Smoothies can be a tasty and convenient way to get the important fruits and vegetables you need for a healthy diet. But is a banana and blueberry smoothie the best combo? Researchers at the University of California, Davis, suggest that blending certain ingredients in smoothies can influence whether your body is getting a nutritional boost.

Edward “Ned” Spang has been named director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, or RMI, at the University of California, Davis. Spang, an associate professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, began his new position on Aug. 1. He succeeds wine chemist Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the Department of Viticulture and Enology, who retired in June after five years as RMI director. 

Pieces of dried mango rest on the bottom of a black opaque goblet. Next to it, another glass contains apricot jam. Leticia Cardoso Madureira Tavares, a second-year Ph.D. student in biosystems engineering, brings the glasses up to her nose one at a time to take a sniff.

Orange blossom: gathered from California citrus groves, it’s light in color with mild citrus and floral notes.

Families in Kenya’s dry northern region, who make their living primarily from livestock, depend on rainfall. When drought destroys the vegetation that livestock need to survive, people’s lives become tenuous.

Nearly half of parents who relied on formula to feed their babies during the infant formula shortage last year resorted to potentially harmful feeding methods, according to a survey from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study was published in the journal BMC Pediatrics. 

Red, ripe cherries hide in small clusters amid long leaves in the UC Davis teaching orchard. They’re sweet, juicy, beautiful. In area grocery stores, such delights cost up to $8 a pound, but these would have gone to the birds. They must be harvested by hand, and at the price of labor, they’re too expensive to pick, said orchard manager Victor Serratos of the Department of Plant Sciences.

From concept to container – food science students gave the UC Davis community a taste of their original food creations, including upcycled noodles and a savory vegan waffle.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and an international team of scientists used the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas to create disease resistant rice plants, according to a new study published in the journal Nature June 14.

For decades, Ruihong Zhang, a professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering has been studying biological conversion of food waste to explore solutions that could address environmental challenges. Her recent research on biodegradable plastics using dairy byproducts may reduce the global level of plastic pollution.

The University of California, Davis, this week presented its 2023 Innovation Awards, recognizing faculty, community partners and industry leaders who are developing innovative solutions to improve the lives of others and address important needs in our global society.  

At an in-person ceremony June 13, the university presented awards for Innovator of the Year, Innovative Community Partner and Lifetime Achievement in Innovation. The awards program is managed by the Office of Research.