John A. Pino

The next time you look at the bright yellow of an egg yolk, think of John A. Pino, who has been a leader in the international agricultural arena for more than 50 years. After receiving his doctorate in zoology from Rutgers in 1951, he taught and conducted poultry research at the university’s College of Agriculture. He later was hired by the Rockefeller Foundation to undertake a joint project with the Mexican government to strengthen livestock research in that country. It was there that his research team discovered how a pigment in marigold petals could impart a yellow color to egg yolks and poultry skin. That finding is now used commercially in the poultry industry worldwide. After being relocated to the foundation’s New York offices and named director of its Agricultural Sciences Program, Pino helped lead efforts to establish the world network of International Agricultural Research Centers to improve basic food production. He later worked as a senior research fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, where he led a study on the management, conservation, and use of genetic resources. He now works as a consultant to agricultural research organizations.