Project 1:  Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO).

    Oligosaccharides are the third most abundant component of human milk.  However, they have no nutritional value for the infant.  It is believed that the oligosaccharides have probiotic properties.  We are currently in the process of characterization HMO with regard to their probiotic qualities.  We are determining oligosaccharide diversity with regard to individuals and the lactation period.  This project is performed in collaboration with Dr. Bruce German (Food Science and Technology) and Dr. David Mills (Enology and Viticulture).  This project is a part of a larger project to develop a Milk Genome Center in UC Davis.  It is supported by a UC Discovery Grant and a grant from the California Dairy Research Foundation.

Project 2:  Determination of markers for diseases and ripening of tomatoes and peaches.

       The infection of fruits occurs when the pathogen degrades the cell walls and releases oligosaccharides.  We are developing analytical methods to determine the enzymes that pathogens use infect the fruit.