Extension/Outreach

DiCaprio Team Seeks Industry Info on Dried Fruit Production

Are you a dried fruit processor?  A team of food scientists, including FST's Erin DiCaprio, at UC Davis is interested in learning from you.  We are interested in developing guidance for validation of dried fruit production, but in order to accurately reflect industry practices we need to know how you do it. Please consider providing information about your process to inform our team.  Our goal is to support the industry and enhance potential market channels for dried fruit processors.

The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes of your time.

FST's Marco Hosts Radical Fermentation Dialogue Series

Please join Food Science and Technology's Maria Marco for interdisciplinary discussions on how food fermentation science intersects with fundamental questions on Indigenous food sovereignty, performance, and feminist science studies. The free virtual series, held biweekly from Jan. 28th to March 11, is offered through the UC Davis Humanities Institute Transcollege Cluster on Radical and Relational Approaches to Fermentation and Food Sovereignty.

EATLAC Webinar Series: The Science of Fermentation

Fermentation Fridays in February

What is a fermented food? Friday February 12th, 12:00-1:00 PM PST
The science of fermented foods: benefits of fermenting food - Friday February 19th, 12:00-1:00 PM PST
The science of fermented foods: the safety of fermented foods - Friday February 26th, 12:00-1:00 PM PST

V&E Extension Team Summary - Fall 2020

The UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Extension team had a busy fall quarter.  We presented three more Office Hours with Dave and Anita (Episodes 12, 13, and 14) and an On the Road program focused on the Paso Robles (San Luis Obispo) area.  Office Hours topics and guests were as follows: 

Episode 12:  September 15, Anita Oberholster, Smoke Exposure Q and A 

Meet Your Food Science Faculty - January 29th, 2021 - 12:00-1:00 pm

Current and prospective students are invited to join our faculty panel (Drs. Juliana de Moura Bell, Glen Fox, and Nitin Nitin) for an open discussion about their research, teaching and a Q&A session on Friday, January 29th, 2021.  Reserve your spot and submit your questions at: http://bit.ly/foodscifaculty2020.  

This event will repeat monthly through May 2021 with a rotating panel of faculty members.  

FDA Partners with CDFA, WCFS and California Agricultural Stakeholders to Enhance Food Safety

FST researchers (Harris Lab) and the Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS) are partnering with FDA, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and agricultural stakeholders from the California Central Coast in the launch of a multi-year study to improve food safety through enhanced understanding of the ecology of human pathogens in the environment that may cause foodborne illness outbreaks, specifically focusing on leafy greens. 

New grant for Dr. DiCaprio will help small-scale fruit & vegetable processors

FST's Dr. Erin DiCaprio, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist in Community Food Safety, has been awarded a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant to assist small-scale fruit and vegetable processors to be in compliance with food safety regulations such as the Food Safety Modernization Act.  The grant will fund new low-to-no-cost online education and in-person workshops which will be offered in both English and Spanish by the team of collaborators, which also includes Cal-Poly Pomona, Purdue, and the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. 

DiCaprio and Marco Lead Fermented Foods Study

It’s not always easy to find silver linings during the COVID-19 pandemic, but here’s one that food scientists at the University of California, Davis, have discovered: More people are exploring the ancient art of fermented foods.

“My mom made her first batch of sauerkraut this summer,” said Maria Marco, a microbiologist and food science professor with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “With so many of us sheltering-in-place, fermented foods are more popular than ever.”

Is takeout safe? FST's Erin DiCaprio shares how to stay healthy and support local restaurants

UC Davis Food Science and Technology's Erin DiCaprio shares her knowledge of viruses and community food safety regarding the coronavirus pandemic's impact on takeout food safety, in an article for Sactown Magazine, on March 26, 2020.  Way to "deliver" the message, Erin!  

Article by Curtis Yee:  http://www.sactownmag.com/Whats-Cooking/2020/takeout-safety-Q&A