The Rudolph A. Peterson Professor, Food Science and Technology Department
I think Zamorano provides an open and safe environment that promotes learning. As a professional, I am dedicated to Zamorano; it is the only place in Honduras where I am able to teach students, conduct research, and run a laboratory within the field I like best, food science.
Besides a laboratory in Costa Rica, Zamorano is the only other institution that provides nutritional evaluation services in Central America. Our lab helps small food processing companies comply with regulations for the export of food stuffs to Europe and the United States. We began providing services in 2006 and have been expanding our capabilities ever since. We now test more than 1,000 samples a year and can measure trans fats and cholesterol by gas chromatography — we use liquid chromatography for vitamin analysis — just to name a few. Each year student theses expand our scope. For example, last year a student measured the caffeine content in 15 coffees for his thesis. His work laid the foundation for a mapping of the quality of Honduran coffees, and the lab now has the capability to analyze the levels of caffeine in chocolate, tea, sodas and other products.
In 2009, I had the good fortune to travel to several countries to give presentations. I went to Beijing, China in August to attend the week-long International Conference on Agricultural Economics, and to Scotland in November to present at a conference on Food Security in Latin America. I also traveled to a conference on Food Science in Chicago last March, which in turn helped me secure an internship at the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C., for this Fall. I will be there for six months in the research participation program for visiting scientists at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. I will be learning how to use the latest and best equipment in the field, and working with leading food scientists and researchers. I plan to conduct a research project aimed at improving our understanding of fruits and plants in Honduras that have not yet been evaluated in terms of nutritional or medicinal value. There’s a lot of potential there for new discoveries and new products.
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Agronomy Degree, Zamorano University
MS and Ph.D in Food Science and Technology, Texas A&M University
Joined Zamorano: December 2004
Subjects include: Chemistry of Food and Nutrition, Science and Technology of Seeds and Grains, and Food Analysis
(Annual Report 2009)
