What makes a cup of coffee or an energy bar enjoyable is usually more than just the taste. The surrounding environment may also influence the experience.

With that in mind, the Department of Food Science and Technology at University of California, Davis has constructed a new multi-sensory immersive room that can be used for product development, innovation and research.

Wine chemist takes helm of UC Davis institute devoted to wine and food

Professor Andrew Waterhouse, a faculty expert in wine chemistry, quality and analysis, has been named Director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis.

Waterhouse brings extensive experience in teaching, research and community involvement to the institute, which connects faculty and students with a broad network of scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, consumers and industry professionals engaged in wine, brewing and food science.

Feeling nostalgic as you get ready to toast the new year?

Recommendations for “best buys” in Champagnes and party menus from some 50 years ago are among the treats in a new crowdsourcing database of historic wine prices from the University of California, Davis.

UC Davis students try their hand at harvesting olives from campus research groves

Quality olive oil starts with freshly picked olives, rushed to the mill for pressing. In late November, UC Davis students got a taste of the effort involved in harvest by hand-gathering fruit from olive trees at campus research groves.

Industry upbeat about new UC Davis strawberry breeding research

Strawberry farmers and industry leaders say new science, education and collaborations underway at the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program bode well for the quality and sustainability of strawberries in California. The breeding program has launched a large-scale genetic disease-resistance experiment, added students and staff researchers to its expanding team, and planted strawberry-yield trials on five farms from Ventura to Watsonville.