Synopsis

Consumers increasingly demand characteristics such as convenience, high nutritional value, safety, and variety in the food products they buy. Providing these characteristics through food processing adds value to agricultural commodities. In fact, food processing contributes approximately 75 percent of the retail value of food in the United States and generates increased economic activity, jobs, and industrial development. While three-fourths of all international food imports are in processed or value-added products, half of American food, agriculture, and forestry exporting is in raw commodities. The U.S. trade balance would improve if a higher percentage of raw material could be incorporated into processed products before export. Research that enables increased value-added food processing will result in more products that meet consumer demands, increased economic activity, and an improved trade balance for the American economy. Research can also help overcome the problems of surpluses, low prices, and weak export markets for agricultural commodities.

Developing new uses for agricultural and forestry commodities and byproducts as well as new non-food products from those commodities, increases opportunities for new industries and jobs in rural areas. It also provides desirable alternatives to petroleum-based products and expands domestic and export markets for agricultural and forestry products. Growing consumer demand for more environmentally benign non-food, non-fiber products can be met through research and the development of innovative technology for processing agricultural and forestry materials into a broad array of products.

Southern Synopsis The Southern Region grows the majority of the nation's cotton but as yet has not taken full advantage of processing cotton into other products it is shipped to other regions of the United States or to foreign countries for processing. The Southern Region also has opportunities to expand added-value processing to raw commodities such as poultry, swine, beef, dairy, aquaculture, sheep, goats, peanuts, pecans, citrus, rice, and sweet potatoes. The region's forest product industries continue to seek new ways to effectively use residual products after processing, use low-grade timber, and develop new products. Adding new industries that process raw commodities to consumer-oriented ones will help revitalize the Southern Region's poor rural areas.

Base Program Dynamics

Research has focused on understanding structure/function relationships in food systems, prediction and control of end-product quality, development and evaluation of new processing and packaging technologies, and development of new food sources.

Research on the use of non-food products, such as medicines, biofuels, polymers, packaging, building materials, and clothing has grown markedly over the last decade. Environmental concern and customer demands have generated new opportunities to incorporate agricultural and forestry products into many new industrial and consumer products with higher value. Research has provided industries with better quality products that are competitive with more energy-intensive materials. Byproducts and residuals from agriculture and forestry, previously considered waste, are now receiving more attention as raw materials for new products.

CONVERT PROCESSING BYPRODUCTS TO BENEFICIAL USES

• Sustainable Ecosystems
• Synergy at the Agriculture-Urban Interface
• Waste Management
• Global Competitiveness

Impact
The processing and manufacturing of products derived from agriculture and forestry generate large volumes of byproducts and residuals that could be converted to useful products by advanced technologies. The alternative is to continue sending waste products into sewers and landfills or dispose of them by incineration and other environmentally harmful methods. New and improved food and non-food uses for waste products will contribute to economic development and benefit the environment. Processing technologies also can reduce the amount of byproducts and residuals or create safe and cost effective new uses.

Southern Relevance The Southern Region is an especially heavy producer of forest and agricultural byproducts which can be turned from waste to useful products. The products of vertically integrated animal and poultry agriculture are notable examples. Cross-utilization of byproducts between various segments of the food production and processing sectors in the South offer unique opportunities to reduce environmental impact and increase income.

Objectives

• Create waste-reducing technologies. Create cost-effective, environmentally sound processing technologies which alter agricultural and forestry materials to reduce the amount of byproducts and residuals.

• Determine properties of waste. Develop quantitative methods for determining physicochemical properties of byproducts and residuals to monitor and control safety and quality attributes of products developed from them. Develop and utilize rapid analytical methods and in-line sensors to routinely quantify byproduct components and residuals.

• Develop methods to maintain quality. Develop methods for handling, preserving, and storing byproducts and residuals to maintain their quality.

• Create new uses for residuals, byproducts, and wastes. Develop technologies to produce usable, safe, and cost-effective new products from residuals and byproducts generated by agricultural and forestry production and processing operations.

• Develop waste management methods. Develop methods to minimize the environmental and economic impacts of wastes that cannot be converted into usable products.

ENHANCE FOOD QUALITY AND VALUE

• Synergy at the Agricultural-Urban Interface
• Waste Management
• Risk Management
• Next Generation of Foods
• Integrated Pest Management
• Food Safety
• Global Competitiveness

Impact
Through research in this area, consumers will be provided with a broad selection of high quality, low cost, safe, and nutritious foods. Food production and processing to meet the needs of today's consumers will enhance citizens health and well-being and improve the nation's domestic economy and global competitiveness. Understanding the structural and functional relationships among various components of foods will allow better control and enhancement of food quality during processing, storage distribution, and preparation for consumption.

Southern Relevance With NAFTA and GATT, the Southern Region has the opportunity to process more imported food and food products from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. There will be increased need for international quality and safety processing standards for both imports and exports. Southern industries that require special food quality focus include poultry, fish, nuts, and vegetables.

Objectives

• Improve quality and nutritive value of foods of animal origin. Identify relative nutrient values of animal products and their relationships with human health, and define genetic and other mechanisms to improve and control these factors.

• Increase knowledge of food properties. Develop and apply new knowledge of the physical, chemical, biological, and functional properties of raw materials and food products to enhance the quality of food.

• Maximize nutritional value. Develop processing and packaging technologies to maximize nutritional value of foods during processing, storage, and distribution.

• Create new processing ingredients. Develop and apply advanced technologies and scientific advances in biotechnology, molecular genetics, computer simulation, and other disciplines to produce new enzymes, fermentation products, microorganisms, and polymers that improve food processes and stability and appearance of food products.

• Develop new processes and products. Develop innovative processes resulting in new or improved food products that meet consumer demands and reduce the use of preservatives and other additives.

• Improve handling and storage to preserve quality and value. Develop environmentally sound and safe methods or products to preserve quality and value of food and fiber in storage.

• Improve process efficiency. Improve process efficiency through development and application of improved process control and measurement technologies such as sensors.

DEVELOP NEW OR IMPROVED NON-FOOD PRODUCTS

• Sustainable Ecosystems
• Synergy at the Agriculture-Urban Interface
• Biodiversity
• Waste Management
• Integrated Pest Management
• Global Competitiveness

Impact
Better understanding of the chemical composition of agricultural and forest products can provide the basis for innovative or improved industrial processes and products. Agricultural non-food industries have the potential to breathe new life into rural communities; provide existing industries with alternate oils, fuels, and base materials; and result in new consumer products. These new processes and products will be environmentally compatible, stimulate the economy through added jobs, and increase income from domestic and export markets.

Southern Relevance The Southern Region is an appealing location for developing new non-food and fiber industries because of favorable climates, labor markets, and tax structures. The region's diverse climate is advantageous to the development of new crops, such as kenaf and canola, and related processing industries. Proximity of processing industries to production areas of crops, animals, and timber in the South reduces transportation costs of bulky materials. NAFTA offers the South greater opportunities for processing a larger volume of raw materials and finished products.

Objectives

• Find new applications for existing materials. Provide innovative applications for existing products and materials from renewable agricultural resources.

• Develop new products. Create opportunities for new products growing out of customer demand, process innovation and modification, and new renewable resource development.

• Create environmentally sound processes. Develop innovative processes that are efficient and environmentally acceptable to convert renewable resource materials into value-added products.

• Identify new base resource materials. Identify the composition and properties required of new base resources for consumer products and materials for industrial application.