(Capitalpress) - Every year, vintner Joe Dobbes of Dundee, Ore., is deluged with 350 tons of grape pomace -- the skins and seeds leftover from winemaking. Dobbes must spend thousands of dollars for his garbage company to collect the material, which is composted and turned into soil. "We pay them to take it away and then sell it," he said. "I think it's a good deal for them." Though pomace is often a liability for Dobbes and other winemakers, a researcher at Oregon State University thinks the substance may yet prove to be an asset. Food science professor Yanyun Zhao has found that pomace is loaded with beneficial dietary fiber and antioxidants that could turn the byproduct into a commercially viable food supplement. Pomace, if left to its own devices, will spoil within days. Zhao is studying the most economical and efficient ways to dry the material without destroying the healthful compounds it contains.