Dr Virginia Holsinger - Infinite Women

Born: 13 March 1937, United States
Died: 4 September 2009
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA

The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.

If you’re lactose intolerant, you should be thanking Dr. Virginia Holsinger, who was born in 1937. While working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she studied the chemistry of dairy to make it, quite literally, more tolerable for folks without lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose. Lactose is the main type of sugar in dairy milk (and therefore is found in all dairy products). Almost 75 percent of people in the world are lactose intolerant to different degrees, with symptoms that can include painful gas, bloating, cramps, and other abdominal discomfort.
From 1974 until her retirement in 1999, Holsinger led a USDA program researching the chemistry and technology of milk and dairy foods. She developed a process in which other sources of lactase like fungi broke down the lactose into simple sugars, which most lactose-intolerant people were able to digest without difficulty. This work led to the creation of Lactaid brand milk, which launched in the mid-1980s, and was later modified for other dairy products like ice cream and yogurt. Her research also contributed to the development of Beano, which helps people digest vegetables with less flatulence.
Holsinger also developed a modified version of dehydrated milk powder for the U.S. military, for use by lactose-intolerant soldiers. The result had a long shelf-life, retained the nutritional benefits of standard dairy milk and, perhaps most impressive, even tasted good. In the same vein, she developed a shelf-stable whey-soy drink mix that could serve as milk replacement for international humanitarian programs delivering food to those in need.
Other products attributable to Holsinger include a natural mozzarella cheese with half the fat of previous products, widely used in the USDA’s National School Lunch Program, and a spray-dried, dehydrated butter powder that can replace shortening.
Holsinger authored or coauthored more than 100 papers in her career, and received a variety of awards, such as the National Science Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Science & Engineering in 1995.

The following is republished from the Obama White House. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).

Virginia H. Holsinger was an American chemist known for her research on dairy products and food security issues. Holsinger developed a nutritious and shelf-stable whey and soy drink mixture that is distributed internationally by food donation programs as a substitute for milk. She also created a grain blend that can be mixed with water to provide food for victims of famine, drought, and war. Additionally, her work on the lactase enzyme formed the basis for commercial products to make milk digestible by lactose-intolerant people. Through these discoveries, Holsinger’s work has had a major impact on worldwide public health.
With commentary from Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, United States Department of Agriculture. Source: ARS.USDA.gov