Maynard Alexander Joslyn (July 7, 1904 – November 28, 1984) was a Russian-born American

food scientist Food science (or bromatology) is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing ...

who involved in the rebirth of the American

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

industry in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

following the repeal of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

in 1933. Joslyn was also involved in the development of

analytical chemistry Analytical skill, Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods to Separation process, separate, identify, and Quantification (science), quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute t ...

as it applied to

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

, leading to the advancement of

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, milk as examples. It is similar to biochemi ...

as a scientific discipline.

Early life

Joslyn was born in Alexandrovsk, Russian Empire. Soon after his birth, his family

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and settled in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

College life at Berkeley

After graduating high school in Michigan, Joslyn enrolled at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

where he earned a B.S. in 1926 and a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in 1928. From 1928 to 1931, Joslyn worked in the food industry before returning to Berkeley as an instructor in the "Division of Fruit Products," then an administrative unit in the College of Agriculture. The unit would later be renamed the Department of Food Science and Technology. Joslyn would earn his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

in 1935.

Research at Berkeley

Joslyn's research at Berkeley began when he was a graduate student under William V. Cruess in 1926 when their research showed that

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

and

vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...

can be preserved by freezing. It would continue to where his research would show the

enzymatic An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as produc ...

changes of foods during

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

and their

microbial A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in ...

changes after processing. Joslyn published one of the first books dealing with analytical food chemistry entitled ''Methods in Food Analysis'' in 1950 with a second edition coming out in 1970. Joslyn also served as co-editor (with J.L. Held) of a three volume series entitled ''Food Processing'' in 1963 and 1964. Joslyn would also lead the research to rebirth the California wine industry following the end of Prohibition in 1933. This included quality issues with wine, including alcoholic content, and content of unfavorable items in alcohol (

acidity An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...

, and

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wa ...

). These studies would continue until his retirement from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Berkeley in 1972 The food science department would move to the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

in 1951. Joslyn also wrote numerous books on fruit and vegetable juices and non-alcoholic beverages as well as

food preservation Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the redox, oxidation of fats. This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process. Food preservation may also include processes that in ...

by freezing and dehydration. All told he wrote or co-wrote nearly 400 articles in his career.

Involvement with the Institute of Food Technologists

A charter member of the

Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...

(IFT) when it was founded in 1939, Joslyn served as its President in 1965-66. He was also active i
IFT's Northern California Section
serving as its chair in 1957-58. Joslyn won three of IFT highest awards during his career: The IFT International Award in 1961, the

Babcock-Hart Award The Babcock-Hart Award has been awarded since 1948 by the Institute of Food Technologists. It is given for significant contributions in food technology that resulted in public health through some aspects of nutrition. It was first named the Steph ...

in 1963, and the

Nicholas Appert Award The Nicolas Appert Award is awarded by the Chicago Section of the Institute of Food Technologists for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food technology. The award has been given annually since 1942 and is named after Nicolas Appert, ...

in 1966. Joslyn also was elected an IFT Fellow in 1972.

Military service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Joslyn served in the

United States Army Quartermaster Corps The United States Army Quartermaster Corps, formerly the Quartermaster Department, is a sustainment and former combat service support (CSS) branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, being discharged as a lieutenant-colonel. For his military service, he earned the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, and a special order of Yun Hui with Ribbon from the National Government of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Other awards

Joslyn won two ''Diplome d'Honneur'' (honor diploma) from the ''French Office International de la Vigne et du Vin'' (International French Wine and Vineyard Office) in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

for his books of ''Table Wines: The Technology of Their Production in California'' (1951, 1970) and ''Dessert, Appetizer, and Related Flavored Wines: The Technology of Their Production.'' (1964). He also earned the Merit Award from the

American Society for Enology and Viticulture The American Society for Enology and Viticulture, founded in 1950, is a non-profit, scientific wine production industry organization headquartered in Davis, California. Its membership of 2,400 includes professionals from wineries, vineyards, a ...

in 1971.

Death

Joslyn died at a

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

hospital in

Yountville, California Yountville ( or ) is an incorporated town in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's populat ...

on November 28, 1984. He was survived by his wife Golda, a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

References

American Society for Enology and Viticulture Merit Award winnersDepartment of Food Science and Technology history at University of California (Berkeley, then Davis) 1918-68List of IFT Award winnersList of IFT fellows
*Phaff, H.J., M.A. Amerine, G.L. Marsh, and E.M. Mrk. (1985). "Maynard Alexander Joslyn, Nutritional Sciences: Berkeley." In ''University of California: In Memoriam, 1985.'' Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 207–209. {{DEFAULTSORT:Joslyn, Maynard A. 1904 births 1984 deaths American food scientists United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from California Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists Scientists from Michigan Recipients of the Legion of Merit Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, Berkeley faculty United States Army officers