For every juicy tomato or crunchy almond California grows, there’s a pile of pulp, hulls or scraps that often goes to waste. A new online tool, created by University of California, Davis researchers, tracks those agricultural byproducts aiming to find innovative ways to put them to use.

Ha Nguyen is a newly appointed Assistant Professor and Sensory Scientist in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology (V&E). Her research integrates classic and advanced psychophysical, sensory, and consumer research methods with cutting-edge genetic, molecular biology, and physicochemical techniques to advance sensory knowledge and methodologies, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing wine sensory characteristics and consumer perception.

The food science and technology major offered at UC Davis is a well-rounded mix of theory and practice, with a hands-on learning approach being both effective and expected at California’s No.

Over a decade ago, researchers at UC Davis noticed something unusual while studying yeast: tiny oil droplets sinking to the bottom of a flask. The strain of yeast was producing a natural compound with soap-like properties, and now it’s being developed as an ingredient in cleaning products that are gentle on skin and environmentally friendly.