Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Dr. James Daun’s work to “define” canola has earned him an honorary life membership with the Canola Council of Canada.
Daun is recognized around the world as an expert in the composition and quality issues related to canola, rapeseed, flaxseed and other oilseed crops grown in Canada.
Daun’s contributions to the canola industry began shortly after he started with Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) in 1975. He helped create the official definition of canola by establishing specifications for glucosinolates and erucic acid and the method of glucosinolate measurement.
“Of all the things I accomplished, I am most proud of my work to assist in the definition of canola,” Daun says.
He developed a method to use reflectance spectroscopy, which was later applied to near-infrared instrumentation for chlorophyll measurement. He led the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and the International Standards Organization projects to establish chlorophyll measurement methods.
Daun also helped expand the CGC harvest survey for oilseeds, and used this survey of actual grower results to study the effect of environment on quality.
Daun has been a member of AOCS since 1973, serving in several capacities including president in 1998. He was also a member of the International Rapeseed Research Group serving as co-chair of the Analytical and Utilization Committee.
He is an AOCS fellow and has been presented with the AOCS Archer Daniels Midland award, the 2005 AOCS Herbert J Dutton Award and the 2000 AOCS Bailey Award. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal and the Special Mentor’s Award from the Sanofi Aventis Biotechnology Competition. And he was given the Eminent Scientist Award at the 12th International Rapeseed Congress.
He has a list of over 400 publications and has lectured in the U.S., Europe, Malaysia and Australia. After 31 years with the CGC, he spent the past five years as an adjunct professor at the University of Manitoba and formed his own company, AgriAnalytical Consulting.
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Media contact:
Debbie Belanger
204-982-2108
belangerd@canolacouncil.org
