UC Resources for Fruit & Vegetable Processing

Food Safety

Food Safety, Food Preservation and Canning links - "Consumer Advice"
(from Dr. Linda Harris and Dr. Trevor Suslow's UC Food Safety Website).

Harris, Linda J. 530-754-9485 Ijharris@davis.edu Microbial food safety & applied microbiology with emphasis on spoilage, safety of fresh-cut fruits & vegetables, microbiology of vegetable fermentations & microbiology of meat. UC Food Safety Website

Suslow, Trevor 530-754-8313 tvsuslow@ucdavis.edu Applied solutions to postharvest quality limitations during transportation; issues of horticultural perishables in distribution; integrates a variety of technologies to identify & control sources of postharvest decay & quality reduction in fresh market vegetables.  UC Food Safety Website

Research by Fruit and Vegetable Topic

For a helpful list of Publications and Presentations arranged by Fruit and Vegetable Topic, please visit this page: http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/index.shtml

Specific Questions by Topic

"Ask the Produce Docs" - a searchable archive of questions and answers arranged by  from 11 Postharvest Extension Specialists and Faculty.

Research by Functional Area

Below is a partial list of University of California extension and research/teaching faculty and a few USDA ARS researchers, listed by functional area.

Marketing & Consumer Science/Sensory

Bruhn, Christine 530-752-2774 cmbruhn@ucdavis.edu Consumer attitudes & perceptions of food quality, safety, and wholesomeness. Educational programs directed toward health professionals, educators, consumers, & the media.  Center for Consumer Research Web

Cook, Roberta 530-752-1531 cook@primal.ucdavis.edu Fresh marketing strategies; international competitiveness; exporting to Mexico & Latin America; U.S. fresh produce distribution systems.  Home Page

Hardesty, Shermain 530-752-0467  shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu Cooperative theory, management and finance, and Food Marketing Systems, especially  the retention of postharvest quality of produce, and the selection of high quality varieties of produce for small producers.  Home Page

Heymann, Hildegarde 530-754-4816  hheymann@ucdavis.edu Descriptive analysis methodology and multivariate data analyses.  Also  food-wine interactions, wine color perception, sensory evaluation of grapes and wines, and the effects of drying methods on the sensory characteristics of raisins.  Home Page

Guinard, Jean-Xavier 530-754-8659 jxguinard@ucdavis.edu Taste chemoreception in man; psychophysics of fats & oils; oral sensitivities & saliva; sensory evaluation methodology; sensory properties of alcoholic beverages; chemical senses & nutrition; sensory determinants of food acceptability.  Dr. Guinard's FST Department Webpage

Plant Breeding & Molecular Biology

Blumwald, Eduardo 530-752-4640  eblumwald@ucdavis.edu Cellular and molecular bases of adaptation of plants to biotic and abiotic stress; the molecular bases of fruit quality.  Home Page

Dandekar, Abhaya 530-752-7784  amdandekar@ucdavis.edu Transfer, expression and regulation of foreign genes in fruit and nut crops.

Gradziel, Thomas 530-752-1575  tmgradziel@ucdavis.edu Improvement programs in peaches and almonds; raw and processed quality (color, firmness, flavor, texture and phytonutrients).

Inoue, Kentaro 530-752-7931 kinoue@ucdavis.edu Plastid biogenesis, protein trafficking, protein maturation, membrane development, photosynthesis, isoprenoid metabolism.  Home Page

Kliebenstein, Daniel 530-754-7775  kliebenstein@ucdavis.edu Secondary metabolites (compounds that provide taste, flavor, color, medicinal activities) of plants, and how they are produced and regulated.  Home Page

Van Deynze, Allen 530-754-6444 avandeynze@ucdavis.edu Seed Biotechnology Center; development of tools for plant breeding and the seed industry; development of DNA markers and high-throughput analysis of DNA markers in tomato, cotton, carrot, potato, pepper and lettuce; development of transgenic crops.  Home page and SBC Home Page

Fruit & Vegetable Processing

Barrett, Diane 530-752-4800 dmbarrett@ucdavis.edu Quality of processed fruit and vegetable products, as affected by raw material quality and method of processing. Quality attributes commonly measured: color, texture, flavor, and nutritional value. Endogenous fruit and vegetable enzymes also of interest.

Krochta, John M. 530-752-2164 jmkrochta@ucdavis.edu Food packaging systems; edible coatings to control mass transfer, microbial growth and disintegration in foods; modeling to describe mass transfer in packaged and coated food systems.  Dr. Krochta's FST Department Webpage

McCarthy, Kathryn L. 530-752-1487 klmccarthy@ucdavis.edu Application of theoretical modeling & experimental evaluation of fluid flow in processing equipment & quality control applications; focus on mixing, rheology, & extrusion processing of food materials.  Dr. McCarthy's FST Department webpage

McCarthy, Michael J. 530-752-8921  mjmccarthy@ucdavis.edu Develops and uses nuclear magnetic resonance and ultrasonic tomographic techniques to determine the physical and transport properties of food systems and consumer products.  Dr. McCarthy's FST Department webpage 

Marco, Maria L. 530-752-1516 mmarco@ucdavis.edu The ecology and molecular genetics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These microorganisms are required for the production of many artisanal and industrial fermented plant, dairy, and meat products.  Dr. Marco's FST Department Webpage

Nitin, Nitin 530-752-6208  nnitin@ucdavis.edu Non-thermal food processing operations for food safety; engineering of food formulations to improve bioavailability of nutraceuticals.  Also works with molecular imaging technologies.  Dr. Nitin's FST Department Webpage

Ristenpart, William 530-752-8780 wdristenpart@ucdavis.edu Metabolites of different foods affecting the response of red blood cells (RBCs) to changes in their micro-environment; optimal dietary strategies to maintain good health and therapeutic strategies for patients with hypo- or hypertension and other disease states.  Home Page

Singh, R. Paul 530-752-0811  rpsingh@ucdavis.edu Structural/functional relations in foods; transport phenomena in drying, freezing, and frying; kinetics of quality changes during distribution and storage; process simulation and efficiency improvements.  Home Page

Chemical Composition & Analysis

Adams, Doug 530-752-1902 doadams@ucdavis.edu Grape berry ripening; genes involved in ripening; biochemical changes that occur during ripening, and the development of tannins in skins and seeds of red wine varieties.  Home Page

Burri, Betty J. 530-752-4748  betty.burri@ars.usda.gov Research in carotenoid metabolism, function, and health maintenance properties.  Home Page

Ebeler, Susan 530-752-0696  seebeler@ucdavis.edu Analytical chemistry techniques to study wine flavor chemistry and the physico-chemical interactions of flavors with nonvolatile wine components, and elucidation of the chemical mechanisms for observed health effects of wine and wine components.  Home Page

Holstege, Dirk 530-752-0148  dmholstege@ucdavis.edu Development of analytical methodologies for chemical analysis in soil, plant tissue, biological materials, and water. Analysis for naturally-occurring toxins of plant origin. Trace metal analysis and trace organic analysis.  Home Page

Labavitch, John 530-752-0920  jmlabavitch@ucdavis.edu Postharvest biology of fruits and nuts - emphasis on cell wall polysaccharide metabolism and biochemistry of post-pathogen interactions.  Home Page

Mitchell, Alyson E. 530-752-7926  aemitchell@ucdavis.edu Influence of phytochemicals and whole foods on human metabolism and health, pre- and post-harvest factors that influence fruit and vegetable quality, effects of processing methods on flavonoid stability in foods, exploring new processing/formulation methods to improve processed foods.  Home Page

Negre-Zakharov, Florence 530-752-4374  fnegre@ucdavis.edu Flavor and aroma biology of fruit and vegetable crops; molecular and biochemical aspects of aroma volatile formation and regulation during fruit development and after harvest.  Home Page

Shoemaker, Charles F. 530-752-8079 cfshoemaker@ucdavis.edu Food rheology; interfacial phenomena in food systems; microcomputer technology in food analysis & process control.  Dr. Shoemaker's FST Department Webpage

Slupsky, Carolyn 530-752-6804  cslupsky@ucdavis.edu The application of analytical metabolomics for the purpose of studying cellular metabolism as it relates to food, nutrient intake, and health status.  Dr. Slupsky's FST Department Webpage

Tian, Li 530-752-0940 ltian@ucdavis.edu Phytonutrient biochemistry and physiology; Biosynthesis, accumulation and function of carotenoids and polyphenols in plants; Targeted improvement of crop phytonutrient composition and content for enhanced nutritional and medicinal values.

Waterhouse, Andrew L. 530-752-0381  venchair@ucdavis.edu The chemistry of a class of natural phytochemicals called ‘phenolic compounds’; addressing two types of effects: those that are important to the taste of wine and those that relate to health effects on wine consumers.  Home Page

Winter, Carl K. 530-752-5448 ckwinter@ucdavis.edu Director, Food Safe Program. Pesticide residues in foods, including analysis, risk assessment, regulation & public policy; development of bioanalytical methods using mass spectrometry to measure xenobiotic metabolites from biological fluids; development of biomarkers for in vivo lipid peroxidation; toxicology of naturally-occurring chemicals. FoodSafe Web

Postharvest Biology & Technology

Arpaia, Mary Lu 559-646-6561 arpaia@uckac.edu At Kearney Agricultural Center. Research focus: Postharvest handling of citrus, avocado & other subtropical fruits.

Cantwell, Marita 530-752-7305 micantwell@ucdavis.edu Research & extension objectives: to identify & solve problems related to postharvest physiology & handling of fresh market vegetables.  Home Page

Crisosto, Carlos 530-752-7549 and 559-646-6596 carlos@uckac.edu At Kearney Agricultural Center and UC Davis Campus.  Developing new technology to overcome fruit industry problems; divulging new information to growers, packers, shippers, buyers, retailers, & produce managers; primary focus: apricot, nectarine, peach, plum, kiwifruit, pomegranate, cherry, apple, Asian pear, persimmon, fresh fig, and table grape  Postharvest Webpage

Mitcham, Elizabeth 530-752-7512 ejmitcham@ucdavis.edu Postharvest biology & technology of fruits aimed at finding alternatives to chemicals used to control physiological disorders, decay, & insects. Extension focus includes: apple, pear, cherry, cling peach, apricot, prune, berries, walnut, almond.  Home Page

Mitchell, Jeff 209-891-2500 mitchell@uckac.edu At Kearney Agricultural Center. Focus on crop management impacts on quality & safety of vegetable crops.

Saltviet, Mikal 530-752-1815 mesaltveit@ucdavis.edu Plant physiology; researching the physiological effects of abiotic stresses (heat and chilling, low oxygen and elevated carbon dioxide, and wounding).  Home Page

Shackel, Ken 530-752-0928  kashackel@ucdavis.edu Impact of tree water status on productivity and the water relations and physiological activity of fruit.  Home Page

Thompson, Jim 530-752-6167 jfthompson@ucdavis.edu Design & operation of cooling systems, transportation equipment & fumigation & cold storage facilities for fresh horticultural perishables; drying systems for fruits & nuts.  Home Page

Nutrition & Public Health

Cassady, Diana 530-754-5550  Public health expertise regarding fruit & vegetable consumption; research in chronic disease prevention, diet and physical activity, social marketing, reducing disparities in health status, and environmental and policy strategies to promote health.  Home Page

Steinberg, Francene M. 530-752-0160  fmsteinberg@ucdavis.edu Physiologic roles of food phytochemicals, particularly soy protein and associated isoflavones, with regard to cardiovascular disease and overall health promotion.  Home Page

German, J. Bruce 530-752-1486 jbgerman@ucdavis.edu Chemistry & biochemistry of lipids; the role of dietary fat in tissue & cell function; essential fatty acid metabolism & synthesis of bioactive metabolites; enzymology of lipid oxidation. Dr. German's FST Department Webpage

Shoemaker, Sharon P. 530-752-2922 spshoemaker@ucdavis.edu Executive  Director, California Institute of Food & Agricultural Research.  Microbial polysaccharides & carbohydrases related to food & agriculture. Microbial fermentation, recovery, characterization & kinetic analysis of native & recombinant forms.

Yokoyama, Wally 510-559-5695  wally.yokoyama@ars.usda.gov Processed Foods Research Unit, USDA  The prevention of obesity related metabolic diseases by soluble dietary polymers.  Home Page