**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HIGHER DEMANDS FOR NOVEL, NUTRITIOUS AND SAFE FOODS THAT CAN SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF MODERN AND HEALTH-CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS ARE EXPECTED IN THE YEARS AHEAD. THIS CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY TO INTRODUCE SPECIALTY, EXOTIC AND GOURMET FOODS AND INGREDIENTS THAT ARE NOT TYPICAL IN THE DIET OF DOMESTIC CONSUMERS. CANNONBALL JELLYFISH (STOMOLOPHUSMELEAGRIS), A TYPE OF EDIBLE JELLYFISH WITH HIGH COLLAGEN AND MINERAL CONTENT, IS FOUND IN THE WATERS OF THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF THE U.S. INCLUDING THE GULF COAST AND IT IS ANEWCOMMERCIAL FISHERY IN SEVERAL STATES INCLUDING GEORGIA WHERE IT HAS BECOME ONE THE LARGEST FISHERIES BY LANDINGS.CURRENTLY, THE LOCAL JELLYFISH INDUSTRY ONLY COMMERCIALIZES SALTED AND DRIED (SD) JELLYFISH WHICH IS PROCESSED IN RURAL COASTAL COMMUNITIES OF THE U.S. FURTHERMORE, MOST OF THE U.S. JELLYFISH PRODUCTION IS EXPORTED TO SEVERAL ASIAN COUNTRIES WHERE IT HAS BEEN CONSUMED FOR CENTURIES AND SMALL QUANTITIES ARE LOCALLY SOLD. THE POOR DOMESTIC DEMAND AND THE RECENT DECLINE IN EXPORTS OF SD JELLYFISH DUE TO RECENT ECONOMIC EVENTS ARE THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES FACING THE U.S. JELLYFISH INDUSTRY. OUR TEAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA (UGA) DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UGA MARINE EXTENSION AND GEORGIA SEA GRANT HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DIVERSIFY THE U.S. JELLYFISH INDUSTRY'S PORTFOLIO OF PRODUCTS TO INCREASE ITS OVERALL COMPETITIVENESS AND PROPOSES TO DEVELOP NOVEL, HIGH-QUALITY AND SAFE FOOD INGREDIENTS USING U.S.-CAUGHT CANNONBALL JELLYFISH.RECENT CLIMATE CHANGE-RELATED EVENTS HAVE ALTERED THE CURRENTS AND INCREASED THE TEMPERATURE ANDACIDITYOF THE OCEANS DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE QUANTITIES OFCO2IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS HAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF NATURAL JELLYFISH PREDATORS AND HAS AFFECTED THE POPULATION DYNAMICS WHILE PROMOTING THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF JELLYFISH IN SEVERAL AREAS AROUND THE WORLD. BECAUSE OF ITS NUTRITIONAL CONTENT, UNIQUE PROPERTIES AND PREDICTED FUTURE ABUNDANCE, JELLYFISH HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE FOODS OF THE FUTURE. JELLYFISH CAN POTENTIALLY BE USED AS AN EXCELLENT RAW MATERIAL FOR DEVELOPING NOVEL, NUTRITIOUS AND SAFE FOOD INGREDIENTS. COMPARED TO OTHER SPECIES OF EDIBLE JELLYFISH,EXTREMELY LIMITEDSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NUTRITIONAL, FUNCTIONAL ANDPHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF CANNONBALL JELLYFISH. THIS INFORMATION IS CRITICAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH QUALITY,NOVEL,AND SAFE FOOD PRODUCTS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INTRODUCE U.S.-CAUGHT JELLYFISH AND ITS PRODUCTS TO THE DOMESTIC MARKET. THE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH OF THIS PROJECT WILL A) SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOB CREATION IN THE RURAL COASTAL COMMUNITIES OF THE U.S.; B) HELP THE EMERGING U.S. JELLYFISH INDUSTRY IN SAFELY DELIVERING NOVEL FOOD INGREDIENTS TO LOCAL CONSUMERS; AND C) INCREASE THE CURRENT PROFITS OF THE U.S. JELLYFISH INDUSTRY. THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE THE KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDED FOR DEVELOPING NOVEL AND SAFE FOOD INGREDIENTS FROM LOCALLY SOURCED JELLYFISH. THE DOMESTIC DEMAND FOR JELLYFISH PRODUCTS MAY BE IMPROVED BY OFFERING NEW PRODUCTS THAT ARE SAFE, CONVENIENT, AND TASTY TO LOCAL CONSUMERS. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ARE: 1) DETERMINE THE MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS, COLLAGEN TYPE AND CONTENT, AND PHENOLICS OF CANNONBALL JELLYFISH OBTAINED FROM THE COASTAL WATERS OF GEORGIA AND GULF COAST OF THE U.S.; 2) DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY AND INNOVATIVE FOOD INGREDIENTS FROM CANNONBALL JELLYFISH; 3) DEVELOP FOOD APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEWLY DEVELOPED FOOD INGREDIENTS FROM CANNONBALL JELLYFISH; AND 4) ASSESS THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF PRODUCING NOVEL FOOD INGREDIENTS/PRODUCTS FROM CANNONBALL JELLYFISH.THE KNOWLEDGE GENERATED IN THIS SCIENCE-BASED PROJECT CAN BE ADOPTED BY THE U.S. SEAFOOD INDUSTRY, RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, FOOD ENTREPRENEURS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR LOCAL SEAFOOD INDUSTRY. THIS WILL TREMENDOUSLYHELPTHE EMERGING U.S. JELLYFISH INDUSTRY AND WILL CREATE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE RURAL COASTAL COMMUNITIES OF THE U.S. THIS RESEARCH MAY ALSO CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY OF THE U.S. WHILE PROMOTING A HEALTHY LIFE FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.