History of Department

Teaching activities in these subjects started in 1905 at Royal Czech Polytechnics Institute. The first professor of lactology was Prof. Otakar Laxa, MSc, PhD, who together with Prof. Jaroslav Masek, MSc, PhD started a lactological tradition. The Department of Dairy and Fat Technology came into being on the 1st December 1953 by transformation of the Lactological Department of Institute of the Agriculture and Forestry attached to the Czech Technical University in Prague. The tradition of pre-war lactologists continued in the work of the first head of the new department, microbiologist Prof. Josef Proks, MSc, PhD (1953-1963). The founder of the branch of fat technology was Prof. Vitezslav Vesely, MSc, PhD from the Technical University in Brno. Prof. Milan Bares, MSc, PhD is credited with the development of research concerning surfactants and forming of teaching activities in this field. Prof. Jiri Dolezalek, MSc, PhD, head of the department from 1963 to 1981, continued in the tradition of the dairy microbiology. Main objectives of his study were ripening of cheeses and applications of starter cultures. Assoc. Professor Jaroslav Hladik dealt with research in the field of milk lipids. Prof. Jiri Zajic, MSc, PhD, the head of the department in the years 1981-1991, was interested in the processing of vegetable oils and fatty acids, especially with the processes of hydrogenation. In the years 1991-1997 Assoc. Prof. Ladislav Forman, MSc, PhD was the head of the department, whose field was the study of application of milk fat and whey proteins.