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Assorted colorful snack chip bags lined on a grocery store shelf

That Avocado Oil Chip You’re Eating May Not Be Made With Pure Avocado Oil

Food Science and Technology
If you've been reaching for chips, mayonnaise or salad dressing labeled "made with avocado oil," there's a good chance the oil inside isn't pure avocado oil, despite it being the only listed oil ingredient. University of California, Davis, researchers tested processed foods marketed as containing avocado oil. They found 48 of the 54 avocado oil-labeled products were adulterated with cheaper oils. The study was published in Applied Food Research.
Graphic banner: Regenerative Agriculture Research Symposium — June 16–17, Nashville

Zhuo Chen selected for CPS Professional Development Program 2026

Food Science and Technology

Congratulations to Zhuo Chen, Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Luxin Wang's lab, who has been selected along with six others to be in the Center for Produce Safety's Professional Development Program for 2026.  

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) congratulates the recipients selected for the 2026 Professional Development Program Awards. On behalf of the CPS Board of Directors, Vice Chair Charles Leftwich (Sysco Corporation) recognizes these emerging professionals for their commitment to produce safety, scientific excellence, and future industry leadership.

Hands presenting an open award box on stage, blurred drums and blue lights

Awards & Honors

Viticulture and Enology

The following faculty received awards and honors this Spring.

 

Congratulations to our very own Distinguished Professor, Dr. David E. Block for receiving the 2026 American Society for Enology and Viticulture Merit Award — the Society’s highest honor! 

Auditorium stage with speaker at podium, four empty chairs, large projected vineyard photo

Extension & Industry Relations Update: Spring 2026

Viticulture and Enology

The UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology (V&E) Extension Team organized and presented several programs both on and off campus from January through April 2026. At the January 2026 Unified Symposium in Sacramento, the Departments of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, Fresno State, and Washington State, along with the Oregon Wine Research Institute at Oregon State University, co-hosted a Unified academic alumni, student, and friends’ reception on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The turnout was great, over 310 people stopped by!

People talking by trellised vines in a sunny farm field under blue sky

Spring 2026 Student Outreach

Viticulture and Enology

Our on-campus student outreach efforts maintained strong momentum throughout the spring, as we welcomed a diverse range of visitors and collaborators. This quarter, we hosted community college counselors and administrators and middle and high school students from the Lodi and Napa Valley regions. In addition, our undergraduate advisor, Liz, and the broader team demonstrated exceptional leadership in engaging admitted students during Aggie Day and Picnic Day, encouraging prospective Aggies to enroll at UC Davis.

A person wearing safety glasses, a light gray hoodie, and jeans smiles while standing beside a wine barrel in a winery or fermentation lab. They hold a wine thief in one hand, sampling liquid from the barrel, and two test tubes filled with dark red liquid in the other. Multiple barrels are visible in the background behind glass.

Student Profile: Andrea Villaseñor

Viticulture and Enology

Andrea Villaseñor is a 4th-year Viticulture & Enology undergraduate student. Find out more about Andrea and her experience studying in the program. 

Degree / focus / interest areas:
B.S. in Viticulture & Enology. I am focused on the winemaking industry and interested in gaining more experience in both cellar and lab work to better understand the full winemaking process.

Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Calistoga, California, in the Napa Valley.

Smiling woman pointing at a large academic poster on a hallway wall

Sheryl Long wins NCIFT grad student poster competition

Food Science and Technology

Sheryl Long, a Ph.D. student co-advised by Drs. Luxin Wang and Erin DiCaprio, won the graduate student poster competition organized by the Northern California Section of the Institute of Food Technologists. Her research, titled “Survival of Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli in Hydroponic Nutrient Solution,” assessed the behavior of common foodborne pathogens in fresh and recirculating nutrient solutions and provided scientific data for the risk assessment of fresh produce cultivated in controlled environment agriculture. 

Dr. Mark Kliewer toasting under the grapevine arbor at his home in Oregon in 2011.

Remembering Dr. Mark Kliewer

Viticulture and Enology

Renowned UC Davis Professor of Viticulture Mark Kliewer Dies at 91
Kliewer trained a generation of viticulturists and winemakers while conducting research which provided the foundation for modern vineyard management practices. 

Anita Oberholster

Remembering Anita Oberholster

Viticulture and Enology

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Anita Oberholster, Professor of Cooperative Extension in Enology in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her passing leaves an immeasurable void in our UC Davis V&E family. Above all, our thoughts are with Anita’s husband, Connie, and their two children during this difficult time.

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