2011 IFT Fellows
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is proud to announce its 2011 Fellows. This is a unique professional distinction given to individuals with outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience for their contributions to the food science and technology field.
The 2011 IFT Fellows are:
Shai Barbut
Professor, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Shai was honored for being an internationally recognized authority on meat and food safety, especially poultry further processing, the relationships between microstructure and texture, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, and fiber optic sensors.
Barbut has been instrumental in supporting the Canadian Research Institute of Food Safety, especially in food science- and meat safety-related initiatives. He has developed new formulations for low-fat and reduced-salt meat products, and he currently studies organogels to replace fat in meat products, investigates mechanisms concerning meat emulsion stabilization, and develops on-line fiber optic probes to monitor meat emulsification. In addition to his textbook, Poultry Products Processing, he has published many refereed articles. He has worked with a number of government committees on providing science-based solutions and on the technical aspects of meat processing, including the Agriculture Canada Expert Committee on Meat, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Meat Processing Committee, and Canadian Poultry Research Council. He is the only non-U.S. member of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Poultry Processing Committee. He has been a member of IFT since 1982.
Mary Susan Brewer
Professor of Food Science, University of Illinois
Mary was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the understanding of factors affecting meat safety and quality, and to student development via the courses she instructs and the IFT activities in which she participates.
For more than 25 years, Brewer has conducted research on food safety and quality issues, specifically Escherichia coli, irradiation, and antimicrobial organic acids. She has written extensively about bovine spongiform encephalopathy and related animal diseases and their potential transmissibility through the food chain. Brewer co-wrote the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) training manual used to train Illinois meat processors at small facilities and helped them write their own HACCP plans in compliance with U.S. Dept. of Agriculture regulations. These materials were used to certify more than 300 Illinois meat processors. She adapted the HACCP materials for use in the classroom and has certified nearly 100 students who will work in the food industry. In addition, she advises graduate students and supervises their research and thesis preparation, and she also serves on the graduate committees of master’s and doctoral students. Brewer has been a member of IFT since 1982.
Hongda Chen
National Program Leader for Bioprocessing Engineering & Nanotechnology, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Hongda was recognized for his leadership and achievement in bringing nanoscale science and nanotechnology to the forefront of research, development, education, and outreach of food and agricultural systems.
Chen’s work has resulted in heightened recognition of food and agriculture as an important and relevant part of nanoscale science and technology strategy for addressing societal challenges. After joining the Presidential National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology, Chen ensured that the USDA was represented in the strategic planning, budgeting, and workshops of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. His effort focuses on the impact of nanotechnology on agricultural production, valued-added novel uses of its products, food safety and quality, human nutrition and health, and society. Nanotechnology is now recognized as a new scientific frontier pursued by agricultural and food scientists as a result of Chen’s work. Recognized as an international expert on nanotechnology for food and agriculture, Chen has spoken throughout the world on nanotechnology and has helped guide new curriculum development, graduate fellowships, public discussions, consumer perception and acceptance studies, environmental and safety implications, and societal issues relevant to nanotechnology. Chen has been an IFT member since 1987.
Catherine Donnelly
Professor, University of Vermont
Catherine was recognized for outstanding research and professional service to improve the safety of the U.S. food supply by forwarding scientific knowledge of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Donnelly’s development of a research program investigating the foodborne role of L. monocytogenes has made her an international expert on the subject. She pioneered the development of detection methods for Listeria and studied the impact of sub-lethal injury on Listeria recovery and detection. Currently, she examines the threat of emerging pathogens in the raw milk supply to improve the safety of artisan cheeses made from raw milk. To this end, Donnelly founded and directs the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, which provides national leadership in the development of value-added, high-quality artisan cheeses. A member of IFT since 1978, Donnelly has served on the Editorial Board of the Food Microbiology and Safety section of Journal of Food Science since 2000, and in 2006 she was named the section’s Scientific Editor.
Wayne Ellefson
Senior Client Manager, Covance Laboratories
Wayne was honored for his scientific contributions to food analytical chemistry and the food industry, as well as his many years of service to IFT.
Ellefson has led the development of a variety of test methods in food analytical chemistry, including a direct test method for the analysis of available carbohydrates in food and functional food products. He also helped develop sampling and testing plans for major nutritional studies. Additionally, Ellefson originally served as the only non-governmental member of a joint U.S. Food and Drug Administration/AOAC International task force for the development of official analysis methods for infant formula that serve as the standard in disputes or legal proceedings. He was also on a task force that developed methods of analysis for nutrition labeling. Ellefson joined IFT in 1983 and has been an active member, serving in various capacities. He has chaired various IFT Divisions, Sections, and regional conferences, and he has organized, chaired, and presented numerous IFT symposia sessions over the years.
Melvin Hunt , Professor Emeritus, Kansas State University, was recognized for his contributions to the research of meat color, pigment chemistry, and meat processing, for his excellence in undergraduate and graduate instruction, and for his administrative leadership of the university’s undergraduate food science program.
Hunt’s research has expanded our critical understanding of muscles’ inherent ability to utilize oxygen and to reduce metmyoglobin, leading to solutions for utilizing meat cuts with suboptimal color stability, preventing bone discoloration during fresh meat display, and optimizing color in modified atmosphere packaging. Of particular note was his work with the premature browning phenomena of ground beef and its significance to food safety. Hunt’s energetic and dynamic mentoring of students more than quadrupled the enrollment in Kansas State University’s undergraduate food science program. He was effectively engaged with distance learning and was recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture with a Higher Education Challenge Grant on distance education and with its Excellence in Teaching Award. Hunt joined IFT in 1968.
Kathryn L. Kotula
Senior Investigative Food Scientist, Investigative Food Sciences
Kathryn was honored for her ability to explain complex scientific concepts in a manner easily understood by non-scientists as a way to assist the food industry with lawsuits, processing issues, and consumer education outreach.
Kotula is a recognized authority on the safety and quality of poultry, red meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood, as well as production, processing, regulatory compliance, distribution, warehousing, and consumption issues. She serves a one-of-a-kind function to the food industry as a scientific expert who defines and explains the science involved in food safety and quality in lawsuits and arbitrations. Kotula has shared her food science knowledge with consumers through television, radio, print, and in presentations. Realizing there were inaccuracies in litigations and arbitrations that could have serious negative impact on food companies, as well as misinformation reported by the media, Kotula founded her consulting firm, Investigative Food Sciences, to provide sound, science-based information. She has saved food producers and processors funds (more than $79 million), and, more importantly, their reputations. Kotula has been an active member of IFT since 1982, when she joined as a student member.
F. Xavier Malcata
Former Dean and Professor, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia Porto, Portugal
F. Xavier was recognized for using pioneering approaches and outstanding scientific productivity in applying food science and engineering principles to comprehensively characterize and rationally optimize existing traditional food processes, and to create novel foods. Malcata is an international authority on optimization of reactors to process edible oils; microbiological and biochemical characterization, and technological improvement of traditional foods; development of nutraceutical ingredients and functional foods; and rational application of unit operations to specific agri-food processing. R&D work developed under his direct supervision has resulted in new products in the market, including probiotic whey cheeses and synbiotic oatmeal, novel antihypertensive peptides from whey, and polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched edible oils from microalgae. Malcata led the Research Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry to achieve the status of Associated State Lab, which now has a role in research focused on foods and is in charge of providing advice to the Portuguese Government on food risk analysis and public policy. Malcata joined IFT in 1988.
Herbert Ockerman
Professor, Ohio State University
Herbert was honored for educating students from around the world, and teaching a valuable lesson to those at home: One person can change many lives.
Ockerman is well known for his research in muscle biology and was the first person to produce germ-free muscle tissue in a natural, non-denatured state. This led to an early foray into nonthermal processing. In addition to being a professor of meat science, Ockerman has promoted food and agricultural studies throughout the world and continually sends food industry news to his former students and friends around the world. His most impactful project has been collecting and distributing books to worldwide university libraries. He has sent 1,992 shipments (about 36,000 books/container) to 383 different locations. The books have an estimated value of more than $500 million based on the latest selling price. Cavite State University in the Philippines named its library Ockerman Hall and gave him an honorary Ph.D. degree (his second) in humanities as thanks to Ockerman for supplying the library with three containers of books. He has been a member of IFT since 1973.
Mickey Parish
Senior Advisor for Microbiology, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Mickey was recognized for his outstanding contributions in juice and beverage microbiology while engaging government, industry, and academia through professional service to food science.
While in academia, Parish developed an internationally recognized research program in beverage microbiology that addressed the spoilage and safety of juices and beverages, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), sanitation, survival of bacterial pathogens in low-pH juice systems, the impact of packaging materials on mold spoilage of juices, and high-pressure processing of citrus juice. He has developed and taught courses on food microbiology and food regulations. Parish’s lab was instrumental in the investigation of the 1995 salmonellosis outbreak from raw citrus juice in Florida. In his effort to apply credible science in the policy arena, Parish has provided technical expertise during outbreak investigations and recalls, provided expert support for numerous topical regulatory issues, and served as IFT’s Congressional Science Fellow in 1998–1999. Parish joined IFT in 1979.
Phil Perkins
Senior Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Bush Brothers & Co.
Phil was recognized as an innovator, as a leader in the food industry, and for his ability to bring successful new products to market.
Perkins has been a “student of innovation” for more than a decade; he has written a book chapter on the importance of product innovation and has spoken on the topic at numerous meetings. Perkins has worked with more than 150 food, ingredient, and packaging companies in 20 countries throughout Europe, Central and South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia during his career. He has managed research and development activities, including new product development, process design criteria, and packaging specifications. In addition, he pioneered the use of magnetic resonance imaging in the food industry, successfully applied food polymer science to a number of food systems, developed computer simulation of chemical dynamics and of microwave heating in food systems, and applied neural network technology for predicting product performance from plant process data. Perkins has served on the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Science and Regulatory Affairs Committee, the board of the Food Update Foundation, and on the planning group for IFT’s Food Executive Leadership Forum. Perkins has been a member of IFT since 1991.
Elliot Ryser
Professor, Michigan State University
Elliot was honored for his pioneering research on Listeria, and the cross-contamination and microbial intervention strategies that can be used by the food industry, risk assessors, and regulatory agencies to better ensure food safety.
As an internationally renowned authority on Listeria monocytogenes, Ryser’s research program focuses on intervention strategies for the control of leading bacterial foodborne pathogens in meat, poultry, fruit, vegetable, and dairy products. His work has focused on cross-contamination and quantitative transfer of Listeria during retail slicing of deli meats and the transfer of Escherichia coli and Salmonella during commercial processing of fresh-cut, ready-to-eat leafy greens and tomatoes. His findings are being used to develop risk assessments and scientifically based “best consume by” dating for deli meats. Ryser has also researched the use of low-energy x-ray radiation as a means to fully ensure the microbiological safety of ground beef, leafy greens, and almonds, with the technology slated for commercialization. Ryser joined IFT in 1981.
Sheri Schellhaass
Vice President Research & Development, General Mills, Inc.
Sheri was recognized for her achievements in the food industry, her dedication to IFT and students, and her involvement in helping the people of Malawi.
Schellhaass’s expertise in cereals, dairy, and health led to her research on the health benefits of whole grain that resulted in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowing health claims for whole grain. She has helped develop more than 500 new consumer products, contributing to the health and wellness of the American consumer. To inspire students to pursue science, math, and engineering, Schellhaass has supported science fairs, mentored students, and served on educational advisory boards. She and her team investigated the root causes of hunger in Malawi and consulted with local officials about the best way to help. An active member of IFT since 1973, Schellhaass served as IFT President from 2009 to 2010.
Bernhard van Lengerich
Chief Science Officer and Vice President, Technology Strategy, General Mills, Inc.
Bernhard was recognized for outstanding contributions in the advancement of food science and technology by developing and commercializing innovative new processes internationally, particularly in the field of extrusion technology.
van Lengerich is an active promoter of industrial research and development and has demonstrated bottom-line value that investments in research can offer companies. His work has brought technologies to market through development of new products, new ingredients, more efficient processes, and new equipment designs for multi-national consumer food product companies and machinery manufacturers. He is proud having been part of a multi functional team that reformulated and converted all of General Mills’ ready-to-eat cereals to contain whole grain, a $2.5 billion business. He has been an IFT member since 1985.
Zata Vickers
Professor, University of Minnesota
Zata was honored for her research on the sounds of crispness and crunchiness, and on the liking, choice, and consumption of foods, and for her dedicated teaching and mentoring of sensory science students.
Vickers has conducted extensive research on sensory-related issues, including the role of sound in the perception of crispness and crunchiness, odor aversions in cancer patients, the role of sweetness in the long-term acceptability and choice of beverages, sensory and rheological aspects of products for people with dysphagia, factors affecting consumption of whole-grain breads, and sensory issues related to space travel. She has been actively involved in IFT since 1973, working with the Sensory and Consumer Science Division, International Division, Committee for Global Issues, and the Annual Meeting Scientific Program.
Rickey Yada
Professor, Canada Research Chair, and Scientific Director of Advanced Foods and Material, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Rickey was recognized as an outstanding international food industry leader who has made impactful contributions to food science research inside the classroom and to the food industry around the world.
Yada has been instrumental in bringing together a cadre of multidisciplinary researchers in food science, nutrition, physics, computer modeling, and law to work in the Advanced Foods and Materials Network, the only network in Canada in the agri-food and biomaterials areas. His research involves complex issues of structure and functional relationships of proteins, a molecular biology approach to aspartic proteinases, and potato carbohydrates. Yada has been an IFT member since 1977, actively serving in leadership and member positions.