User:Mdiamond11/sandbox

Early Career
Virginia Holsinger was born in Washington and attended Washington-Lee High School in Arlington county. Holsinger went on to receive a bachelors in chemistry at Virginia's College of William and Mary, following her graduation in 1958 she joined the Agricultural Research Service. While at the ASR as an analytical chemist, she specialized in dairy products (specifically whey and whey beverages) and went on to solve the dilemma of lactose intolerance; a condition that effects 75% of the population. People who suffer from lactose intolerance do not obtain an enzyme called lactase (usually located within the small intestines) which is necessary when breaking lactose, the main sugar found in dairy product; however Holsinger created a solution. In response to the problem she began to research ways to compromise milk of previously broken-down sugars, so that the bodies of individuals who were lactose intolerant would not have to do it for them. Holsinger found that fungi successfully broke down lactose found in dairy into simple sugars, galactose and glucose. Her development of an enzyme compound which allows milk to be digested by those with lactose intolerance resulted in the present over the counter, commercial product: Lactaid.

Further Breakthroughs
Holsinger's accomplishments gained the attention of the US military, and they sought her help to develop a version of powdered milk modified for soldiers who were lactose intolerant. She worked alongside US Army researchers and scientists and successfully created a dry blend of the lactase enzyme which, under normal stomach acid conditions, properly broke down milk lactose. The outcome was a non-fat milk powder created with vegetable oil to produce a 2% fat milk once mixed with water. She sealed the powder into containers which were left for 6 months at room temperature, to check storability. In this time the A. oryzae lactase enzyme, which she used in the powder, lost none of it’s activity. And once stored in temperatures parallel to the hotter climates which it would have to withstand during military use, it preserved 90% activity. The extended shelf-life and sustainability of this product made it helpful for military field rationing and is still used by soldiers today.

Along with the prior breakthrough in food security, Holsinger also created a whey-soy drink mixture that's nutrition and shelf life was optimal for international food donation, and a grain blend that once mixed with water created a porridge; perfect for victims of emergency situations such as famines, droughts, and other natural disasters. In 1995, she and her colleagues at ERRC debuted a spray-dried, free-flowing dehydrated butter powder that was able to substitute for conventional shortening. This invention provided a new outlet for surplus butter, since it did not require refrigeration, and fell into the scope of AID and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service for use in international donations and sales; specifically in India and Mexico. Her work also led to the creation of a mozzarella cheese that had 50% less fat, which is commonly used in school lunches as apart of the USDA's National School Lunch Program. Holsinger's accomplishments in public health also aided in the development of Beano, an enzyme-based dietary supplement that helps digestion, mainly with vegetables.

Personal Accomplishments
During her years in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania at the ERCC ( Eastern Regional Research Center) Holsinger worked as head of the Dairy Products Research unit. She continued her education at the Ohio State University, and graduated in 1980 receiving a doctorate in food and sciences. Throughout her career, Dr. holsinger wrote and co-wrote over 100 scientific papers and received many awards for her contributions to food security and public health from agricultural and food chemistry organizations and in 2000, she was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame.

Later Life and Career
In 1974, Holsinger transferred from the USDA Agricultural Research Service's dairy products laboratory in Washington to the Eastern Regional Research Center in Pennsylvania, where she stayed until her retirement in 1999. According to her brother and only successor, Gordon Holsinger, she kept a home in Arlington, Washington while working in Pennsylvania.

Virginia Holsinger died September 4, 2009 at the age of 72 due to breast cancer while admitted at Inova Fairfax Hospital.