Chi-Tang Ho, on left, with FEMA’s Timothy Adams.
Chi-Tang Ho, professor in the Department of Food Science, was awarded the 2012 Excellence in Flavor Science Award by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) at its 43rd Fall Symposium in Jersey City, NJ, on Oct. 22-24. Upon receiving the award from Timothy Adams, FEMA’s science advisor, Ho expressed pride in this latest achievement. “This means a lot to me, because it means I was recognized by the flavor industry, and my work is important for the flavor industry.”
Chi-Tang Ho was interviewed by FEMA about his research activities at Rutgers.
Ho has devoted his career to flavor science since becoming a professor at Rutgers in 1978. He has been recognized domestically and internationally for his work in furthering our understanding of the chemical reactions between amino acids, peptides and proteins with simple carbohydrates known as the Maillard reactions.
An expert on the antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of natural products, Ho was honored as a 2010 Fellow by the American Chemical Society (ACS). He is the first Rutgers faculty member to be elected to this highly select group. Ho’s research has led to the identification of many novel compounds in tea, rosemary, sage, thyme and other medicinal herbs that have strong antioxidative and anticarcinogenic properties. He and colleagues at the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research at the Rutgers School of Pharmacy were the first to demonstrate that the antioxidant components isolated from rosemary and green tea have potent anticancer properties in cell and animal models.
He has written more than 140 book chapters and more than 200 publications in scientific journals, many of which are related to the chemistry of flavors and the mechanisms by which they form. The Excellence in Flavor Science Award was established in 2006 and recognizes a globally respected researcher from academia or industry who has shown a clear dedication to advancing flavor science through original, peer-reviewed research.
