ACS to launch two new journals focusing on agricultural and food science

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2020 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is pleased to announce the launch of two new journals, ACS Agricultural Science & Technology and ACS Food Science & Technology. Both journals will be guided by the editor-in-chief of their parent journal, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Thomas F. Hofmann, Ph.D., and are a deepening of ACS’ commitment to research in these important fields.

“More than ever before, the demand for efficient solutions to overcome increasing challenges in agricultural practices, food quality and supply, and nutritional health calls for new science and technology,” says Hofmann. “For more than 65 years, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has supported the research community through its firm commitment to publishing excellence in the areas of agricultural biotechnology and bio-based materials. Today, we are extending the ACS agriculture and food research portfolio with two new companion journals that focus on all areas of the agricultural and food sciences, technology and engineering, complementing the chemistry and biochemistry foundation of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.”

ACS Agricultural Science & Technology will serve the global agricultural research community, highlighting the role of agricultural science and technology to address humanity’s most urgent challenges. The journal’s topics will include plant science, soil and environmental science, agricultural engineering and regulation.

ACS Food Science & Technology is intended to become the international forum for cutting-edge research in all areas of food science, technology, engineering and nutrition. The journal will focus on new research related to the characterization, development, processing and safety of foods, including topics of food security, food preservation and health-promoting food ingredients.

ACS Publications is delighted to announce two exceptional scientists as the inaugural deputy editors for the new journals:

Coralia Osorio Roa, Ph.D., of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, will join ACS Food Science & Technology as deputy editor. As a professor of chemistry with an academic career spanning 23 years, Osorio Roa’s research focuses on flavor chemistry, pigments in food, natural products chemistry and chemical ecology. Osorio Roa has been a member of the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry since 2016.

“Working on food development and sustainability is a big need in today’s world,” says Osorio Roa. “ACS Food Science & Technology will address the challenges we face globally and especially in a post-pandemic world, finding solutions through science and technology and strengthening international cooperation.”

Laura L. McConnell, Ph.D., principal scientist at Bayer CropScience will serve as the deputy editor of ACS Agricultural Science & Technology. McConnell brings 25 years of experience in environmental and agricultural science research, previously serving as a research chemist and lead scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. At Bayer CropScience, McConnell focuses on communication, collaboration and engagement with the scientific community on topics relevant to the regulation of agricultural technologies.

“I am inspired and very honored to be part of this new endeavor by ACS and to work together with Professors Hofmann and Osorio Roa,” says McConnell. “ACS Agricultural Science & Technology will provide an exciting platform to envision creative and innovative pathways towards a more sustainable and productive future for our planet.” 

“Food and agricultural research are crucial topics as we confront a world changing rapidly in the face of multiple challenges,” says James Milne, Ph.D., president, ACS Publications Division. “With these new journals, ACS is developing a home for scientists researching solutions to these global threats.”

Both journals will open for submissions in September and expect to publish their first issues in January of 2021.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder^® and STN^®), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.