Analytical Science Leaders Honored at AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting

DENVER, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, September 10, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A globally recognized expert in pharmacognosy, a Chinese-Swiss-Irish team addressing a critical analytical need impacting global trade, an academic with more than 30 years membership in AOAC, and more than 200 other scientists were honored by AOAC yesterday for their exceptional contributions to food safety testing.

“AOAC is a member-driven organization,” said Dave Schmidt, Executive Director of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. “We can only accomplish our mission of advancing food safety through the hard work and dedication of our expert volunteers. AOAC is honored to work with the outstanding leaders we are recognizing today.”

The leaders were recognized in an awards ceremony attended by nearly 600 colleagues at the 133rd AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. The awards recognized scientific excellence across the spectrum of AOAC activities, including method development, expert review panels, editorial contributions to the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, and technical service.

The Harvey W. Wiley Award, presented each year for outstanding contribution to analytical methodology in an area of interest to AOAC INTERNATIONAL, went to Joseph M. Betz, Ph.D. of the Office of Dietary Supplements at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Betz is an internationally recognized expert in pharmacognosy, the study of plants or other natural sources that are useful for their medicinal, ecological, gustatory, or other functional properties.

The Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL Award, which recognizes the long-term dedication of the volunteers who serve the Association, was awarded to four highly active members of the food safety community: Patrick M. Bird of PMB BioTek Consulting LLC, Donald L. Gilliland of Abbott Nutrition, Estela Kneeteman of the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial in Argentina, and Marina Torres Rodrigues of the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay.

AOAC was proud to present Steve L. Taylor of the University of Nebraska with a Special Recognition Award for his exemplary dedication to helping food allergic consumers globally. Since 1980, Taylor has focused on development of methods for detecting residues of allergenic foods and the allergenicity of foods and ingredients. He has been a member of AOAC for more than 30 years.

Ping Feng of Wyeth Nutrition in Shanghai, China, working with Adrienne McMahon of Wyeth Nutrition in Ireland, and Christophe Fuerer of Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland received the Method of the Year Award for methods addressing disputes resulting from whey protein content in infant formula being measured using different methods and yielding different results around the world. The method will serve as a consensus method for global trade of infant formula.

“We are very happy to have our group’s hard work honored by AOAC as Method of the Year,” said Feng. “This award means the method will get more recognition worldwide, and will be accepted and used.”

The Technical Service of the Year Award went to Melissa Phillips of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contributions to the evaluation of AOAC methods in Codex Standard 234, Methods of Analysis and Sampling. Melissa is also an active member of the AOAC Editorial Board, chairs two AOAC expert review panels, and serves as a member of several working groups and standards development panels.

The Award in Recognition of Technical and Scientific Excellence was awarded to Carmen Diaz-Amigo and Bert Pöpping of FOCOS GbR-Food Consulting Strategically, for co-editing one of the highest profile Special Guest Editor sections of the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, featuring 25 manuscripts focused on food allergens.

A twelve-member panel for the AOAC Stakeholder Panel for Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) MCPD Methods won the Expert Review Panel of the Year Award. The panel was chaired by Katerina Mastovska of Eurofins and included members Mathieu Dubois and Greg Jaudzems of Nestlé, Stefan Ehling of Abbott Nutrition, Jan Kuhlmann of SGS Germany GmbH, Jessica Leigh and Shaun MacMahon of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Celine Lesueur, Danone, Salvatore Parisi of Al Balqa Applied University, Joe Romano of Waters Corporation, Cheryl Stephenson of Eurofins Central Analytical Laboratory, Sudhakar Yadlapalli of First Source Laboratory Solutions LLP, and Jie Zhang of Reckett Benckiser/MJN.

The Best Paper Award went to “Confirmation and Identification of Salmonella spp., Cronobacter spp., and Other Gram-Negative Organisms by the Bruker MALDI Biotyper Method: Collaborative Study, First Action 2017.09” by Benjamin Bastin; Patrick Bird; M. Joseph Benzinger,Jr; Erin Crowley; James Agin; David Goins; Daniele Sohier; Markus Timke; Gongyi Shi; and Markus Kostrzewa.

In addition, more than 150 AOAC INTERNATIONAL members were recognized for their years of service, including 14 individuals who have contributed their expertise to the organization for 25 years.

For more information on the leaders profiled in these awards, please view the full story on AOAC.org.

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About AOAC INTERNATIONAL

AOAC INTERNATIONAL is a globally recognized, 501(c)(3), independent, third party, not-for-profit association and voluntary consensus standards developing organization founded in 1884. When analytical needs arise within a community or industry, AOAC INTERNATIONAL is the forum for finding appropriate science-based solutions through the development of microbiological and chemical standards. The AOAC Official Methods of Analysis database is used by food scientists around the world to facilitate public health and safety and to promote trade.

For more information please visit www.AOAC.org.

Marida Hines
AOAC INTERNATIONAL
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