Jaroslav Dědek’s sweet legacy: 135 years since the birth of sugar expert
Today marks exactly 135 years since the birth of Jaroslav Dědek, chemist and expert in sugar production. This important scientist and analyst also left a significant mark on Brno University of Technology (VUT), where he was an associate professor from 1929 and a full professor from 1934 at the Institute of Chemical Technology of Food and Carbohydrates. In the academic year 1934/1935, he also served as dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Jaroslav Dědek (1890–1962) was an important figure in Czech chemistry and a pioneer in sugar research. At a time when sugar production in the Czech lands was undergoing rapid development, he played a significant role in the introduction of modern technologies and research. His work at Brno University of Technology strengthened the university's position as one of the centres of chemical engineering and food technology.
From studies in Prague to the pinnacle of sugar research
Jaroslav Dědek was born on 12 June 1890 into the family of a grammar school teacher. He was multi-talented, interested in architecture, music and painting, but chemistry ultimately won out, and he studied it at the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT). It was also here that he later obtained his doctorate in theoretical organic chemistry in 1917.
In addition to his work at the Prague Technical University, Dědek also worked at Charles University (UK) and briefly at the Berlin-based company AGFA. During the First World War, he worked in a laboratory at the German University in Prague instead of being drafted into the army, and after the war he immersed himself in research at the Sugar Research Station in Prague at the Czech Technical University, where he headed the physical chemistry department. In 1925, he left for Denmark, where he established a central research base for the local sugar industry, and in 1928, he was appointed associate professor of sugar production and carbohydrate production at the Czech Technical University in Prague.
Development of chemical engineering at BUT
Jaroslav Dědek played a key role in the development of chemical engineering at BUT, especially in the field of carbohydrates and foodstuffs. In 1929, eighteen years after the establishment of the Department of Chemistry, he was appointed associate professor of Chemical Technology IV (Carbohydrates and Food) and became a full professor in 1934. In the academic year 1934/35, he held the position of dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering and from 1935 he was a member of the examination board for authorised civil engineers in technical chemistry. During his tenure, he also headed the Brno Sugar Research Station.
The scientist describes this period in his autobiography as very demanding, but also professionally inspiring. "It was a very exciting and beautiful period of my life. In Brno, we managed to create a team of colleagues and an environment that soon began to attract students and young professionals in the field of sugar technology from abroad — for example, from Denmark, France, Ireland, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Turkey and even the Falkland Islands."
In addition to sugar production, Jaroslav Dědek devoted himself to fermentation at Brno University of Technology, where he was appointed head of the Department of Fermentation Technologies, which needed to be reorganised and coordinated with the Beer Research Institute.
Innovation in sugar production technology
Sugar production has long been of fundamental importance for the development of agriculture, industry and society as a whole in the Czech lands. During the 18th and 19th centuries, our territory became a small sugar-producing powerhouse — the original imports of cane sugar were replaced by production from sugar beet, which was accelerated by Napoleon's continental blockade. Czech sugar engineering was among the best in the world, domestic innovations significantly advanced the field, and sugar refineries often shaped entire regions.
The growing industry also required a systematic scientific approach, in which Jaroslav Dědek played a key role. He emphasised thorough research and was the first to use mobile devices directly in production. He was particularly renowned for his innovations in beet juice purification and the optimisation of sugar solution evaporation. His progressive pre-clarification method, developed together with Josef Vašátko, reduced lime consumption and gained international patent and recognition. He was a recognised authority in Europe and his work still influences modern sugar production technology today.
During the occupation, when Czech universities were closed, Jaroslav Dědek devoted himself intensively to studying the theoretical foundations of chemical processes in sugar production in addition to his work at the research station. After the war, instead of the expected relief, he faced a ban on entering university and suspicion of collaboration.
He describes this turbulent period in his autobiography. "When the situation in Czechoslovakia became increasingly unstable and I was privately warned that I was in danger of arrest and expulsion from the university, I decided with my wife and children to leave the country illegally – literally with nothing but the clothes on our backs. In July 1948, we successfully arrived in Belgium, where I was able to settle down and start working as a technical advisor to my friends in free Europe.”
In Belgium, Dědek found a new job as a technical advisor and continued his scientific work. In 1952, he obtained French citizenship and became an advisor to leading European sugar refineries. In 1956, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in agronomic sciences by the Technical University of Berlin-Charlottenburg for his services to beet growing and was appointed permanent visiting professor of sugar technology. His contacts with countries behind the Iron Curtain were severed, which was a great loss for Czechoslovak science.
Jaroslav Dědek was known at Brno University of Technology for his dedication, which he also demanded from others. Although he did not return to the Czech scientific scene after emigrating, his legacy lives on at the Institute of Food Science and Biology at the Faculty of Chemistry BUT.
Sources used: Listy cukrovarnické a řepařské; Encyclopedia of the History of Brno; Historie.cs; Sugar production, sugar refineries and sugar producers
Author: Mgr. Bc. Tereza Walsbergerová, Ph.D.
Source: VUT.cz
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| Link | https://www.fch.vut.cz/en//f96620/d293212 |