Fred Wilbur Tanner (1888–1957) was an American

food scientist Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the developmen ...

and

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

who involved in the founding of the

Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...

(IFT) and the creation of the

scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...

Food Research Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

'' (now the ''

Journal of Food Science A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' (''JFS'').).

Academic career

Tanner joined at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

in 1923, where he was chair of the

Bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

Department (no
Department of Microbiology
until 1948. His work focused on

food safety Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from t ...

issues, specifically

pasteurization Pasteurization or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life. The ...

and

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

curing. Tanner remained as professor until his retirement in 1956. Tanner's research in

food science Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the developm ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

would also lead to the establishment of the

food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that deals with the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of the food products. Early scientific research into food technology concentrated on food preservation. Nic ...

department at Illinois in 1947.

Role with IFT

Tanner was a presenter at a 1937 conference with

Samuel Cate Prescott Samuel Cate Prescott (April 5, 1872 – March 19, 1962) was an American food scientist and microbiologist who was involved in the development of food safety, food science, public health, and industrial microbiology. Early life Prescott was bo ...

of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT) held at MIT on "Microorganisms in Relation to Food Processing." A year earlier, Tanner founded the scientific journal ''Food Research'', now ''JFS.'', where he would remain as Editor-In-Chief until 1951. He served as IFT President in 1945-46 and would win the

Stephen M. Babcock Stephen Moulton Babcock (22 October 1843 – 2 July 1931) was an American agricultural chemist. He is best known for developing the Babcock test, used to determine butterfat content in milk and cheese processing, and for the single-grain experime ...

Award (now

Babcock-Hart Award The Babcock-Hart Award has been awarded since 1948 by the Institute of Food Technologists. It is given for significant contributions in food technology that resulted in public health through some aspects of nutrition. It was first named the Step ...

) in 1952.

Death and legacy

Tanner died in 1957. The IF
Chicago Section
would establish the Fred W. Tanner Lectureship in 1960 that is held every May. This lectureship is given by leaders in the food industry. Tanner was also posthumously awarded the Pastuer Award and honorary medallion in 1959.

Selected works

*Prescott, S.C. and F.W. Tanner. (1938). "Microbiology in Relation to Food Preservation." ''Food Research.'' 3(3): 189-97. *Tanner, F.W. and G.I. Wallace. (1925). "Relation of Temperature to the Growth of Thermophilic Bacteria." ''Journal of Bacteriology.'' 10(5): 421-437.

References

*Goldblith, S.A. (1993). ''Pioneers in Food Science, Volume 1: Samuel Cate Prescott — M.I.T. Dean and Pioneer Food Technologist.'' Trumball, CT: Food & Nutrition Press, Inc. pp. 101, 184.

External links

Early history of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at UIUC
- Accessed January 18, 2007.
Fred W. Tanner papers at the UIUC Library
- Accessed January 15, 2007.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Fred W. 1888 births 1959 deaths American food scientists American microbiologists People from Champaign, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty