UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Robert Beelman, professor of food science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has received the 2005 Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research.

The honor, which includes a $1,000 cash award and a plaque, recognizes significant accomplishments in agricultural research at Penn State.

Beelman joined the college faculty in 1970. The major thrust of his recent research has focused on cultural, postharvest and minimal-processing practices to improve quality and safety of fruit, vegetable and mushroom products; development of natural food preservatives; and evaluation of bioactive components from mushrooms that can be used in development of functional foods.

Early in his career, Beelman received international recognition for his research related to the induction of malolactic fermentation in winemaking, which is of critical importance to quality and stability of wines, especially those produced in cool climates where the natural acidity that results is critical.

He isolated and characterized a new strain of malolactic bacteria that he named PSU-1. This strain became the subject of intense academic study and use around the world. His research developed the basis for the first commercial production of freeze-dried malolactic cultures that are now commonly employed as starter cultures to induce malolactic fermentation.

Beelman also filed a petition with and received approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to permit the use of such cultures in wine. As an indication of its importance, PSU-1 was recently selected to be the first wine bacterium to have its genome sequenced. Among Beelman's other achievements:

• Established that cultivated mushrooms are by far the best dietary source of ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant;
• Pioneered the production of selenium-enriched mushrooms;
• Discovered the significance of 10-oxo-trans-8-decenoic acid (ODA), a compound that has unique bioactive properties. ODA appears to function as a growth-stimulating hormone and may lead to more efficient mushroom cultivation or to enhanced production of valuable fungal products.
• Improved safety of fresh mushroom products by reducing populations of unwanted bacteria using novel cultural and postharvest treatments. For example, he developed an irrigation process that results in fresh mushrooms with greatly enhanced shelf life. His Penn State Wash Process is currently being used to produce the precleaned sliced mushrooms now popular on grocery shelves.

Beelman teaches a senior-level course on science and technology of plant foods in which he strives to integrate the results of his research. He has served as major advisor to 46 graduate students. " Working with these students to conduct meaningful research in the context of graduate education has been my passion my entire career," he says. "Seeing them leave Penn State and go on to creative careers of their own has been a constant source of joy and inspiration to me. I have also been blessed with many excellent faculty collaborators and dedicated support staff who have contributed greatly to our work."

"Professor Beelman is not only a top-quality researcher with international recognition, but also a scientist with rare vision, wisdom, compassion and work ethic," wrote John Floros, head of the Department of Food Science, in nominating Beelman for the Black Award. " He exemplifies all the qualities found in true scholars and dedicated academics."

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EDITORS: Robert Beelman can be reached at 814-863-2964 or by e-mail at rbb6@psu.edu.

(EDITORS: To obtain a photo to accompany this story, please e-mail a request to jjm29@psu.edu.)

Jeff Mulhollem Writer/Editor Phone: 814-863-2719 E-mail: jjm29@psu.edu