Prizes and Awards
The Society of Food Chemistry (LChG) honours individuals by presenting awards to those who have supported the work of the LChG or promoted the profession of food chemists (Adolf Juckenack Medal).
In addition, it recognises and supports early-career scientists (Werner Baltes Award, Future Award of the Society of Food Chemistry, Bruno Rossmann Award and Josef Schormüller Scholarship).
As a rule, all awards are presented at the annual ceremonial session of the German Food Chemistry Days.
Every two years, the GDCh also awards the Joseph König Memorial Medal to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the scientific development, promotion and recognition of food chemistry.
All calls for applications are open to people of every gender.
The Society of Food Chemistry (LChG) – Division within the GDCh – awards the Adolf Juckenack Medal to individuals who, through many years of personal commitment in important positions, have supported the work of the Society of Food Chemistry, or who have promoted the profession of food chemists through their activities. The awardee is selected by the LChG Board. The medal is presented at the ceremonial session of the annual Food Chemistry Days.
The award was established in 1981 by the then Division “Food Chemistry and Forensic Chemistry” in memory of Privy Councillor and Ministerial Councillor
Prof. Dr. Adolf Juckenack (1870 – 1939). Following almost annual awards, the medal has been presented every two years since 2016 (resolution of the LChG Board on 03.12.2016).
Next call for proposals: autumn/winter 2027
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The following individuals received the Adolf Juckenack Medal (title, location and at the time of presentation):
2024
LM-Chem. Volker Charné, Halle (Saale)
2022
Dr. Günther Kempe, Niederwiesa
2020
Dr. Rüdiger Schneider, Bruchsal
2018
Dr. Jörg Häseler, Berlin, representing WG JLC as founding chair
2016
Dr. Gunter Fricke, Frankfurt
2015
Dr. Peter Fecher, Wiesenttal
2014
Annette Neuhaus, Detmold
2013
Dr. Erhard Kirchhoff, Berlin
2012
Prof. Dr. Michael Petz, Wuppertal
2011
Chem.-Dir. Helmut Streit, Mainz
2010
Dr. Hasan Taschan, Kassel
2008
Anneliese Brockmann, Oerlinghausen
2006
Dr. Dietmar Kasprick, Dresden
2005
Dr. Hanke Hey, Neumünster
2004
Dr. Siegfried Wallrauch, Würzburg
2003
Prof. Dr. Helmut Erbersdobler, Kiel
2002
Gundula Thomas, Dresden
2000
Prof. Dr. Manfred Geßler, Cologne
1998
Dr. Klaus Günther, Preetz
1997
Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Erich Coduro, Vaterstetten
1996
Senior Chemistry Director Dr. Horst Berg, Karlsruhe
1995
Prof. Dr. Alfred Montag, Hamburg
1994
Prof. Dr. Peter B. Czedik-Eysenberg, Vienna
1993
Prof. Dr. Karl Herrmann, Hanover
1992
Senior Chemistry Director Hans Miethke, Stuttgart
1991
Prof. Dr. Dieter Eckert, Bonn
1989
Dr. Siegfried Baudner, Marburg
Dr. Herbert O. Günther, Neusäß
1987
Chemistry Director Günther Halder, Berlin
Dr. Auguste Mankel, Bochum
Dr. Fritz Ruf, Heilbronn
1984
Prof. Walter Zipfel, Karlsruhe
1983
Dr. Ruth Burkhardt, Geisenheim
Ministerial Councillor (ret.) Hans Mollenhauer, Bonn
Dr. Gerhard Nagel, Bielefeld
1982
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius, Taunusstein
The Society of Food Chemistry (LChG) – a Division in the GDCh – awards the Werner Baltes Award to young colleagues who are already working independently in science but have not yet been appointed to a permanent position, in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements. The award is intended to encourage further successful activities. The prize money amounts to EUR 2000. The award is presented at the ceremonial session of the Food Chemistry Days, held annually. The awardee presents their scientific achievements in a lecture.
The award for early-career scientists was established in 1969 as the “Young Scientist Award” and was named after Prof. Dr. Kurt Täufel (1892–1970) from 1998 to 2017. In 2017, the award was renamed the “Werner Baltes Award for Young Scientists” in honour of Prof. Dr. Werner Baltes (1929–2013) and was presented under this name for the first time in 2018. Since 2023, the award has been called the “Werner Baltes Award”. The food chemist Werner Baltes was the first recipient of the “Young Scientist Award” in 1970. He is and was particularly well known for his educational publications and made an outstanding contribution to the education and advancement of young food chemists.
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Nominations must be submitted by one university professor of food chemistry in electronic form by 28 February of each year, together with a letter of nomination or support, CV, structured list of publications and a description of the candidate’s scientific projects, to the Board of the Society of Food Chemistry, n.buerger@gdch.de.
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Previous recipients of the award (location at the time of presentation):
2025
Jun.-Prof. Jana Raupbach, Braunschweig
2024
Dr. Florian Kaltner, Vienna/Austria
2023
Prof. Dr. Simon Hammann, Erlangen
2022
Dr. Helene Loos, Erlangen
2021
PD Dr. habil- Claudia Oellig, Hohenheim
2020
Dr. Franziska S. Hanschen, Großbeeren
2019
Dr. Michael Hellwig, Dresden
2018
Dr. Daniel Wefers, Karlsruhe
2017
PD Dr. Jörg Fahrer, Mainz
2016
Dr. Michael Granvogl, Freising
2015
Prof. Dr. Nils Helge Schebb, Wuppertal
2014
Dr. Jens Brockmeyer, Münster
2013
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Melanie Esselen, Kaiserslautern
2012
Dr. Dietmar Rolf Kammerer, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
2010
PD Dr. Andrea Büttner, Munich and Erlangen
2009
PD Dr. Getrud Morlock, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
2008
Prof. Dr. Tanja Schwerdtle, Berlin/Münster
2007
Dr. Michael Rychlik, Munich/Garching
2006
Dr. Mirko Bunzel, Hamburg
2005
Dr. Dietmar Breithaupt, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
2004
Dr. Markus Jürgen Fischer, Munich
2003
Dr. Marcus Glomb, Berlin
2001
Dr. Markus O. Lederer, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
2000
Dr. Markus Herderich, Würzburg
1999
Dr. Thomas Hofmann, Garching
1997
Dr. Stefan Vieths, Langen
1996
Dr. Ulrich H. Engelhardt, Braunschweig
1995
Dr. Thomas Henle, Freising
1994
Dr. Peter Winterhalter, Würzburg
1993
Dr. Peter Fürst, Münster
1992
Dr. Peter Schieberle, Munich
1986
Dr. Michael Petz, Münster
1984
Dr. Rudolf Galensa, Hanover
1978
Dr. Erhard Schulte, Münster
1973
Dr. Hans-Peter Thier, Erlangen
1970
Dr. Werner Baltes, Hamburg
The Society of Food Chemistry (LChG) – a Division in the GDCh – awards the “Future Award of the Society of Food Chemistry” annually for the best doctoral thesis in the field of food chemistry. With prize money of EUR 2,000, made available through a private donation, the award recognises an outstanding piece of work distinguished by its innovative character and its particular relevance to the future and further development of the field of food chemistry. At the time of application, the results of the doctoral research must have been published or accepted for publication in at least one scientific original publication. The award is presented at the ceremonial session of the annual German Food Chemistry Days.
The award was established in 2020 as the successor to the Gerhard Billek Award, on the initiative of Dr. Gunter Fricke as an honorary and financial supporter and the LChG Board.
Food chemists who have completed their doctorates are invited to apply independently. Applications must include the following documents:
A panel of assessors decides on the merits of the applicants. It comprises Dr. Gunter Fricke (Chair and donor), Frankfurt, Prof. Dr. Thomas Henle, Dresden, Thomas Böhm, Chemnitz, and Moritz Popp, Leinburg (WG JLC).
Nominations must be submitted electronically by 15 April of each year to the Chair of the award jury, Dr. Gunter Fricke (donor), c/o Society of Food Chemistry – Division in the GDCh, email n.buerger@gdch.de .
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The award has so far been presented to (location at the time of presentation):
2025
Dr. Oliver G. Wittek, Bayreuth
2024
Dr. Christine A. Stübner, Düsseldorf
2023
Dr. Vivien Michaelis, Wuppertal
2022
Dr. Garima Maheshwari, Bonn
2021
Dr. Alexander M. Voigt, Bonn
2020
Dr. Franziska K. Haag, Munich
The Bruno Rossmann Award of the Bruno Rossmann Foundation is presented during the Food Chemistry Days by the Society of Food Chemistry – Division in the German Chemical Society. The award consists of a certificate, a portrait and curriculum vitae of the founder, as well as a sum of money of up to EUR 5,000.
In accordance with the founder’s wishes, scientific work in the following areas may be recognised:
The funding objective is therefore to promote practice-oriented consumer protection, with particular consideration given to rapid methods and innovative approaches for resource-efficient food analysis, as well as to improving the nutritional situation through technological advances, including the reduction of undesirable substances. Explanations of individual terms can be found in the announcement concerning the Bruno Rossmann Award Foundation in the journal Lebensmittelchemie 45, issue no. 5 (1991).
Young scientists whose work corresponds to the purpose of the Foundation are invited, through calls for proposals – generally every two years – in the most important journals and publications, to apply for the Bruno Rossmann Award. The work, from the aforementioned fields and written in German or English, must be submitted together with a one-page German summary and documents concerning the applicant’s academic career. Suitable work may also be nominated by third parties, provided that the relevant documents are enclosed.
A panel of assessors decides on the merit of the submitted or nominated work. It comprises Prof. Dr Mirko Bunzel, Karlsruhe (Chair), Prof. Dr Thomas Kuballa, Karlsruhe, and Dr Katrin Hoenicke, Hamburg.
Applications and nominations should be submitted electronically by 15 April of every second year to the Chair of the Society of Food Chemistry – Division in the GDCh, n.buerger@gdch.de.
Next call for proposals: provisionally autumn/winter 2026 (award ceremony 09/2027)
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The award has so far been presented to (location at the time of the award ceremony):
2025
Laura Schäfer M.Sc., Darmstadt
Development and validation of a rapid method for detecting hazelnut as an allergen in foodstuffs using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)
Dr Nils Wax, Hamburg
Development of innovative molecular biological rapid test procedures for food authentication
2023
Johannes Brockelt and Alissa Drees, Hamburg
Feasibility study “Rapid determination of the shell content in cocoa products using FT-NIR”
2021
Dr Martin Eckardt, Dresden
Non-intentionally added substances (NIAS): Assessment of oligomers in food contact materials
2020
Katharina M. Schlegel, Munich
Myco-DES: Enabling Remote Extraction of Mycotoxins for Robust and Reliable Quantification by Stable Isotope Dilution LC–MS/MS
2018
Dr Claudia Oellig, Hohenheim
Screening methods for determining ergot and ergot alkaloids in rye
2017
Florian Kaltner, Oberschleißheim
Development and validation of a cost-efficient HPLC-FLD method for the routine analysis of fumonisin B1 and B2 in maize
The Board of the Food Chemistry Division – a Division of the GDCh – established the “Young Scientist Award for Student Recruitment”, to be awarded for the first time in 2025. With prize money of EUR 1,000, every two years individuals, institutions or projects are to be recognised which make the subject of food chemistry and its sub-disciplines accessible to the general public, particularly as part of education at primary and secondary schools. The award is intended to honour the achievements of the recognised individual, institution or project and to encourage others to present the subject of food chemistry to the public with the aim of increasing student numbers.
The selection committee consists of one member each from WG JLC, the Working Group Science Communication and the Working Group University Teaching. The award is presented at the ceremonial session of the Food Chemistry Days.
The next award ceremony will take place in 2027. Nominations and applications, including a project description and its impact, as well as a short CV for individuals or a profile for institutions, should be submitted electronically to the GDCh Office at n.buerger@gdch.de.
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The award has so far been presented to (location at the time of the award ceremony):
2025
Dr. Oliver Frank & Dr. Timo Stark, TU Munich – for the event “On the Trail of Good Taste” as part of ExploreTUM
The Josef Schormüller Scholarship supports the scientific development of younger food chemists who have already achieved professional success, particularly through research stays abroad. The assets contributed by Professor Schormüller are administered by the Josef Schormüller Memorial Foundation.
The scholarship is awarded by the Foundation Board following an assessment of the candidates’ previous scientific achievements and the proposed use of the scholarship. The Board comprises Prof. Dr. Monika Pischetsrieder (Erlangen), Prof. Dr. Tanja Schwerdtle (Potsdam), Prof. Dr. Reiner Wittkowski (Berlin), Dr. Gunter Fricke (Frankfurt) as an industry representative, and Prof. Dr. Gerd Hamscher (Gießen).
Applications or candidate nominations must include documents relating to the applicant’s previous scientific career, certificates and details of how the scholarship is to be used. These documents, together with the completed and signed application, should be sent under the reference “Josef Schormüller Memorial Foundation” by 15 April to:
Prof. Dr. Reiner Wittkowski
Driftkamp 8
14532 Kleinmachnow
rwittkowski@t-online.de
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The scholarship has so far been awarded to (location at the time of the award):
2025
No award
2024
Dr. Vivien Michaelis, Wuppertal
2023
Dr. Maria Maares, Berlin
2022
Dr. Florian Kaltner, Gießen
2021
Dr. Jana Raupbach, Nuthetal
2020
Dr. Simon Hammann, Erlangen
2019
No award
2018
Dr. Claudia Oellig, Hohenheim
2017
Dr. Fabian Weber, Bonn
2016
Dr. Sven Meckelmann, Lüdenscheid
Dr. Sören Meyer, Potsdam
2015
Dr. Franziska Hanschen, Großbeeren
2014
Dr. Michael Granvogl, Freising
2013
Constanze Hartmann, Erlangen
Mareen Smuda, Halle
2012
Dr. Julia Bornhorst, Münster
Dr. Michael Hellwig, Dresden
2010
Jens Brockmeyer, Münster
2009
Dr. Sascha Rohn, Berlin
Dr. Nils Schebb, Münster
2008
Dr. Ines Laube, Berlin
2007
Dr. Jörg Hegele, Lausanne
2006
Dr. Simone Höhle, Karlsruhe
2005
Sylvia Riedel, Münster
Dr. Tanja Schwerdtle, Berlin
Dr. Holger Zorn, Hannover
2004
Dr. Carlo Carsten Peich, Erlangen
2003
Dr. Stefan Bauer, Münster
Michael Schwarz, Braunschweig
2002
Dr. Andreas Schieber, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
2001
Dr. Andrea Büttner, München
Andreas Degenhardt, Braunschweig
Thomas Kislinger, Erlangen
Christoph Pfahler, Berlin
Dr. Uwe Schwarzenbolz, Dresden
2000
Mirko Bunzel, Hamburg
Dr. Frank Podebrad, Frankfurt am Main
1999
Dr. Wilfried Schwab
1998
Dr. Jan Fritsche
1997
PD Dr. Stefan Vieths
1996
Dr. Hans-Ulrich Humpf
1996
Dr. Un-Sook Gi
1995
Dr. Monika Pischetsrieder
1992
Dr. Karl Speer
1989
Dr. Rainer Malisch
1987
Dr. Peter Fürst
1986
Dr. Franz Ledl
1984
Dr. Reiner Wittkowski
1982
Dr. Christian Gertz
1979
Dr. Hans Büning-Pfaue
The German Chemical Society advertised the Gerhard Billek Prize for the best doctoral thesis in food chemistry from 2007 to 2019. A prize of €2,000 was awarded for an outstanding piece of work distinguished by scientific originality, an interdisciplinary approach with particular consideration of food technology aspects, and significant advances in the field of science. The prize was awarded each year at the ceremonial session of the German Food Chemists’ Conference.
GDCh Prize – Food Chemistry
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GDCh Office
Dipl.-Biol. Nicole Bürger
+49 69 7917-231
n.buerger@gdch.de