In Commemoration of Dr. Mercedes Sonia García-Falcón (1969–2010) Expert in Food Quality and SafetySonia, a well known scientist with an important impact on Spanish Food Science, left us in November 2010, leaving a deep vacuum at the University of Vigo. Colleagues who had the opportunity to meet her or work with her want to remember her a year after with professional respect and for the personal impact that she had in our lives. This is mainly because it was always very easy to discuss and cooperate with her; she had a very constructive way of giving criticism, was very faithfully engaged with her research group and always thought of the interests of the general group, paying special attention to the training of PhD students in the laboratory.
Dr. M. Sonia García-Falcón finished her studies of Pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela in 1992 and continued working in the Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Science under the supervision of Prof. María Asunción Lage-Yusty and Prof. Jesús Ángel Simal-Lozano, obtaining her PhD degree from the same University in 1997. After various post-doc positions, in November 1999, she was selected as Senior Scientist at the University of Vigo in the Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Science lead by Prof. Jesús Simal-Gándara, evolving with the integration of three other independent groups, namely those of colloidal chemistry, soil science and agricultural chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular biology. With her, and most of the colleagues signing the special issue papers with the University of Vigo as their affiliation (and some others who were not able to take part in this proposal), the Faculty of Science at Ourense Campus lived its golden decade.
Sonia was a main contributor in the food quality and safety research lines at her group in the University of Vigo. On the basis on her former experience on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, she studied their presence in foods as a result of environmental pollution, as well as a result of thermal processes, designing strategies to keep levels in food at the point of no risk to consumers. She also contributed to research on natural food components with beneficial effects on health, initiating international cooperation in this field. She worked with a Portuguese research group to add value to native horticultural products, comparing their antioxidant polyphenolic compounds to commercial hybrid varieties. This experience was extended to viticulture and enology with the ultimate aim of understanding how grape variety, driving and pruning vine systems, and winemaking processes, all influence the wine polyphenolic content and colour stability.
She was recognized by students as a beloved teacher. Her academic work at the Faculty of Science at Ourense was devoted to the education of numerous students in agricultural engineering, and food science and technology, especially in the subjects of food policy, food quality, and food safety. In 2005, she got the position of Permanent Associate Professor at the University of Vigo, and was a main contributor to the so-called Bologna reform process at the Faculty. Many fruitful ideas, collaborations and friendships were born on these meetings and also many warm links with her students.
Her life was truncated at the end of last year, but her example has impregnated all of us. We will never forget her honesty and ability to compromise with a research group or faculty project. These personal qualities made it very easy to cooperate and work with her. Moreover, her intelligence, scientific curiosity, dedication and never-failing optimism led to her recognition as an excellent professional in both teaching and research issues.
For all these and many other reasons, we offer this tribute to her as an outstanding colleague and friend. She will always live in our memories and hearts.
By Prof. J.C. Mejuto and Prof. J. Simal-Gándara, as professors who had the pleasure of co-directing doctoral theses with Dr. García-Falcón, and as the co-editors of this issue in Memoriam of Dr. Mercedes Sonia García-Falcón, on behalf of all authors invited to contribute. We also want to gratefully acknowledge the funding of this special issue by the Social Council of the University of Vigo.
