This annual award recognizes outstanding research work in the areas of agrochemicals and food chemistry. Learn more about this year's awardees and read their winning research articles.
The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (JAFC) and the ACS Divisions of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (AGFD) and Agrochemicals (AGRO) are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Research Article of the Year Award. Launched in 2013, this annual award recognizes outstanding research work in the areas of agrochemicals and food chemistry.
We are excited to announce the 2025 winning papers and the authors who are accepting the awards on behalf of their teams:
- Winning Article, AGRO Division: Electrochemical Generation of Hydroxide and Hydrogen Peroxide for Hydrolysis of Sulfuryl Fluoride Fumigant
Award Recipient: Dr. William (Bill) Mitch, Stanford University, United States - Winning Article, AGFD Division: Reactivity of the 2-Methylfuran Phase I Metabolite 3-Acetylacrolein Toward DNA
Award Recipient: Dr. Verena Schäfer, GlaxoSmithKline, Germany
Congratulations to this year’s award recipients, who were selected from more than 80 nominated articles! The winners will receive their awards and present their research at ACS Fall 2025. Each winner receives an honorarium, a plaque, and travel expenses to attend the ACS National Meeting.
Winning Article: AGRO Division Research Article of the Year Award
Read the Full Article
Electrochemical Generation of Hydroxide and Hydrogen Peroxide for Hydrolysis of Sulfuryl Fluoride Fumigant
Cindy Weng, Cade Napier, Cedric Katte, Spencer S. Walse, and William A. Mitch*
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00864
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00864
Sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) is a strong greenhouse gas, much more potent than carbon dioxide and methane. This article reports on an electrochemical approach to produce the reagents needed to capture and neutralize SO2F2 fumes from post-harvest fumigation chambers, turning them into harmless salts. This new method provides an easier, cheaper solution for producing the chemicals needed to neutralize SO2F2 fumes, rather than purchasing them directly.
Accepting the AGRO Division Research Article of the Year Award on behalf of all co-authors: Dr. William (Bill) Mitch
Dr. Mitch is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. His research focuses on conventional drinking water and potable reuse of municipal wastewater. He obtained a BA in Archaeology from Harvard University and MS and PhD degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He received the 2004 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and Parsons Engineering, and a NSF Career Award in 2007. He served as the Chair of the 2017 Disinfection Byproducts Gordon Conference. He holds a PE license in California.
Winning Article: AGFD Division Research Article of the Year Award
Read the Full Article
Reactivity of the 2-Methylfuran Phase I Metabolite 3-Acetylacrolein Toward DNA
Verena Schäfer, Simone Stegmüller, Hanna Becker, and Elke Richling*
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c07280
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c07280
This study explores how 2-methylfuran (2-MF), a chemical found in foods such as coffee and cereal, can form 3-acetylacrolein (AcA) in the body and bind to certain parts of DNA, potentially leading to mutations and increasing the risk of diseases such as cancer. This work helps us to better understand and assess the potential health risks associated with consuming foods containing 2-methylfuran.
Accepting the AGFD Division Research Article of the Year Award on behalf of all co-authors: Dr. Verena Schäfer
Dr. Schäfer holds a PhD in Food Chemistry from RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau (2022). Her research focused on the metabolism and toxicological evaluation of heat-induced food contaminants, particularly 2-methylfuran. She investigated metabolic pathways, identified biomarkers of exposure, and studied structure–activity relationships to better understand the mechanisms behind toxicity. In 2021, she completed a certified program in Clinical Research Management at the HGA – Gesundheitsakademie Hessen, with a focus on clinical trial conduct, GxP compliance, and medical communication. She currently works in the pharmaceutical industry (GlaxoSmithKline), where she is involved in the interpretation, and scientific communication of clinical study data.
Learn About Last Year's Winners
Information About Nominations and Winner Selections
Nominations for these awards may be made by AGRO Division members, AGFD Division members, and members of the Editorial Board and Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Nominations can be sent to the Managing Editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry with a short statement of justification, and close on January 31. To be eligible, articles must have been published in an issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in the calendar year directly preceding the award. Self-nominations are not eligible, nor are papers authored by Editorial Board members of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Selection of the winners is made by diverse Award Committees consisting of the journal Editor-in-Chief, two journal Associate Editors, the Division Chair, and 1-2 additional representatives from the Divisions. Nominated articles are ranked by the Award Committee members against criteria including the impact of the work in terms of its potential to shape future research, the elegance of the experimental design, and the interest to the Divisions’ memberships.
