UMass Amherst Food Scientist Lutz Grossmann Honored with Young Researcher Award
Lutz Grossmann, assistant professor and Fergus Clydesdale Endowed Chair in Food Science, has received the Young Researcher Award from International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).
Grossmann was honored during the 22nd World Congress of Food Science and Technology earlier this month in Rimini, Italy.
“It is a great honor to receive this award from such a prestigious organization, but the true recognition belongs to all the members of my laboratory who conduct this crucial research,” Grossman says.
IUFoST noted that Grossmann is already recognized nationally and internationally for his “outstanding” work in alternative protein extraction and purification, protein functionality, sustainable food processing and food design.
Last year, Grossmann won the 2023 Nils Foss Talent Prize for his research into the development of environmentally friendly alternative proteins made from algae, bacteria and plants. That honor, also bestowed on an early-career scientist, was presented at a ceremony at the annual Food Analytics Conference at the University of Copenhagen.
“During his relatively short career, Professor Grossmann has already demonstrated that he is an outstanding researcher,” Grossmann’s nominators of the most recent award noted. “A major emphasis of his research is to create a more healthy, sustainable, affordable and resilient food supply, which will be critical for the future.”
They added, “Professor Grossman is a highly creative, productive and dedicated research scientist who is carrying out cutting-edge research in a variety of important areas aimed at improving food quality, health and sustainability.”
Grossmann joined UMass Amherst in 2021. He earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in food science and graduated with a Ph.D. on single cell proteins from the University of Hohenheim in Germany.
Working mostly with protein from plant and microbial sources, the Grossmann Lab focuses on “maintaining and improving the quality characteristics of food ingredients with increased sustainability.”