ARS Research Leader Honored by
Agency By Sharon
Durham
February 13, 2002
BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 13, 2002—Agricultural Research Service scientist
Morse B. Solomon has been named an “Area Senior Research Scientist of the
Year” by the research agency for the development of a method to
simultaneously tenderize and enhance the safety of meat products.
Water-borne shock waves, brought on by detonating a small
explosive charge immersed in water, are used to tenderize meat and reduce food
borne pathogens. The process is called Hydrodynamic Pressure Process (HDP) and
was initially used by Solomon to tenderize meats.
“A treatment such as HDP, to eliminate food borne pathogens
in meat products and reduce spoilage microorganisms to extend product
shelf-life, are major obstacles the meat industries have been trying to
overcome,” said Edward B. Knipling, ARS acting administrator.
Solomon is internationally known for his research on using HDP
to tenderize typically tough cuts of muscle meats and is recognized as an
international authority for his research achievements in muscle histochemistry
and biochemistry.
Solomon has established the conditions whereby HDP can
simultaneously inactivate both food borne pathogens, such as E. coli
O157:H7 in ground beef, and normal spoilage microorganisms found in meat
products.
In 2001, Solomon was selected to receive the national
American Society of Animal Science award for
research excellence in meat science.
Currently, Solomon is leading a team of research scientists,
physicists, and engineers to optimize the performance of HDP technology with
the ultimate goal of developing and commercializing a non-explosive,
non-pyrotechnic HDP technology. A primary objective is to develop this process
into a one-size-fits-all system for meat products of various origins.
Solomon, the winner for the agency’s Beltsville Area, is
the research leader for the
Food Technology and
Safety Laboratory at the Henry A.
Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.
A native of Waterbury, Conn., Solomon received a bachelor’s
degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Connecticut, a master’s in
animal science from the University of
Kentucky, and a Ph.D. degree in animal science from the
University of Florida. He joined ARS as a
research scientist in 1983.
Solomon has been a five-time recipient of a certificate of merit
for outstanding performance. |
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