Faculty Leads: Ned Spang, Christopher Simmons, and Ilias Tagkopoulos
The Byproduct Database project is an innovative initiative that catalogs agricultural byproducts—like fruit skins and seeds, nut hulls and shells, and crop residues—to unlock new opportunities for reducing food waste and creating value. By tracking the composition, location, and availability of these resources across California, the database enables entrepreneurs and producers to discover novel uses for leftovers previously considered waste, such as upcycling tomato skins by extracting valuable lycopene. With ongoing support from the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, the project aims to expand coverage to even more crops, provide economic insights, and foster a more sustainable, creative, and profitable food supply chain.