Chemistry's Role in Food Production and Sustainability Past and Present

Mary Virginia Orna is Professor of Chemistry at The College of New Rochelle. She received her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Fordham University. She has lectured and published widely in the areas of color chemistry and archaeological chemistry. Her articles have appeared in the Journal of Chemical Education, Color Research and Application, Studies in Conservation, Analytical Chemistry, Microchemical Journal, Journal of Biological Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS) monographs, and various other journals. She has also authored numerous book chapters and encyclopedia articles and seven books, and has edited eleven others. She is an ACS Fellow (2010) and is active in several divisions of the American Chemical Society. She is also currently serving as ACS Councilor and has been active on many Council-related ACS committees. She is a 1984 recipient of the Chemical Manufacturing Association's Catalyst Award for excellence in college chemistry teaching, the 1989 CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) New York State Professor of the Year and National Gold Medalist Award, the 1989 Merck Innovation Award, the 1996Western Connecticut ACS Section's Visiting Scientist Award, and the 1996 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. She received the American Chemical Society's 1999 George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education, the 2008 Henry Hill Award, and the 2009 ACS Award for Volunteer Service. She has presented plenary lectures and named lectureships on at least a dozen different occasions. She was a Fulbright Fellow in Israel (1994-95), where she lectured at The Hebrew University. She is an ACS tour speaker and has been an invited lecturer to every part of the United States and many countries in Europe, the Middle East, and the South Pacific. Her 2013 book, The Chemical History of Color (Springer), continues to be rated the most popular book in the Springer series. Her latest book, Carl Auer von Welsbach: Chemist, Inventor, Entrepreneur, also published by Springer, was recently released (2018).

Gillian Eggleston was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK. She received her B.Sc. in chemistry and biochemistry in 1984 from the University of Nottingham, UK, and her Ph.D. in 1989 in carbohydrate biophysics from Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK. Dr. Eggleston has worked internationally in the field of carbohydrates and industrial sugar and bioproducts processing. In 2018, Dr. Eggleston became the head and a tenured professor of the Audubon Sugar Institute, a department of the Agricultural Center of Louisiana State University. Before that, she spent 24 years leading the sugar crop processing at the United States Department of Agriculture's Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, USA. During her career, she has had numerous accomplishments with her research having had major commercial and scientific impact in the worldwide sugar and related industries. Accomplishments include elucidation of the biochemical and physical processes leading to sugar crop deterioration, juice clarification, industrial enzyme applications and sugar losses, effects of extraneous sugarcane matter on processing, food authentication, and helping to establish a new, large-scale sweet sorghum processing industry in the USA. Her research has resulted in over 330 publications (4 books, 135 peer reviewed journal papers and book chapters, 66 symposia and conference proceedings, 122 abstracts, etc.). Her major scientific and commercial accomplishments are reflected in 32 national and international awards, including five Sugar Industry Technologists (International) Awards and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Melville L. Wolfrom Award. She is also an ACS Fellow. Dr. Eggleston frequently gives international keynote, plenary, and workshop presentations, and consults extensively worldwide. Dr. Eggleston has organized numerous scientific symposia and international conferences. She has mentored young and older scientists as well as visiting scientists and graduates from all over the world, and served as external reviewer for six Ph.D. degrees.


Alvin Bopp is a native New Orleanian who received his B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans. After a tour of duty in the United States Army and a short post-doc, he went to work in government and industry laboratories, focusing primarily on process and product development. In 1996 he joined the faculty at Southern University at New Orleans where he is currently a Professor of Chemistry and Chairman of the Department of Natural Sciences. He has also taken on faculty leadership positions serving a two-year term as Faculty President and many terms as Vice President. Current academic interests include the interdisciplinary area of chemistry and cultural materials, in particular, materials conservation and preservation. He has also collaborated with the Cotton Chemistry & Utilization group at the United States Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Research Center characterizing treated cotton fabrics for use in a variety of medical applications. He has been active in the Louisiana Section most notably serving as two terms as Section Chair (2003 and 2008) and Councilor since 2010.

Part I. Setting the Context
Chapter 1. Introduction: Chemistry Feeds the World Mary Virginia Orna, Gillian Eggleston, and Alvin F. Bopp
Chapter 2. Historic Role of the United States Department of Agriculture in Food Production, Quality, and Security Victoria L. Finkenstadt

Part II. Sustainability in the Past
Chapter 3. Impact of Agriculture on Food Supply: A History Livia Simon Sarkadi
Chapter 4. The Critical Impact of NaCl on Human History and Development Marilyn D. Duerst
Chapter 5. History of Sugar and Sweeteners Gillian Eggleston
Chapter 6. Harvey Wiley and the Transformation of the American Diet Jonathan Rees
Chapter 7. Carotenoids, Cochineal, and Copper: Food Coloring Through the Ages Mary Virginia Orna
Chapter 8. Alcoholic Beverages as the Universal Medicine before Synthetics Patrick E. McGovern
Chapter 9. Effects of Fertilizer on Food Supply Livia Simon Sarkadi

Part III. Sustainability in the Present
Chapter 10. The Evolution of Flour: From New England Graham to New Orleans Swans Down Linda Civitello
Chapter 11. Guilt by Association: Can Chemists Lead the Way Out of the Nutritional Advice Wilderness? Elke Schoffers
Chapter 12. Role of Chemical Analysis in Food Safety and Food Authentication Eric C. de Ronde
Chapter 13. Relative Sea Level Rise: Consequences to Louisiana Fisheries Albert P. Gaud?
Chapter 14. Genetically Modified Organisms as a Food Source: History, Controversy, and Hope Patrick L. Daubenmire
Chapter 15. The Evolution of Food Preservation and Packaging Alvin F. Bopp

Part IV. Food and the Future
Chapter 16. Food Chemistry as a Vital Science: Past, Present, Future Lili He

Editors' Biographies
Author Index
Subject Index