The integrated research and education initiativeaims to improve human health and nutrition while reducing food waste

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Florida State University $150,000 on August 15, 2026, under the Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture program (CFDA 10.326) to develop innovative processing strategies for fish byproducts and enhance the university's food and nutrition science training capacity.

The award funds research to transform underutilized snapper heads into natural protein ingredients that may support healthy gut microbiome function, and an educational initiative to create a comprehensive program providing students with advanced expertise in food science, omics, and nutrition. The project will engage two graduate students and six undergraduate students, with the goal of attracting and retaining more students in food science programs through introduction of advanced omics concepts while enhancing academic excellence and professional skills.

Work is performed at Florida State University's Sponsored Research Administration Division in Tallahassee, Florida, with a period of performance from August 15, 2026, through August 14, 2028. The award is classified as a project grant and represents an integrated research and education initiative designed to improve human health and nutrition while reducing food waste.

The long-term objective is to enhance the training capacity of FSU's food and nutrition science program, equipping students with multidisciplinary knowledge and fostering exceptional academic and technical leadership in the evolving fields of food science and nutrition. Specifically, the research goal of this project is to transform underutilized snapper heads into natural protein ingredients that may support a healthy GUT microbiome. The educational goal of this project is to create a comprehensive, learner-centered program that provides students with cutting-edge expertise in food science, omics, and nutrition. The current integrated program is expected to developinnovative and sustainable processing strategies for fish byproducts to enhance nutrition security and health, toattractand retainmore students in food science programs through the introduction of advanced omics concepts, and toenhancethe academic excellence, professional skills, and leadership of two graduate students and six undergraduate students.