Josip Simunovic, a research professor with NC State’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, was recently named one of 12 new fellows by the Institute of Food Technologists. The international recognition honors exemplary professionalism in the field of food science.

Simunovic is an educator and inventor of new technologies for processing, preserving and validating the safety of foods and biomaterials. These technologies have helped launch six companies, nine processing plants and more than 200 products sold throughout the American and European markets.

They range from sensors for safety validation of aseptic foods containing particles to microwave processing systems used to retain high levels of nutrients, sensory characteristics and functionality of fruits and vegetables to products like baby foods, beverages, purees and soups.

The latest of those foods is Goodness Gummies, being sold by a new company, Glean, in 1,200 grocery stores in the Southeast. Glean, started by Poole College of Management alumni Will Kornegay and Laura Hearn, worked with the NC State spinout company SinnoVita to develop the products directly from fruits and vegetables.

The gummies have roots in research conducted by Mary Ann Lila, director of NC State’s Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis, and subsequent work by Simunovic and his colleagues from SinnovaTek, SinnoVita’s parent company. Taken together, their scientific breakthroughs make it possible for food manufacturers to quickly extract nutrients from fruits and vegetables and add them to a protein source.