Author
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Seiber, James |
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Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2005 Publication Date: 9/21/2005 Citation: Seiber, James N. 2005. A Model of Agricultural and Food Research Excellence-USDA/ARS/WRRC. MOST-USDA Workshop on Agricultural Products Processing and Food Safety. p. 335. Interpretive Summary: The Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), responsible for solving agricultural problems of national importance. Included among ARS's 100 locations in the U.S. are regional centers such as the Western Regional Research Center (WRRC) located in Albany, California, in the San Francisco Bay area, established in 1939 with an initial mission of developing new methods for preserving foods, in order to increase marketability and enhance quality. WRRC early on established a program of excellence in food processing and preservation, notably during a comprehensive 20-year study of frozen foods, including the Time-Temperature Tolerance (T TT) parameters under which various foods could be kept frozen while preserving quality, safety, and consumer appeal. The T TT studies were recognized in 2002 as a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society. The Center's present research mission areas are: (1) Food Healthfulness, including both healthy components of foods and food safety; (2) New Uses, including new foods based on processing and non-food biobased products and biofuels; (3) Environmental Quality Enhancement, through biologically based methods of controlling invasive weeds, insects, and diseases; and (4) Applications of Molecular Biology to the three preceding areas of research. Among the Center's eight research units are the Processed Foods Research Unit, which aims to develop novel food ingredients or product concepts from cereal, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts using bioengineering and advanced processing technologies. This unit will play a major role in a Center for Agricultural Products Processing, involving the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences (CAAMS), WRRC and other ARS centers and locations. Other research units at WRRC relevant to future collaborations are Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering, Genomics and Gene Discovery, Crop Improvement and Utilization, Produce Safety and Microbiology, Foodborne Contaminants, Plant Mycotoxins, and Exotic and Invasive Weeds. WRRC has 90 principal Ph.D. scientists involved in 28 projects and 10 of the 22 ARS national programs, with extensive collaborations with ARS and University scientists in other locations in the U.S. and abroad, state-of-the-art research labs and pilot plant facilities, and continuing interactions with industrial partners. Technical Abstract: The Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), responsible for solving agricultural problems of national importance. Included among ARS's 100 locations in the U.S. are regional centers such as the Western Regional Research Center (WRRC) located in Albany, California, in the San Francisco Bay area, established in 1939 with an initial mission of developing new methods for preserving foods, in order to increase marketability and enhance quality. WRRC early on established a program of excellence in food processing and preservation, notably during a comprehensive 20-year study of frozen foods, including the Time-Temperature Tolerance (T TT) parameters under which various foods could be kept frozen while preserving quality, safety, and consumer appeal. The T TT studies were recognized in 2002 as a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society. The Center's present research mission areas are: (1) Food Healthfulness, including both healthy components of foods and food safety; (2) New Uses, including new foods based on processing and non-food biobased products and biofuels; (3) Environmental Quality Enhancement, through biologically based methods of controlling invasive weeds, insects, and diseases; and (4) Applications of Molecular Biology to the three preceding areas of research. Among the Center's eight research units are the Processed Foods Research Unit, which aims to develop novel food ingredients or product concepts from cereal, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts using bioengineering and advanced processing technologies. This unit will play a major role in a Center for Agricultural Products Processing, involving the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences (CAAMS), WRRC and other ARS centers and locations. Other research units at WRRC relevant to future collaborations are Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering, Genomics and Gene Discovery, Crop Improvement and Utilization, Produce Safety and Microbiology, Foodborne Contaminants, Plant Mycotoxins, and Exotic and Invasive Weeds. WRRC has 90 principal Ph.D. scientists involved in 28 projects and 10 of the 22 ARS national programs, with extensive collaborations with ARS and University scientists in other locations in the U.S. and abroad, state-of-the-art research labs and pilot plant facilities, and continuing interactions with industrial partners. |
