George F. Stewart
Encyclopedia
George F. Stewart was an American
food scientist
who was involved in processing, preservation, chemistry, and microbiology of poultry
and egg
-based food products. He also became the first president of the International Union of Food Science and Technology
(IUFoST) after it was formed at the 1970 conference in Washington, DC from the International Congress of Food Science and Technology.
, Stewart developed an interest in the southwestern U.S.
and the environment
that never left him. He would earn a B.S.
in Chemistry
from the University of Chicago
in 1930 and a Ph.D.
in Dairy chemistry
from Cornell University
in 1933.
for five years. This gave him early experience in the dynamics of the food industry
. The experience Stewart gained in the food industry would prove valuable when he returned to academia
.
faculty as chair of the Department of Avian Sciences (then known as Poultry Husbandry). He would lead the transition of the department between the University of California, Berkeley
and Davis between 1951 and 1958 and expand the department in faculty and building size. Taking a sabbatical year
in Australia
as a Fulbright scholar in 1958, Stewart played a key role in modernizing Australia's poultry industry.
In 1959, Stewart returned to UC-Davis as chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) where he would serve until 1964. At the university's request in 1964, Stewart was named director of the food protection and toxicology center and became chair of the newly formed Department of Environmental Toxicology, a position he would hold until 1970.
Stewart returned to the FST department in 1970 as a teacher and researcher, including serving as coordinator of the Food packaging
program from 1969 to 1974. He would retire from UC Davis in 1975.
and protein
, the first to deal with time
-temperature
studies in egg pasteurization
and poultry freezing
, the first to determine antibiotic
resistance in pathogen
ic bacteria
in refrigerated
poultry, and the first to determine the time between egg laying and egg shell composition to maintain internal product quality. His research would lead to over seventy-five published papers, the co-founding of Advances in Food Research in 1958, the co-founding of the Journal of Food Nutrition Education and Monographs in Food Science and Technology.
(IFT), serving as a charter member in 1939 and as IFT President in 1967-68. Among his service at IFT was being editor-in-chief of Food Technology
and the Journal of Food Science
(JFS) from January 1961 to July 1966. During his role as editor, Stewart would transfer much of the basic research from Food Technology to the Journal of Food Science, paving the way for JFS to be an entirely research scientific journal
by 1971. He was also involved in the Poultry Science Association
on its board of directors and was also named a fellow. Stewart was involved in other professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society
, the American Dairy Science Association
, the American Institute of Nutrition, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and the International Union of Nutritional Sciences
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
food scientist
Food science
Food science is a study concerned with all technical aspects of foods, beginning with harvesting or slaughtering, and ending with its cooking and consumption, an ideology commonly referred to as "from field to fork"...
who was involved in processing, preservation, chemistry, and microbiology of poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
and egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
-based food products. He also became the first president of the International Union of Food Science and Technology
International Union of Food Science and Technology
International Union of Food Science and Technology]]The International Union of Food Science and Technology is the international non-governmental organization established in 1962, devoted to the advancement of food science and technology...
(IUFoST) after it was formed at the 1970 conference in Washington, DC from the International Congress of Food Science and Technology.
Early life and college
Born in Mesa, ArizonaMesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, Stewart developed an interest in the southwestern U.S.
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
that never left him. He would earn a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1930 and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Dairy chemistry
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1933.
Industrial career
Stewart worked as a chemist for Ocoma Foods in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
for five years. This gave him early experience in the dynamics of the food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
. The experience Stewart gained in the food industry would prove valuable when he returned to academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
.
University of California involvement
Ih 1951, Stewart joined the University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
faculty as chair of the Department of Avian Sciences (then known as Poultry Husbandry). He would lead the transition of the department between the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and Davis between 1951 and 1958 and expand the department in faculty and building size. Taking a sabbatical year
Sabbatical year
Sabbatical or a sabbatical is a rest from work, or a hiatus, often lasting from two months to a year. The concept of sabbatical has a source in shmita, described several places in the Bible...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as a Fulbright scholar in 1958, Stewart played a key role in modernizing Australia's poultry industry.
In 1959, Stewart returned to UC-Davis as chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) where he would serve until 1964. At the university's request in 1964, Stewart was named director of the food protection and toxicology center and became chair of the newly formed Department of Environmental Toxicology, a position he would hold until 1970.
Stewart returned to the FST department in 1970 as a teacher and researcher, including serving as coordinator of the Food packaging
Food packaging
Food packaging is packaging for food. It requires protection, tampering resistance, and special physical, chemical, or biological needs. It also shows the product that is labeled to show any nutrition information on the food being consumed....
program from 1969 to 1974. He would retire from UC Davis in 1975.
Research focus
Stewart's research was on the processing and preservation of poultry meat and eggs. This included being the first person to demonstrate the browning reaction in dried eggs with a reaction between glucoseGlucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
and protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
, the first to deal with time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
-temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
studies in egg pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
and poultry freezing
Freezing
Freezing or solidification is a phase change in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. The reverse process is melting....
, the first to determine antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
resistance in pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
ic bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
in refrigerated
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
poultry, and the first to determine the time between egg laying and egg shell composition to maintain internal product quality. His research would lead to over seventy-five published papers, the co-founding of Advances in Food Research in 1958, the co-founding of the Journal of Food Nutrition Education and Monographs in Food Science and Technology.
Professional involvement
Stewart was involved in many organizations, including IUFoST and the Institute of Food TechnologistsInstitute of Food Technologists
The Institute of Food Technologists or IFT is an international, non-profit professional organization for the advancement of food science and technology. It is the largest of food science organizations in the world, encompassing 22,000 members worldwide as of 2006. It is referred to as "THE Society...
(IFT), serving as a charter member in 1939 and as IFT President in 1967-68. Among his service at IFT was being editor-in-chief of Food Technology
Food Technology (magazine)
Food Technology is a monthly food science and technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, Illinois. The magazine addresses current issues related to food science and technology, including research, education, food engineering, food packaging, nutraceuticals,...
and the Journal of Food Science
Journal of Food Science
The Journal of Food Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1936 and is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, Illinois...
(JFS) from January 1961 to July 1966. During his role as editor, Stewart would transfer much of the basic research from Food Technology to the Journal of Food Science, paving the way for JFS to be an entirely research scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
by 1971. He was also involved in the Poultry Science Association
Poultry Science Association
The Poultry Science Association is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of poultry science. Founded in 1908, the PSA is headquartered in Savoy, Illinois, located near the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois area....
on its board of directors and was also named a fellow. Stewart was involved in other professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, the American Dairy Science Association
American Dairy Science Association
The American Dairy Science Association is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of dairy science. ADSA is headquartered in Savoy, Illinois, located near the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois area....
, the American Institute of Nutrition, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and the International Union of Nutritional Sciences
International Union of Nutritional Sciences
The International Union of Nutritional Sciences is an international non-governmental organization established in 1948 to devote the advancement of nutrition...
.