New research center establishd

- Fall 1995 "Update" Newsletter Article -
New research center established
Faculty research team will seek to strengthen partnerships between public agencies and private industry
From CATI Publication #951001
Copyright © 1995. All rights reserved.

A new research center focusing on studies in food science and nutrition has been established at the California Agricultural Technology Institute (CATI).

The new affiliate will be called the Center for Food Science and Nutrition Research (CFSNR). Its formation was spearheaded by Dr. Marie Dunford, associate professor for the Department of Enology, Food Science and Nutrition. She will lead a team of seven faculty who have either undertaken or submitted proposals for CATI-sponsored research projects in the areas of food science and nutrition.

Several factors contributed to the decision to establish a CFSNR, Dunford explained. One has been a greater health consciousness on the part of the public. This has raised consumer interest in food science and nutrition research.

Secondly, there has been a tightening of budgets in the private industry. "A clear trend in the food industry is that fewer private dollars are dedicated to in-house research. There is a growing role for university-based researchers," Dunford said.

Thirdly, there appears to be support from public agencies. "Great potential exists for external funding, not only from private industry but from public agencies such as the National Institute of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Both have acknowledged that food and nutrition research has been underfunded and both agencies report that they seek to rectify this situation," she said.

Formation of the CFSNR will further many of the objectives of the Department of Enology, Food Science and Nutrition, which operates under California State University, Fresno's School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Among those goals are to promote and integrate research, and to foster partnerships with industry, professional organizations and public agencies in food and nutritional sciences.

General areas of research addressed by center faculty will include food processing, new food product development, sensory evaluation, food selection, dietary intake, nutrition education, and nutrition-related health problems.

One specific project, being directed by Dunford, involves formulation of a non-fat, reduced lactose, low-calorie ice cream. The reduction of lactose, a natural sugar found in milk, is a key factor in this product because many people who like ice cream don't eat it because their digestive systems don't respond well to it, she explained.

In addition to faculty research, one of the goals of the CFSNR is to offer quality undergraduate and graduate academic programs.

"Educators in food science and nutrition recognize the need for students to be introduced to the research process as undergraduate students and immersed in the process as graduate students, " Dunford said. "The knowledge base of food science and nutrition is changing so quickly that the practitioner of tomorrow will not be able to function in the workplace without being able to collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate new information."

Establishment of the CFSNR brings to four the number of major centers operating under CATI's legislative mandate of applied research and dissemination on behalf of California's agricultural and agribusiness industries. The three other centers are the Center for Agricultural Business (CAB), the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT), and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center (VERC).

For more information, contact one of the following:
Marie Dunford
Center for Food Science and Nutrition Research
California State University, Fresno
(559) 278-2164
E-mail:maried@zimmer.csufresno.edu

or

Steve Olson, Publications Editor
California Agricultural Technology Institute
California State University, Fresno
(559) 278-5680
E-mail: steveo@zimmer.csufresno.edu

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