinski L, Maciel ICF, Sergin S, Goeden T, Ali H, Kesamneni S, Jambunathan V, Cassida KA, Singh S, Medina-Meza IG, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.945080 

Attention to the details: How variations in grass-fed and grass-finished cattle-feed supplementation and finishing date influence the nutritional quality of beef
Krusinski L, Sergin S, Jambunathan V, Rowntree JE, Fenton JI
Published, Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 2022.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.851494 

Skin carotenoids status of Black/African college students correlates with plasma carotenoids and fruits and vegetable intake independent of skin tone
Faraji B, Jahns L, Bukowski MR, Thompson-Johnson T, Krusinski L, Lawson Goldberg J, Brooks C, Snyder S.
Published, Int. J. Clin. Nutr. Diet., 2022.
https://doi.org/10.15344/2456-8171/2022/161 

Fatty acid and antioxidant composition of conventional compared to pastured eggs: Characterization of conjugated linoleic acid and branched chain fatty acid isomers in eggs
Sergin S, Goeden T, Krusinski L, Kesamneni S, Ali H, Bilter CA, Medina-Meza IG, Fenton JI
Published, ACS Food Sci. & Tech., 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.0c00093