Aaron E. Wasserman was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 food scientist whose career started out in the medical field

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 in microbiology

Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...

, then evolved into research with the United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...

 (USDA) Agricultural Research Service

Agricultural Research Service

The Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture . ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area...

 (ARS) into food chemistry

Food chemistry

Food chemistry is the study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non-biological components of foods. The biological substances include such items as meat, poultry, lettuce, beer, and milk as examples...

. Following his retirement from USDA ARS, Wasserman served as Editor-In-Chief of the Institute of Food Technologists

Institute of Food Technologists

The Institute of Food Technologists or IFT is an international, non-profit professional organization for the advancement of food science and technology. It is the largest of food science organizations in the world, encompassing 22,000 members worldwide as of 2006. It is referred to as "THE Society...

' (IFT) Journal of Food Science

Journal of Food Science

The Journal of Food Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1936 and is published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, Illinois...

(JFS) from 1981 to 1990.

Early life and career

A Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 native, Wasserman earned his B.S.

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 in 1942 from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

University of the Sciences , officially known as University of the Sciences in Philadelphia , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and a variety of other health-related disciplines.-History:The history of the University of the Sciences...

. He then worked for Merck and Company, and later with USDA ARS before his retirement in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Journal of Food Science editor-in-chief

Wasserman served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Food Science from 1981 to 1990. He retired to the Philadelphia area. For his service as editor of JFS, he received IFT's Calvert L. Willey Award

Calvert L. Willey Award

The Calvert L. Willey Award has been awarded every year since 1989. It is awarded to a member of the Institute of Food Technologists who displayed meritorious and imaginative service to IFT. The award is named for Calvert L. Willey who served as Executive Secretary and later Executive Director...

in 1990. Wasserman was also named a fellow of IFT in 1979.

Selected works

• Fiddler, W., W.E. Parker, A.E. Wasserman, and R.C. Doerr. (1967). "Thermal decomposition of ferulic acid." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 15(5):757-761.
• Luddy, F.E., S.F. Herb, P. Magidman, M. Spinelli, and A.E. Wasserman. (1969). "Color and the lipid composition of pork muscles." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 47(2): 65-68.
• Wasserman, A.E. (1981). "From the Scientific Editor." Journal of Food Science. 46(6): iv-vi.
• Wasserman, A.E. (1989). "From the Scientific Editor." Journal of Food Science. 54(6): iv-vi.
• Wasserman, A.E. and J.W. Hampton. (1960). "Whey Utilization III. Oxygen Absorption Rates and the Growth of Saccharomyces fragillis in Several Propagators." Applied Microbiology. 8(5): 293-297.
• Wasserman, A.E. and W.J. Hopkins. (1958). "Dissimilation of C¹⁴-labeled Glucose by Serratia marcescens." Journal of Bacteriology. 75(4): 492-493.
• Wasserman, A.E., J.M. Lessner, and M.K. West. (1954). "Reversal of the Streptomycin injury of Escherichia coli." Journal of General Physiology. 38: 213-223.
• Wasserman, A.E., and A.M. Spinelli. (1972). "Effect of some water-soluble components on aroma of heated adipose tissue." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 20(2): 171-174.