© 2004 CDRF

Comment or suggestion to Site Editor

RESEARCHER RECEIVES UC DISCOVERY GRANT TO APPLY WHEY PROTEIN FILM AND COATING TECHNOLOGY TO FOOD SAFETY

UC Davis Research Receives Matching Funds for CDRF Project

 Davis, Calif. –March 15, 2004 – UC Davis researcher John Krochta, Ph.D., was recently awarded a UC Discovery Grant in the amount of $120,000 for a project to apply his whey protein film and coating work for food safety. 

 The grant, which was matched by equal funding from the California Dairy Research Foundation, is for a two-year project to commercialize the application of whey protein films and coatings as a bioactive food protection system to increase the safety and quality of food.

 “This project will launch significant commercial opportunities not only for food preservation projects, but also for subsequent therapeutic and nutritional products using the same platform,” said Dr. Krochta, a professor of food science and technology at UC Davis. 

 Whey protein films and coatings can carry bioactive compounds that provide antimicrobial and antioxidant protection for foods.  Bioactive compounds can offer significant added value by increasing the safety, shelf life and quality of food, therapeutic and nutritional products. 

 “The value of this project is two-fold,” said Joseph O’Donnell, Ph.D., executive director of the California Dairy Research Foundation.  “The advantage to product manufacturers is in having a cost-effective, easy-to-use system for food protection while at the same time creating a new market for California whey processors.”

 Dr. Krochta’s research demonstrating that whey proteins could form transparent, flexible films resulted in a formulation patent in 1996. His continuing work on the application of whey protein film and coating technology has progressed through the Whey Protein Film/Coating and Applications Lab at UC Davis.  This lab, funded by the dairy industry, academia and food manufacturers, allows practical applications of technology to real industry needs. Based on this work, two additional patent disclosures on whey protein film and coating applications have been submitted.  

 Information about Dr. Krochta’s research is available at www.ediblefilms.org.

 The California Dairy Research Foundation is a non-profit corporation that manages the research activities of the California dairy industry in the areas of basic and applied dairy product research, nutrition, dairy herd health, and food safety. For information about CDRF and the research it supports, visit www.cdrf.org.

 The University of California (UC) Discovery Grant is awarded by the Industry-University Cooperative Research Program (IUCRP) in five fields of science and engineering to strengthen California’s economy. Founded in 1996, the UC Discovery Grant forms a 3-way partnership between industry sponsors, the University of California, and the State of California to support hundreds of industry-university research projects each year. For more information about the UC Discovery Grant, visit www.ucdiscoverygrant.org.
 

Back to News