In 1928 the need was identified
for trained people to
lead the fruit processing
industry in the Cape.
To this purpose Dr Izak
Burger went on a world
tour which included the
fruit growing areas of
California and Australia.
In his report he recommended
that an educational institution
be established to train
people to manage the processing
of fruit for the export
and local market. For
various reasons in the
early 1930’s the
report was shelved. Later
efforts were thwarted
by the outbreak of the
war in 1939. It was only
in 1946 that the idea
was revived.
At the insistence of Dr
Izak Burger, with the
persuasion of the rector,
Professor Bobby Wilcocks,
with the assistance of
the then Department of
Agriculture, and with
funding from Imperial
Cold Storage and the Deciduous
and Dried Fruit Boards,
the idea finally came
to fruition. The first
student was enrolled in
1951. In 1952, the creation
of the first Department
of Food Science in South
Africa (and in Africa)
passed through the Senate
and University Council
and Professor RI Nel,
then head of the Fruit
and Fruit Technology Institute
(FFTRI), was appointed
as special professor in
Fruit Technology.
In 1954, the Food Science Building was completed.
In 1955, the first two students received BSc in Food
Science degrees: Johan Burger (son of Dr Izak Burger)
became the managing director of Letaba Citrus Processors
in Tzaneen (a position he still holds today in 2008,
at the age of 75) and Jan Hofmeyr became deputy head
of Nampak Research & Development in Cape Town. It
is interesting to note that the first department of
food science in Britain was set up at the University
of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland in 1958.
Professor Nel has been
followed subsequently
as head of the Department
by Prof Chris Smit (1960
- 67), Prof JJ Doesburg,
Prof Brian Koeppen (1970
- 80), Prof Gerard van
Noort (1981 - 1993), Prof
Trevor Britz (1995 - 2004)
and Dr Corli Witthuhn
(2005 - ) is the current
Departmental Chairperson.
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