Dr. Brett J. Savary, Agriculture/ABI, and colleagues Randy Cameron and Gary Luzio, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service in Winter Haven, Fla., were awarded a 2-year grant of $318,000 from the USDA-Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA-CREES) National Research Initiative. This collaborative project will investigate an enzyme useful for tailoring nanostructure of the plant polysaccharide pectin. Pectin is commonly used as a gelling agent and thickener in foods. This project ultimately seeks to develop new biobased products that will promote expanded use of this functional biomolecule that can be obtained from discarded fruit and vegetable processing residues.