Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 14, 2015Location: Valley Library, Oregon State University.
Ron Wrolstad (b. 1939) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Technology who attended Oregon State College as an undergraduate and was an active member of its faculty from 1965 to his retirement in 2004. An accomplished and highly cited agricultural scientist, Wrolstad has made important contributions to the study of fruit juice adulteration, ultimately becoming a trusted authority on the subject and receiving funding from both public and private sources to act as a check on fruit juice producers worldwide. Wrolstad likewise contributed to the body of research on natural colorants, including a project investigating the use of radish extract to achieve the red color associated with maraschino cherries. In his interview, Wrolstad reflects on his undergraduate years at OSC; comments on the legacy of maraschino cherry work at Oregon State; details the themes of his research over time; and shares his institutional memories of a sixty-year association with the Food Science and Technologies Department.