AMSA is excited to announce that Dr. Melvin C. Hunt is therecipient of the 2012 AMSA R. C. Pollock Award. The R. C. Pollock Award ispresented annually in honor of the first general manager of the National Live Stock and Meat Board.  Dr. Hunt will be honored at a special reception and awards presentation at the AMSA 65th Reciprocal Meat Conference on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 in Fargo, ND.  

 Pollock, dedicated to the advancement of meat science, was the moving force in the establishment of the Reciprocal Meat Conference. The award, sponsored by the AMSA EducationalFoundation, honors a dedicated AMSA member whose work through teaching,extension, research, or service represents an extraordinary and lastingcontribution to the meat industry.   

 Dr. Thomas Powell, Executive Director of AMSA, commenting on the award, said “Dr. Hunt’s reputation as apreeminent meat color researchers is widespread throughout the world. Hisservice to the meat industry and the meat science discipline spans two decades of teaching, mentoring and research.”  

 Dr. Melvin Hunt, or Hunter as he is known, began his career as a research chemist for Tennessee Eastman Companyworking on new applications of antioxidants, surfactants, and meat packagingsystems. He also developed a proprietary base for functional dietary fibers suitable for sequestering bile acids and lowering serum cholesterol and for areplacement for nitrite in cured meats.  

 Dr. Hunt has been a part of the Animal Science Faculty at Kansas State University since 1975, where he focusedhis research on postmortem meat quality with particular interest of factorsaffecting meat color and myoglobin chemistry.  He has served as Chair ofthe Food Science and Industry Undergraduate Program for 19 years.  

 Hunt is internationally recognized for his expertise in meat color measurement. He was the primary author of theGuidelines for Meat Color Measurement published by AMSA. This guide is the onlycomprehensive document on meat color measurement available to meat scientists.His students have clearly shown the advantages of using reflectance at 610 nmas an isobestic wavelength for direct determination of oxymyoglobin rather than using the traditional method of following the accumulation of metmyoglobin.  

 He has published widely on meat pigment chemistry, meat color, and packaging systems. In the last six years, Hunt hasauthored or co-authored 51 refereed journal articles. In addition, he has beenan invited speaker at national and international conferences to discuss his research and is widely sought to answer industry's questions and problems. Hehas received research funding from national and commodity sources and from more than 50 major packaging and ingredient companies to address pigment chemistry,shelf life, color life, cold chain management, product palatability, andmicrobiology.  

 Hunt is considered to be among the top five meat color experts in the world. His former graduate students holdprominent positions in government, industry and academia. He has beenrecognized by several organizations for contributions to research, teaching,and advising. He has served as president or chair of meat activities of three professional organizations: AMSA, ASAS, and IFT.  

 As an AMSA member, Dr. Hunt hasserved president, past president and director of the AMSA Board of Directors;chair of the 1991 RMC planning committee; as well as a member of chair fornumerous AMSA committees including the Meat Color Guidelines, Teaching Award and Undergraduate Travel award to name a few. Additionally, he has been aregular participant at the annual ICoMST meeting and currently serves as the US contact person.  

Others have also recognized Dr. Hunt’s contributions to the meat industry.  He is the recipient ofnumerous awards and honors including the AMSA Signal Service and DistinguishedTeaching Award; NAMP Rudnick Educator’s Award, ASAS Meat Research Award and theCASE Professor of the Year and Distinguished Faculty Award.  

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 AMSAfosters community and professional development among individuals who create andapply science to efficiently provide safe and high quality meat defined as redmeat (beef, pork and lamb), poultry, fish/seafood and meat from other managed species.