Mission/Goal

Enhance the economic viability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture by maintaining the quality of harvested agricultural commodities or otherwise enhancing their marketability, meeting consumer needs, developing environmentally friendly and efficient processing concepts, and expanding domestic and global market opportunities through the development of value-added food and nonfood technologies and products, except energy and fuels.

Relationship of This National Program to the ARS Strategic Plan

Research in this national program supports the ARS Strategic Plan for 2006-2011, Objective 2.1: Expand Domestic Market Opportunities. Performance Measure 2.1.2: Develop cost effective, functional industrial and consumer products, including higher quality, healthy foods, that satisfy consumer demand in the United States and abroad.

Program Priorities

The National Program research components and problems statements include:

Component 1. Foods

Problem Statement 1.A: Define and Measure Quality

Problem Statement 1.B: Preserve or Enhance Quality and Marketability

Problem Statement 1.C: New Bioactive Ingredients and Functional Foods

Problem Statement 1.D: New and Improved Food Processing Technologies

Component 2. Fibers

Problem Statement 2A: Define, Measure, and Preserve Quality

Problem Statement 2B: New or Improved Technologies, Processes, or Products

Component 3. Biobased Products

Problem 3A: Agricultural Feedstocks and Byproducts

Problem 3B: Develop Biobased Products and Sustainable Technologies/Processes

Anticipated Outcomes

• Rapid, non-destructive methods for detection and measurement of physical/chemical quality attributes and quality defects
• Automated high-throughput on-line grading, sorting, and packaging systems
• Storage technologies to maintain quality and nutrition and increase shelf life
• Foods designed to enhance or maintain health
• Functional intermediates or products from agricultural commodities, including plant-based polymers
• Value-added products from agricultural residues and processing wastes
• Environmentally benign products and processes 
• Environmentally friendly strategies for plant and animal pathogen control