Roy C. Newton was an American food scientist who was involved in

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

of antioxidants in

food 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 inge ...

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 ...

products during the 20th century. He also was a founding member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in 1939.

IFT founding

A charter member of IFT, Newton was elected as its vice president in 1939 and 1940. He was later elected IFT president, serving from 1942 to 1943; received the

Nicholas Appert Award The Nicolas Appert Award is awarded by the Chicago Section of the Institute of Food Technologists for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food technology. The award has been given annually since 1942 and is named after Nicolas Appert, ...

in 1949; and was elected as a fellow in 1971.

Career

At the time of IFT's founding, he was vice president of research and development for Swift & Company in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a position he held during 1939-1954. In 1952, his leadership was recognized with the presentation of the

IRI Medal The IRI Medal, established by the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) in 1946, recognizes and honors leaders of technology for their outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation which contribute broadly to the development of industry and ...

by the

Industrial Research Institute Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) is a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, a nonprofit association based in Washington, D. C., United States. IRI was founded as a private non-profit in 1938 and merged with the NAM in 2022. IR ...

. During his time as vice president, Newton was also involved in getting gum guaric approved for use as a food additive, the first ever

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

approved for use in

. Newton was also active in the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) 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 155,000 members at all d ...

, serving as chair of the ChicagoChairmen of the Chicago Section
- American Chemical Society section in 1942-3.

Articles authored

*Newton, R.C. (1954)
"Viewpoints on the Problems of Chemicals in Foods: The Viewpoint of a Food Manufacturer."
''American Journal of Public Health Nations Health.'' 44(8): 985-987.

References

*Donnelly, T.H. (1996). "First antioxidant approved as food additive - gum guaric." ''Journal of Chemical Education.'' 73(2):158. *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. p. 102.
List of IFT fellows.
American food scientists Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists Scientists from Chicago Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{US-scientist-stub