Mar 9, 2012

MSU researcher named Fruit Man of the Year

Randy Beaudry was named Fruit Man of the Year in March, during a meeting of the Michigan Pomesters near Grand Rapids, Mich.

Beaudry, a horticulture professor at Michigan State University, was given the award for his work on storage disorders and storage techniques for apples and other fruit.

Several of Beaudry’s former students and employees were at the meeting, which was the first clue that he might be getting the award, he said.

The students were asked to speak about their time working with Beaudry.

“Dr. Beaudry was very accommodating, friendly and one of the best resources we had due to his wealth of knowledge on scientific, but also life, subjects,” said former student Adam Dietrich. “He was never unwilling to help when college homework became a struggle. He always made sure there was some order in his lab, but made sure it was a friendly atmosphere and was moving forward. He had high expectations of everyone. We were sure to meet them because of the respect we had for him, but also because he had always treated us with respect.”

Beaudry’s research activities focus on preserving the postharvest quality of fruits and vegetables. Specific areas of expertise include modified atmosphere packaging, controlled-atmosphere storage, non-destructive quality assessment, flavor analysis, apple scald physiology and use of volatiles to inhibit decay. Much of his recent work has dealt with storage of Honeycrisp apples, Beaudry said.

By Derrek Sigler, Assistant Editor