A almond blossom on a tree.

Current Research Projects

Current Research Projects 2023-24

The first RFP was sent in 2023 to the entire UC Davis campus, inviting researchers, faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists to apply. Projects were to focus on byproduct-related research for pistachios, almonds and pomegranates.

The first round yielded 26 multidisciplinary proposals from across the UC Davis campus representing multiple colleges, schools and departments including expertise in agriculture, engineering, veterinary science and human medicine.

 

Potential impacts of funded projects:

  • Sustainable POM Husk-based 3D Scaffolds for Enhancing Persistence of Probiotics in the Gut
  • Principle Investigators:
    Nitin Nitin and Juliana Bell, Departments of Food Science and Technology and Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Daniela Barile, Department of Food Science and Technology

    Project Summary:
    Food products and supplements targeting human gut and digestive health are a rapidly growing segment of the food industry (expected to grow to $70 billion annually by 2027). This project would create essential functionality for probiotic products by enabling successful delivery, growth and persistence of probiotics and promoting generations of postbiotics using a brand-new fruit byproduct-based matrix.
  • Demonstration of a Pathway to Construction Market for California's Almond Coproducts
  • Principle Investigators:
    Somayeh Nassiri and Sabbie Miller, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Project Summary:
    This project’s goal is to determine whether almond coproducts (hulls, shells and tree trimmings) can be used in California’s concrete sector, a sector which is being required by the state legislature to reduce its emissions by 40% by 2030. There are currently few climate-friendly materials for concrete, creating a substantial obstacle which this research hopes to solve. This project’s success would mean a substantial step in fighting climate change.
  • Characterizing the Biopesticide Potential of Pistachio and Almond Hull Extracts
  • Principle Investigators:
    Amanda Hodson, Department of Entomology and Nematology; Christopher Simmons and Selina Wang, Department of Food Science and Technology

    Project summary:
    In 2021, California produced over 2 million tons of almonds and over 577,500 tons of pistachios, but the hulls left over from these nuts have been considered waste despite promising research indicating that extracts from these byproducts can be utilized in pest suppression, which is a serious problem in California due to increased regulation on chemical fumigation. Extracts of almond and pistachio hulls could both add value to products previously considered waste and control soilborne pests. Reducing the impact of plant parasitic nematodes can help a wide range of crops, including almonds, pistachios, walnuts, grapes and vegetables.
  • Almond Shells: A Natural Biosorbent for Reducing and Recovering the Phenolic Content of Food Processing Wastewaters
  • Principle Investigators:
    Alyson E. Mitchell, Department of Food Science and Technology; Larry Lerno, Department of Viticulture and Enology; Guangwei Huang, Associate Director, Food Research and Technology, Almond Board of California

    Project summary:
    The agri-food industry is responsible for an extremely high volume of organic waste, reaching up to 140 billion tons per year, creating immense costs to food producers and negative environmental impacts. This project proposes a new use for almond shells as a natural, low-cost, environmentally friendly way to remove compounds from food processing wastewater. The researchers’ goal is to develop a filter that can be widely deployed with a focus on using environmentally friendly, renewable materials and has low energy demands.
  • Pistachi-Grow: Assessing the Viability of Pistachio Shell Byproducts as Substrates for Hydroponic Plant Production
  • Principle Investigators:
    Jackson Gross and Nathan Kaufman, Department of Animal Science; Irwin R. Donis-González, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering

    Project Summary:
    As the pistachio industry continues to grow, the amount of pistachio shell byproducts will also rise, leading to an environmental and economic challenge for the industry. Hydroponic food production has long been dependent on materials with significant economic and environmental downsides. The composition of many nut shells is quite similar to coconut production byproducts, which in recent years have become a quickly growing material for hydroponic food production. This project hopes to discern whether pistachio shell byproducts are suitable for hydroponic food production, potentially yielding a great breakthrough in sustainability in California agriculture.
  • Super Food for Cows (SF4C): Pistachio and Pomegranate Byproducts for Sustainable Dairy Production
  • Principle Investigators:
    Matthias Hess, Department of Animal Science; Ruihong Zhang and Hamed El Mashad, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering

    Project Summary:
    California is the nation’s leading producer of dairy products. This unfortunately results in a significant amount of methane production, which is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. This presents an opportunity to reduce these emissions and help the state reach its goal of significantly reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years. California is also the nation’s leading producer of fruits, nuts and vegetables, and several byproducts from these industries have shown potential to reduce methane production from cattle as well as serve as a lower-cost feed supplement. This project looks to investigate whether pistachio and pomegranate byproducts can serve to reduce methane production, reduce dairy production costs and improve environmental health.
  • Extracting Polyphenols from Almond Skins and Blanch Water to Produce Protein-polyphenol Conjugates as a Novel Delivery System with Enhanced Antioxidant Properties
  • Principle Investigators:
    Andrew Gravelle, Juliana Marie Leite Nobrega de Moura Bell and Selina Wang, Department of Food Science and Technology

    Project summary:
    This project looks to explore the phenolic compounds in almond skins, which have the potential to confer antioxidant properties for people. Such compounds are widely used in supplements and as ingredients in cosmetics and personal hygiene products. Their research will utilize sustainable processing strategies, which they also hope will have applications in developing new food products. A largely unexplored area, there is huge potential for discovery.
  • Conversion of Almond and Grape Byproducts to High Value Oils
  • Principle Investigators:
    Kyria Boundy-Mills, Food Science and Technology; Tina Jeoh, Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Payam Vahmani, Animal Science

    Project summary:
    There are at least 150 types of yeast, yet only a precious few have been studied for their ability to convert carbon sources to oils most like tropical oil or meat fat, which is significant because palm oil has become much scarcer in recent years. This interdisciplinary team, which has worked together successfully on previous projects, will investigate whether there is at least one non-GMO yeast capable of converting the nutrients in almond hulls or grape pomace to an oil similar to tropical oils, meat fat or to certain vegetable oils.
  • Transforming Nut Hulls into Nutritious and Sustainable Food Products
  • Principle Investigators:
    Ruihong Zhang, Zhongli Pan and Hamed El-Mashad, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Selina Wang, Department of Food Science and Technology

    Project summary:
    Almond hulls are rich in sugar, dietary fibers and other nutrients, but are underutilized. Both almond hulls and pistachio hulls are presently considered low-value. This project’s goal is to significantly increase their value by utilizing them as sources of sugars and antioxidants to produce highly nutritious ingredients for fungal food products. The researchers plan to develop methods and processes for transforming nut hulls into new, nutritious food products. This research has the potential for huge commercial success, with several food products planned, including a myco-boba, two dry snacks, a protein-powder-like product, and a drink produced using this powered drink ingredient.