Objective:
Expand and diversify Hawaii agricultural products and exports by developing new processes, uses, value-added bio-based products, and marketing technologies by providing farmers and other members of the agricultural community with new postharvest methods to increase product value, to reduce postharvest to market losses, improve product marketability, and decrease processing, handling, storage, shipping, or marketing costs.

Approach:
Identify and characterize the nutritional components of sugar cane bagasse, macadamia nut hulls, and other bio-mass waste from Hawaii's sugar, macadamia nut, pineapple, and tropical tree fruit industries. Develop processing technologies to turn bio-mass waste into new products, and develop marketing strategies for local and export markets. Identify factors that reduce the value and marketability of tropical ornamentals and vegetables. Develop postharvest processes for adding value, improving marketability, and decreasing processing, handling, storage, shipping, or marketing costs. Documents SCA with University of Hawaii, Hilo. Formerly 5320-43000-014-01S (4/07).