MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Frozen Food Foundation, in conjunction with the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), this week awarded Dr. Da-Wen Sun with the fourth annual Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award.
The award, which recognizes individuals or organizations whose research contributes to the continued enhancement of food quality and safety through freezing, was awarded to Dr. Sun during the 2013 IAFP Annual Meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Dr. Sun was selected for his significant contributions to enhancing the field of food freezing technologies.
“The Frozen Food Foundation is pleased to recognize the achievements of Dr. Sun through the presentation of the Freezing Research Award,” said Foundation President Kraig R. Naasz, who also serves as president and CEO of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). “Dr. Sun’s research in the field of food freezing technology, including his numerous publications and awards, has aided the scientific community, as well as consumers who enjoy the benefits of his work through increased product quality.”
His book, Handbook of Frozen Food Processing and Packaging, published in 2006, is a standard reference book in the field for researchers and engineers. Due to high demand, the book published its second edition in 2012.
Dr. Sun holds a first class B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from China. He became the first Chinese national to be permanently employed in an Irish University when he was appointed College Lecturer at the University College Dublin (UCD) in 1995. Dr. Sun is currently UCD Professor of Food and Biosystems Engineering and Director of the Food Refrigeration and Computerized Food Technology Research Group.
Dr. Sun is also a member of the Academia Europaea; member of the Royal Irish Academy; International Academy of Food Science and Technology fellow; an Institution of Agricultural Engineers fellow; Engineers Ireland fellow; International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering president; editor-in-chief of Food and Bioprocess Technology; series editor of the Contemporary Food Engineering book series; former editor of Journal of Food Engineering; and editorial board member for a number of international journals.
Nearly 2,400 scientists are among the top 1 percent of the most cited scientists in the category of Agriculture Sciences, and Dr. Sun is near the top of the list with a ranking of 36.
“Dr. Sun has advanced frozen food through initiating ice nucleation, controlling ice crystal size and distribution to achieve small and evenly distributed ice crystals in frozen food during freezing,” said Dr. Adriana Delgado of UCD. “He has devoted much of his educational activities studying the benefits of frozen food.”
IAFP has long presented awards to members of the food industry for their work to enhance food safety. However, the Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award is the only award to be given by IAFP specifically for frozen food-related research.
As the recipient of the 2013 Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award, Dr. Sun receives a $2,000 honorarium and commemorative plaque.
The Frozen Food Foundation exists to foster scientific research, public awareness and industry education regarding the nutritional and safety attributes of frozen foods for the benefit of the common good. The Frozen Food Foundation is affiliated with the American Frozen Food Institute.
