Newswise — CHICAGO – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) honored the recipients of the 2016 IFT Achievement Awards Saturday, July 16 at IFT16: Where Science Feeds Innovation. The IFT Achievement Awards recognize team members or an individual for remarkable contributions in research, applications, and service in the food science and technology industry. The 2016 recipients are as follows:

Nicolas Appert AwardE. Allen Foegeding, PhD, North Carolina State UniversityDr. E. Allen Foegeding is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science at North Carolina State University and editor-in-chief of IFT scientific journals: Journal of Food Science and Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Through exemplary teaching and research programs, his career has focused on advancing the understanding of chemical and physical properties of foods. Foegeding’s teaching program has received awards from students and has spanned more than 30 years of courses in food chemistry, muscle foods, and colloidal and polymer properties of foods. In addition, his research on how proteins and polysaccharides function in foods has produced a foundation of knowledge on how structure determines food quality.

Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor ScienceKaren Schaich, ScD, Rutgers UniversityDr. Karen Schaich is internationally recognized as a top contributor in the field of lipid oxidation. She has published extensively in open literature and authored critical reviews on lipid oxidation. Schaich pioneered new approaches to studying the oxidation of lipids and proteins and developed methods to recover natural antioxidants from industrial waste streams. She introduced new approaches in teaching lipids and food science and was one of the first to introduce distance learning to food science programs.

Babcock-Hart AwardEdward Hirschberg, Innovative Foods, Inc.Edward Hirschberg is the recipient of the 2016 Babcock-Hart Award for his numerous contributions to food processing, particularly his innovations in the freeze-drying and dehydration of fruits and vegetables, which have led to increased consumption around the world. Examples of his work include reversible compressed vegetables for submarines, Space Snak Ice Cream, designer foods for cancer prevention, and various parallel processing techniques using infrared dehydration.

William V. Cruess Award for Excellence in TeachingRonald Pegg, PhD, University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia professor Dr. Ron Pegg has been selected as the 2016 William V. Cruess Award. Pegg’s nomination was supported with generous accolades from former Cruess award winners, University of Georgia faculty and students. He has been a member of IFT since 1994 and has served on several IFT panels. An enthusiastic supporter of IFT, Pegg regularly encourages his students to attend the IFT scientific and applied sessions and food expo.

Carl R. Fellers AwardGary R. List, D.Sc., University of Illinois & G.R. List ConsultingDr. Gary R. List has been a leader in food science for more than 50 years, committing his career to chemistry research and technology transfer of research outcomes with the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. List has published extensively, and many of his discoveries have resulted in bringing improved fats and oils to the marketplace. His research has focused on reducing and lowering trans fats in foods, reformulating foods to meet FDA nutrition labeling requirements, and bringing trait-modified vegetable oils to commercialization.

Food Technology Industrial Achievement AwardPepsiCo Inc. (SoluOats)PepsiCo is the recipient of the 2016 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies to enzymatically treat whole grain flours in a continuous process. SoluOats patented technology delivers highly soluble whole grain without off flavors, which can be added to a wide range of beverage and high-moisture foods. The process is easier, less expensive, and less time-consuming than prior processes.

Industrial Scientist AwardChris Koh, PhD, PepsiCo Global R&DDr. Chris Koh has been chosen to receive the 2016 Industrial Scientist Award for his research in dehydration and reaction kinetics to help transform PepsiCo’s food processing technologies, as well as his leadership as R&D Fellow in growing new capabilities, such as computational modeling and simulation for PepsiCo Global R&D. Koh serves a critically important role of working with both researchers and functional business partners to deliver novel technologies that can be translated into commercial platforms.

W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award and LectureshipPablo Juliano, PhD, CSIRODr. Pablo Juliano is the recipient of the 2016 WK Kellogg International Food Security Award and Lectureship. Dr. Juliano is receiving this award to recognize the global impact he achieved in South American countries through the value addition of underutilized whey, and in Asia for his leadership in developing and implementing a novel megasonic separation technology to maximize aqueous-based oil recovery from oil-bearing fruits such as coconut and palm.

Gilbert A. Leveille Award and LectureshipBruce German, PhD, University of California-Davis*Joint award in partnership with the American Society for NutritionDr. Bruce German has been chosen for the 2016 Gilbert A. Leveille Award for his innovative research demonstrating the importance of genomics of milk in disease prevention as well as the role of genomics of milk with fragile neonates (premature, born by cesarean section, small for date, etc.). This groundbreaking work combined the fields of food science and nutrition.

Marcel Loncin Research PrizeShyam Sablani, PhD, Washington State UniversityDr. Shyam S. Sablani received his PhD in food engineering in 1996 at McGill University in Canada. His research interests include designing high-barrier packaging and the physical and chemical stability of dehydrated and frozen foods. He co-edited Handbook of Food and Bioprocess Modeling Techniques and published more than 150 scientific articles. He is currently scientific editor of the Food Engineering and Materials Science and the Nanoscale Food Science, Engineering, and Technology sections of the Journal of Food Science.

Bor S. Luh International AwardJae Park, PhD, Oregon State UniversityDr. Jae Park is being recognized for his contribution to technology transfer and the international exchange of ideas in the area of surimi technology. Park authored Surimi and Surimi Seafood, the industry’s leading reference book, and founded Oregon State University’s Surimi School Worldwide, which has provided three-day, hands-on workshops to nearly 6,000 food professionals from 45 countries. An expert in fish protein chemistry and processing, Park has furthered international economic development by the use of food technology.

Bernard L. Oser Food Ingredient Safety AwardCarl Winter, PhD, University of California-DavisDr. Carl Winter’s research and outreach activities focus on the risks, regulation and public policy implications of chemical contaminants in food. He has provided U.S. congressional testimony and participated in more than 1,000 interviews. He authored two books and more than other 170 publications, and he is well-known as an innovative educator for using musical parodies as an effective mechanism to convey food safety information. He is an IFT Fellow and received the Borlaug Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Communication Award in 2012.

Samuel Cate Prescott Award for ResearchLili He, University of MassachusettsDr. Lili He is the recipient of the 2016 Samuel Cate Prescott Award, which recognizes her significant contributions in developing an advanced analytical technique (i.e., surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) for food safety and chemistry applications. She has successfully utilized this technique for the detection of various chemical, biological, and nanoparticle contaminants in food.

Research and Development AwardJosip Simunovic, PhD, North Carolina State UniversityDr. Josip Simunovic has been chosen for the 2016 Research and Development Award for his consistent and successful focus on applied science and technology transfer, which has resulted in groundbreaking advances in the commercial application of advanced thermal processing and aseptic packaging. His exceptional ability to follow through from basic research to commercialization is commendable and has made a lasting impact on both academia and the commercial food industry.

Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement AwardAnne Goldman, CFS, MS, Applied Consumer & Clinical EvaluationsAnne Goldman is the recipient of the 2016 Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award in recognition of her lifelong contributions of actively supporting and advancing the application of sensory and consumer research to product development through education and mentorship. She has been a leader and advocate for excellence in sensory research methods, providing solutions to real-world product issues. As a global ambassador for sensory and consumer science, she has built respect and recognition for the profession.

Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service AwardMichele Perchonok, PhD, CFS, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Dr. Michele Perchonok is being recognized for her exemplary work as a passionate volunteer in sections, divisions, and committees throughout her more than 30 years of distinguished service to IFT. Perchonok has served IFT in more than 30 volunteer opportunities—seven times as chair—and on the IFT Board of Directors. She has also inspired current and future food scientists in IFT’s award-winning Day in the Life of

Trailblazer Award and LectureshipConnie Weaver, PhD, Purdue University*Joint award in partnership with the Academy of Nutrition & DieteticsDr. Connie Weaver was the first woman to hold positions such as president of the Indiana Section and chair of the IFT Program Committee at the national level. She is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration, NIH Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health; and vice-chair of the Board of Trustees for the International Life Sciences Institute. She is a past president of the American Society for Nutrition and was a member of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

About IFT
Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific society—more than 17,000 members from more than 95 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.