News - FST | BFTV Cluster News

FST at IAFP and IFT FIRST, July 14-17, 2024

Several of our Food Science and Technology faculty, graduate students and leadership board members and will be participating at the upcoming In-Person IAFP Annual Meeting 2024, to be held July 14-17th, 2024 in Long Beach, California.

Aspiring Food Scientist Creates Low-Calorie, Eco-Friendly Candy Product

Food Science and Technology

‘Fit Candy’ is Made from Upcycled Watermelon Rinds

Driven by his passion for food science and brimming with ideas, UC Davis student Dion Skaria created Fit Candy – a nutritious treat that blends sweet and sour flavors while reducing food waste. This innovative gummy candy is crafted from upcycled watermelon rinds.

Junior Specialist - Selina Wang Lab

Food Science and Technology

The position of Junior Specialist provides technical or specialized expertise in the planning and execution of research projects in a food chemistry laboratory. The junior Specialist stays apprised of the research area and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. The role of this position is to provide specialized expertise in food chemistry research in the laboratory of the Principal Investigator Dr. Selina Wang. The Junior Specialist is actively and significantly engaged in research including various projects that are related to food quality and analytical chemistry method development.

Junior Specialist - Simmons Lab

Food Science and Technology

The position of Junior Specialist provides technical or specialized expertise in the planning and execution of research projects in a Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) Laboratory. The Junior Specialist stays apprised of the research area and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. The role of this position is to provide specialized expertise in microbial food safety research projects of the laboratory of the Principal Investigator Dr. Christopher w. Simmons.

Grad Student Exit Seminar, June 14, 2024, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Food Science and Technology

A Graduate Student Exit Seminar will be held Friday, June 14, 2024, from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT.

In-person in room 3215 Robert Mondavi Institute South, or you can attend remotely by Zoom: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/99572934447

World Food Safety Day, June 7, 2024

Food Science and Technology

Food Science and Technology's Cooperative Extension would like to wish you all a happy and safe World Food Safety Day today, June 7th. World Food Safety Day is an initiative that was started by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The motto for this year is "Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected".

PLASMA Demo Day Spotlights Student Startups

Food Science and Technology

The Student Startup Center at the University of California, Davis, shined a spotlight on student-led startups at PLASMA Demo Day, the culminating experience of their 12-week early-stage cohort accelerator program.

Ten teams of undergraduate student entrepreneurs pitched their companies to industry experts in front of a packed California Hall on May 2. Of them, five were awarded more than $25,000 in prizes.

Donpon (Dawn) Wannasin wins IFT's Caldwell Graduate Fellowship

Food Science and Technology

A huge congratulations to Donpon (Dawn) Wannasin on her being awarded the prestigious and competitive IFT Feeding Tomorrow Fund Dr. Elwood F. Caldwell Graduate Fellowship! Dawn, a first-year Ph.D. student in Selina Wang's lab, was awarded the $25,000 fellowship for her research which focuses on the extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds and other important bioactives in agricultural and food byproducts for potential food and supplement application to improve human and planetary health.

Yeast and Microbial Oils feature in Bon Appetit

Food Science and Technology

Research on yeast oil being done at UC Davis was mentioned in a May 15, 2024 article in Bon Appetit magazine about microbial cooking oils. Phaff Yeast Culture Collection curator Dr. Kyria Boundy-Mills was quoted several times in this article about the future of cooking oils made by fermentation of microbes, including yeasts. The article discusses the favorable properties of several commercially available microbial cooking oils, the improved carbon footprint relative to vegetable oils, and discusses challenges, especially the costs of production.

2024 Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award Recipients

Food Science and Technology

Graduate Studies and Graduate Council are thrilled to honor four extraordinary faculty members with the Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Awards. These awards shine a light on the power of mentorship in shaping the academic and professional journeys of UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Meet the 2024 Recipients

Bruce Hammock, Distinguished Professor
Department of Entomology and Nematology

Barile and Wang labs study health benefits of upcycled Chardonnay grapes

Food Science and Technology

In an April article from Food Ingredients First / Nutrition Insight, Dr. Daniela Barile explains her work on evaluating the bioactive compounds of Chardonnay grape marc (or pomace), which is a substantial waste product of the wine industry, making up around 30% of the grape’s weight. The Chardonnay grape marc is studied because of its health benefits in the gut microbiota and ability to suppress pathogens.

Three Wise Men: The Continuing Legacy of Brewing Education

Food Science and Technology

UC Davis has had many educational and research themes running over many decades. One of the older such themes is the brewing program within the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST). The brewing program has a reputation as a global leader with students coming from far and wide to understand the complex science behind one of the world’s oldest beverages.

Upcycled Iron Chef Competition: Students Transform Food Waste into Culinary Delights

Food Science and Technology

From the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Georgian cheese bread, cilantro-blackened fish tacos, quesabirria tacos with seitan and cinnamon sugar churros – four culinary creations but only one was crowned winner of the Upcycled Iron Chef Competition at UC Davis.

FST Undergrads Turn Out for 35th Annual Research Conference

Food Science and Technology

The UC Davis 35th Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference (April 26-27, 2024) was well-represented by 13 FST undergraduates. The conference is designed to acquaint undergraduate students with the process and academic rigors of presenting research in a scholarly manner and in an affirming environment, and is open to all academic fields.

Their names and presentation titles are below, as well as their faculty lab affiliation. For more about the conference, see the link below.

Selina Wang awarded the AOCS Timothy L. Mounts Award

Food Science and Technology

Congratulations to Dr. Selina Wang for winning the 2024 Timothy L. Mounts award, given by the American Oil Chemists Society Edible Applications Technology Division. The award recognizes research related to the science and technology of edible oils or derivatives in food products, which may be basic or applied in nature. This award commemorates Timothy Mounts as a distinguished scientist and leader who made numerous contributions to the science and technology of edible fats and oils.

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