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Faculty

JAMES F. THOMPSON, Extension Agricultural Engineer

Cooperative Extension Specialist
M.S., Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, 1974
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
3034 Bainer Hall
Phone: 530-752-6167
Email: jfthompson@ucdavis.edu

Current Research

Extension Engineer Thompson works primarily on postharvest handling of agricultural commodities. He conducts field research and extension programs in: 1) pre-cooling, storage, transportation and packaging of fresh market fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and 2) drying and storage of nuts, fruits, and grains. He also works on energy conservation strategies in these areas and alternate energy sources for agriculture.

Of the four major postharvest handling projects currently under way, two deal with produce quality detection. Work is under way to develop a rapid method to determine freeze damage in oranges. Current practice requires an inspector to cut the fruit and subjectively the amount of damage. Headspace ethanol appears to be a reliable indicator of damage. The goal of the second project is to develop a fast method of detecting and quantifying mold in processing tomatoes. This will allow development of a consistent and accurate way to grade the product before processing.

The California rice industry is marketing rice to the quality conscious Japanese market and wants to improve rice milling quality and taste. A third project is an education and research effort to improve the harvest timing, drying, handling, and storage of California medium grain rice.

A fourth project is developing methods for packaging and managing soft fruit. Ripened avocados and pears can successfully be shipped in a UCD-developed suspended tray. A nondestructive firmness detector is being commercialized that will allow ripeners and retail produce managers top accurately manage the ripeness of their fruit.

Representative Recent Publications

Thompson, J. F., P. E. Brecht, T. Hinsch, and A. A. Kader. 2000. Marine container transport of chilled perishable produce. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 21595.

Thompson, J. F. 2000. Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops. Third edition, Kader, A. A., Technical Editor, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Publication 3311. (10 Chapters by Thompson).

Potts, S. J., D. C. Slaughter, and J. F. Thompson. 2000. A fluorescent lectin test for mold in raw tomato juice. Journal of Food Science 65(2):346-350.

Thompson, J. F., and S. C. Blank. 2000. Harvest mechanization helps agriculture remain competitive. California Agriculture 54(3):51-55.

Thompson, J. F., J. Knutson, R. A. Ernst, D. Kuney, H. Riemann, S. Himathongkham, and G. Zeidler. 2000. Rapid cooling of shell eggs. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 9:258-268.

Potts, S. J., J. F. Thompson, and D. C. Slaughter. 2001. The effect of fungal species on the fluorescent lectin test. Journal of Microbiological Methods 46:187-191.

Potts, S. J., D. C. Slaughter, and J. F. Thompson. 2001. Measuring mold infestation in raw tomato juice. Journal of Food Science 67(1):321-325.

Thompson, J. F., P. E. Brecht, and T. Hinsch. 2002. Refrigerated trailer transport of perishable products. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 21614. (Includes an English poster, ANR publication 21615, and a Spanish poster, ANR publication 21615-D.)

Slaughter, D. C., J. F. Thompson, and E. S. Tan. 2003. Nondestructive determination of total and soluble solids in fresh prune using near infrared spectroscopy. Postharvest Biology and Technology 28:437-444.

Thompson, J. F., C.F.H. Bishop, and P. E. Brecht. 2004. Air transport of perishable products. University of Calififornia Agriculture and Natural Resources publication 21618. 22 pp.

Champagne, E. T., J. F. Thompson, K. L. Bett-Garber, R. Mutters, J. A. Miller, and E. Tan. 2004. Impact of storage of freshly harvested paddy rice on milled white rice flavor. Cereal Chem. 81(4):444-449.

Anderson, B. A., A. Sarkar, J. F. Thompson, and R. P. Singh. 2004. Commercial-scale forced-air cooling of packaged strawberries. Transactions of the ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) 47(1):183-190.

Membership in Professional Societies

American Society of Agricultural Engineers
Sigma Xi

Research Support