Introducing Virginia Holsinger Food scientist, chemist and nutrition expert.

• Food scientist, chemist and nutrition expert
• Researcher in dairy products

• Born in Washington and graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va. 
• Bachelor’s in chemistry from the College of William and Mary in 1958  
• Doctorate in food science and nutrition from Ohio State University in 1980.
• Research career as an analytical chemist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s dairy products laboratory in Washington
• Transferred in 1974 to the Eastern Regional Research Center in Pennsylvania, where she stayed until her retirement in 1999.

• Developed a milk substitute for people who are lactose intolerant. These findings led to the Lactaid brand of lactase-treated dairy products.
• The U.S. Military – a lactose free dehydrated milk powder for soldiers reconstituted with water while they were in the field. 
• Holsinger’s work and research was also used to develop reduced-fat mozzarella cheese which was widely adapted in school lunch programs.

• Used in emergency relief situations like natural disasters flood and famine
  • Formulated a powder drink mix – whey and soy to reconstitute with water to provide a milk substitute
  • Developed a grain blend that, when mixed with water, can create a porridge 
• Using research findings to develop Beano – a digestive aid to prevent formation of human intestinal gas.

Awards include:

• Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Lifetime Achievement Award, granted by the Agricultural Research Service. 
• Inducted into the Agricultural Research Service’s Hall of Fame for lifetime career achievements.
• Holsinger passed away from breast cancer in 2009 at the age of 72.

— presented by Preetha Menon