Date: November 29, 2019 Posted by: Rohit Gupta In: Google Doodle

María Ylagan Orosa Google Doodle honors to food scientist and banana ketchup inventor

Google honors to food scientist, banana ketchup inventor. And war hero María Ylagan Orosa’s 126th Birthday with Doodle in Philippines, Greece and Cuba countries. She known for a Filipina food technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, humanitarian and war heroine.

Google honors food scientist, banana ketchup inventor and war hero Maria Orosa

María Ylagan Orosa Biography

Filipino food scientist, war hero, and humanitarian María Ylagan Orosa, credited with over 700 recipes including the iconic local condiment banana ketchup. She experimented with foods native to the Philippines. And, during World War II developed Soyalac (from soybeans) and Darak (from rice bran).

Born in Taal Township on November 29, 1893, in Batangas Province. Orosa became an outstanding student, earning a partial government scholarship in 1916 to attend the University of Seattle. While living in a YMCA and working on occasional jobs. Orosa completed her bachelor’s and master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry as well as an additional degree in food chemistry.

Orosa then offered a position as an assistant chemist for the State of Washington. Before returning to the Philippines in 1922 to focus on addressing the problem of malnutrition in his homeland.

Orosa Banana Ketchup

Although marinade and lumpia are synonymous with Filipino cuisine, Orosa banana ketchup is not far behind. Using mashed bananas as a base instead of tomatoes made the sauce a lasting success. Two other inventions made her a war hero: Soyalac (a nutrient-rich beverage derived from soybeans). And Darak (rice biscuits with Vitamin B-1, which could also prevent beriberi disease) saved countless lives during the Second World War.

In recognition of Orosa’s contributions to the Philippine society. The National Historical Institute installed a marker in his honor at the Plant Industry Office in Manila in 1983.

She also developed wines and pinch of calamansi. A dried and powdered form of a citrus fruit that also used to make reconstituted calamansi juice, banana ketchup and other recipes. Orosa eventually became head of the Domestic Economics Division. And organized its Food Conservation Division. Using her local and technical knowledge, Orosa also made culinary contributions. And taught preservation methods suitable for native dishes such as marinade, dinuguan, kilawin and marinade.

She died on February 13, 1945, after a shrapnel shard pierced her heart during an American bombing raid according to wikipedia