US scientist named for 'World Food Prize 2007' recipient

Washington, June 19 (UNI) Philip Nelson, a noted US food scientist who developed post-harvest technologies that allow the large-scale storage, packaging and transportation of fruit and vegetable products, has been named recipient of the World Food Prize, 2007.

Mr Nelson's pioneering work has made it possible to package and ship to other countries large quantities of food without its losing nutritional value or taste, Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, said at a ceremony at the State Department yesterday.

''The work has helped increase the accessibility and reliability of the world's food supply,'' said Henrietta Fore, recently appointed acting director of US foreign assistance, responsible for coordinating all US government foreign aid programs.

Heralding an era of chemical-less food preservation, Mr Nelson's research led to the discovery of methods and equipment to sterilise perishable food without the use of chemicals and preserve it at safe temperatures in lined, bacteria-free carbon steel tanks ranging in capacity from 379 litres to nearly 1.9 million litres.

Mr Nelson also developed a 'bag-in-box' technology for preserving and shipping smaller quantities of foods.

The 21-year-old World Food Prize was established by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug, recognised around the world as the 'father of the Green Revolution.' Borlaug is credited with saving millions of people from starvation during the 1960s and early 1970s.

The prize is awarded annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to improving the quality, quantity and availability of food in the world, according to the foundation.

An agriculture professor at Purdue University in Indiana, Mr Nelson began his food science research work in 1969 with tomatoes and later included a variety of seasonal crops.

The 250,000 dollars World Food Prize will be presented to Mr Nelson at an October 18 ceremony in Iowa, where the foundation is based.

UNI