Professor Fritz P. (Piki) Niinivaara — Memorial

Abstract

The Founder of ICoMSTs, Professor F.P. Niinivaara passed awaypeacefully in Helsinki, Finland, on January 22, 2010. He was born inInkeroinen, Eastern Finland, on March 18, 1919.After graduation in 1938 he received a Bachelor's Degree inPharmacyin1943,aMaster'sDegreeinBiochemistryin1946andPhDin Microbiology in 1955, all from the University of Helsinki, Finland.He participated in World War II between 1940 and 1944, serving asLieutenant of Pharmacy.His Professor in Biochemistry, a Finnish Nobel Laureate A.I.Virtanen, recommended him to be a Director to a newly establishedMeat Industry Research Centre, where he served from 1947 to 1960.During this time the Research Centre became an esteemed researchinstitution of its time. In 1961 he became the founder of the academiceducationinmeatscienceattheUniversityofHelsinki,fromwhereheretired as Professor emeritus in 1983. In Finland he also was thefounder of many important organisations in the field of meat.His major research was on starter cultures in fermented sausage.Hewasamongthefirstintheworldtointroducea fullconceptof howto facilitate the production of fermented sausages, in European typesausages. He received funding from abroad, especially from the USMinistry of Agriculture. His other well-known scientific contributionsinmeatsciencewerethe pioneering researchonthenutritivevalueofmeat, studies of water-holding in meat and many other areas thatwerenewand innovative atthattime.He wasalsothe recipientofthe1991 AMSAInternational Lectureship Award,the secondindividualtoreceive this honour.After discussions with his colleagues in Europe in the early 1950she invited a group meat of scientists to Hameenlinna, Finland, inAugust 1955, to the First Meeting of European Meat ResearchWorkers. Twenty two scientists from seven countries participated inthe First Meeting. The meetings have continued as yearly meetingsever since, from 1987 underthe name‘InternationalCongress of MeatScience and Technology (ICoMST)’. Piki Niinivaara organised anotherICoMST Congress in 1969. Due to the cancellation of the meeting inPrague, Czechoslovakia in 1968, the location of the next congress wasnot decided. Prof. Niinivaara took the initiative to organise the nextcongress in Helsinki at a few months notice, including compiling the700 page congress proceedings in four languages. The meeting was asuccess, again highlighting his organisational skills.Piki Niinivaara attended every meeting until the 1990s, and occa-sionally after that. His last meeting was the 50th ICoMST in Helsinki,Finland,in2004.Dr.NiinivaarawasContactSecretaryandveryactiveinthe planning of ICoMST until 1985. His contributions to ICoMST havebeenfundamentalsincetheverybeginning.PikiNiinivaaraandhiswifeKaijawerehoststosomanysocialeventsduringthecongresses,butweknowthattheirhomeandsummercottagewasalwaysopentoallmeatscientists of the world. We remember him not only as prominent andinnovative scientistand organiser, butalso ashavingawarmandsocialpersonality. Whenever he was present, laughter and fun also was.Dr. Niinivaara's passion for meat science and ICoMST will begreatlymissed but his devotion to this industry will never be forgotten. Dr.Niinivaara is survived by his wife Mrs. Kaija Niinivaara, their childrenKristiina, Mikael and Umpukka and their families.