UC Davis Education: Dynamic New Trends & Benefits from Food Fermentation, Probiotics, & Prebiotics

The UC Davis Education Series, in partnership with SCIFTS, is a dynamic, multi-part seminar featuring leading experts discussing groundbreaking advancements that are shaping the future of food science and technology.

This year, hear from:

• David Mills, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor & Peter J. Shields Chair in Dairy Food Science
• Maria Marco, Ph.D., Professor & Chair of the Food Science Graduate Group
• Carolyn Slupsky, Ph.D., Professor Food Science, Technology & Nutrition | Kinsella Endowed Chair in Food, Nutrition, & Health

Milk is Smart! Gut Microbe Metabolism of Milk Glycans Influences Brain Health

Dr. Mills studies the molecular biology and ecology of bacteria that play an active role in gut health and fermented foods and beverages. Human milk is well known to drive infant brain development. However, the mechanisms by which specific milk components accomplish this are poorly understood. New research at UC Davis shows that milk glycans help protect the developing neonate brain from inflammation, opening new strategies to safeguard and enhance cognition in both vulnerable infants and adults.

Understanding & Optimizing Fermented Foods for Improving Health

Dr. Marco investigates microorganisms in foods and intestinal ecosystems. This research emphasizes lactic acid bacteria and contributions of these bacteria to the production of fermented foods
and beverages and to human health and well-being. She and her team use systems biology, genetics, and ecology to study the unique properties of individual strains, as well as the functional capacities of food and gut microbiomes.

Fermented foods are frequently regarded as superfoods which support and improve health. This talk will discuss the state of human studies on fermented foods and the underlying principles guiding how the bioactive properties of fermented foods differ from the ingredients used to make them. By understanding the microbial variation and functional diversity of fermented foods in relation to their health-modulatory effects, it will be possible to design and optimize these foods for desired health outcomes.

Food as Medicine Across the Lifespan

Dr. Slupsky’s research studies the nexus between food, the gut microbiome, and health, with a focus on understanding how diet and the environment impact the relationship between the gut microbiome and host metabolism. She is particularly interested in how food / nutrition and environmental exposures impact the microbiome to shape prenatal and postnatal infant and child development. Dr. Slupsky brings deep expertise in relating diet to changes in the human gut microbiome and, by extension, human metabolism. Novel insights on health management and food development to usher in an era of personalized nutrition.