Graduate Group Faculty

Discovery of bioactive components in foods and food processing streams through advanced analytical mass spectrometry.

Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Development of novel optimization methods for bioprocessing, including use of artificial neural networks; optimization based on historical data and efficient methods of bioprocess development; process monitoring methods for wine processing; fermentation of biological control agents active against grape plant pathogens.

Quantitative methods to understand material transport, breakdown, and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract to improve food safety and quality, increase consumer health benefits, and optimize food processing operations.

Development and application of environmentally friendly technologies to replace the incumbent technology for extracting and fractionating of major food components such as oil, protein, and carbohydrates.

Dr. Delarue’s research focuses on methods to measure sensory perception and preferences and on their effective use in food design. He seeks to develop high validity consumer-oriented methods. In particular, his research explores the role of context in hedonic measures using immersive environments and digital technologies. He also works to develop and validate rapid and flexible descriptive analysis methods with application to new product development and consumer research. Using these methods, he seeks to understand the sensory determinants of food preferences and to finds levers to drive healthy and sustainable food behaviors.

Community food safety and applied food microbiology with emphasis in foodborne viruses.

Food Science Graduate Admission Chair. Partitioning and transport in emulsions and microemulsions; effect of proteins and polysaccharides on micelles and microemulsions; separations and controlled release applications using micelle/gels and microemulsions.

Flavor chemistry and analysis; interaction of flavors with other (non-volatile) food/beverage components. correlation of instrumental and sensory methods of flavor analysis; health effects of wine; development of analytical methodologies for analysis of wine components.

Professor Glen Fox is the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor Malting & Brewing Science. He has interests in raw materials used in malting, brewing and other fermented beverages as well as defining the composition of these materials and their compositional effects on brewing efficiency.

Dr. Gravelle’s research focuses on characterizing the relationship between structural properties and functionality in foods using a materials science approach. To this end, his research activities focus on establishing a more fundamental understanding of how the composition and molecular architecture of multi-component foods impacts their mechanical and sensory response. Particular emphasis is given to characterizing fat-filled food gels, with a target of developing rational design principals that can be used to effectively implement new and emerging ingredients (such as plant-derived proteins).

A second focus of Dr. Gravelle’s research program is the development and characterization of structured oil systems, commonly referred to as “oleogels”. This technology shows promise for mimicking the desirable functional and sensory attributes of traditional fats, while providing an opportunity to optimize the nutritional profile and reduce environmental impact. Further applications include the delivery and controlled release of bioactive compounds.

Taste chemoreception in man; psychophysics of fats and oils; oral sensitivities and saliva; sensory evaluation methodology; sensory properties of alcoholic beverages; chemical senses and nutrition; sensory determinants of food acceptability; consumer research.

Microbial food safety and applied microbiology with emphasis on the safety of fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, and nut meats.

Sensory evaluation of wines and other food products. The study of descriptive analysis and time-intensity methodology and the use multivariate data analyses to integrate sensory and consumer ratings. The use of sensory science to study food and wine.

Most-microbe interactions of lactic acid bacteria; functional genomics of probiotics in food matrices and mammalian gastrointestinal tracts; ecology of lactic acid bacteria on plants and fermented fruits and vegetables.

Molecular genetics and microbial ecology of lactic acid bacteria employed in food and beverage fermentations; characterization of mobile genetic elements in lactic acid bacteria; profiling of mixed culture fermentations using molecular techniques.

Food Science

Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry

Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Micro and Nano-Encapsulation Technologies; Nanoscale Coatings and Material Design for Controlled Release; Nanoparticles for Improved Detection Technologies; Molecular Imaging and Spectroscopy for applications in Food Quality and Safety (e.g. Food-Microbe Interactions); Transport Processes.

Value-added processing of agricultural products for food and non-food applications; characterization of thermal, chemical, physical and rheological properties of food products.

Dept. of Nutrition. Metabolomics; Measuring human health; Relationship between gut microbes and disease; Modulation of gut microbial metabolism; Measuring crop health.

Characterizing and optimizing the efficiency of linked water, energy, and food resource systems. He is particularly interested in applying methodologies for measuring and monitoring these systems and their interrelationships in high-resolution and across multiple scales, both geographic and temporal.

Linoleic acid is a type of fat found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and animal products. Small amounts of linoleic acid are required for proper nutrition, but too much may be detrimental. Americans whose diet includes a lot of processed foods typically consume too much linoleic acid, which can contribute to chronic inflammation, heart disease, and other health problems.

Dr. Wang’s research lab studies the microbial safety of fresh produce, aquaculture products and animal products. Her program uses conventional microbiological technologies and new precision approaches, such as comparative genomics and metagenomics, to study the behavior of foodborne pathogens and their interactions with the background microbiome.

Dr. Wang’s research program focuses on chemical quality, purity, and nutrition parameters that occur during fruit and vegetable post-harvesting, processing and storage. This includes but not limited to (1) identifying the important chemical markers that are important for quality, purity and nutrition in food products; (2) developing robust (faster and cheaper) detection methods so they can be easily adopted by industries; and (3) modifying processing methods to improve quality, purity and nutrition. Dr. Wang is also the research director of UC Davis Olive Center.