A lifetime of extraordinary work.
Dr Bressani was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in 1928. He received his BS from the University of Dayton (US) in 1949 and his MS from Iowa State University (US) in 1951. He returned to Guatemala the same year to join the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) while working on his PhD in Biochemistry, which he obtained from Purdue University (US) in 1956. He was lecturer of the Department of Food and Nutritional Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Cambridge, MA. USA, 1967.
Dr Bressani headed the Division of Food and Agricultural Science at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) until 1993. At present, he leads the Research Centre in Food Science and Technology at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.
Dr Bressani's expertise has been sought after, worldwide. He is international member of the US National Academy of Sciences and member of both the Guatemala Academy of Science and Third World Academy of Science, the Academy of Science of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, the Latin American Society for Nutrition, and the American Institute of Food Technology. Throughout his career, he has been awarded numerous times.
The "Albert Einstein" World Award of Science is delivered by first time, in 1984 in Monterrey, México. The price is granted to Dr. Ricardo Bressani, a Guatemalan research scientist at the Instituto de Nutrición de Centro America y Panama for his contributions to the improvement of human nutrition in Latin America as well as for his efforts to increase agricultural production in the same region.
His many other awards include: McCollum Award, American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Natl. Dairy Council, USA; S&T Medal, Guatemala; Orden del Quetzal, Grado de Gran Cruz, Pres. of Guatemala; and Premio Científico México.
In 2001, he was awarded with the Ibero American Prize in Science and Food Technology from the Mexican Government for his lifetime contributions to food science. 2003, Danone awarded him the International Prize for Nutrition.
There are many other award, recognitions and Prizes.
Dr. Bressani's extensive research activities generated over 500 published papers in Europe, the US and Latin America, namely in food science and technology and nutrition research; new food sources; protein nutrition and quality; food composition and utilization in humans and animals; nutrient bioavailability; and processing and nutritive value. He was the editor of Archivos Latino Americanos de Nutricion for 15 years and editor of the Amaranth Newsletter.
