Dr. Edwin Frankel was a distinguished Food Chemist and Adjunct Professor Emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis. Born in 1928, he earned his MS and PhD degrees from UC Davis between 1950 and 1956, with his doctoral research focusing on the specificity of lipase action in milk. He began his professional career as a research chemist at the USDA Northern Regional Research Center in Peoria, Illinois, from 1956 to 1960, establishing his foundation in food chemistry research. After returning to UC Davis in 1989 as an Adjunct Professor, he continued his impactful research and teaching until his passing in 2019, maintaining strong international connections through fellowships at the Israel Institute of Technology and Queen Mary College in London.
Professor Frankel specialized in lipid oxidation and antioxidants in foods and biological systems, becoming a world-renowned expert whose research fundamentally advanced the understanding of oxidation mechanisms in food preservation. His highly cited work established critical methodologies for evaluating quality and detecting adulteration in premium food products, particularly extra virgin olive oil, with applications spanning food industry quality control and regulatory standards. In a notable 10-year survey of agricultural science researchers, he was ranked as the second most referenced scholar among more than 1,500 scientists, demonstrating the profound impact of his contributions to food chemistry. Frankel developed and taught the influential FST 201 course on Food Chemistry, covering lipid chemistry, flavor chemistry, and flavonoids, while also creating the definitive Short Course on Lipid Oxidation and Antioxidants for the American Oil Chemists' Society.
Dr. Frankel's rigorous systematic approach to food chemistry established frameworks that continue to guide innovations in food preservation, processing, and quality control across the global food industry. His scholarly impact was recognized by Dean Neal Van Alfen of UC Davis's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who noted that Frankel's highly referenced work reaffirmed the value of research investment in advancing scientific knowledge. Though he passed away in 2019, his methodological approaches to studying lipid oxidation remain foundational for contemporary food science research and industry practices worldwide. Frankel's legacy endures through his extensive body of work, which continues to inform food quality assessment, preservation techniques, and authentication methods essential for maintaining food safety and integrity in modern food systems.
