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Professor Albert Ernest Joseph McGill, known to family, friends and colleagues as Bertie, passed away peacefully in Melbourne on 4 December 2025 aged 83.

Born in Belfast, Bertie was educated at Methodist College and Queen鈥檚 University Belfast, where he developed the deep interest in agricultural chemistry, microbiology and food science that would shape his professional life. His doctoral research, completed in 1973, examined the chemical composition of stored pig slurry and its suitability as a substrate for microbial growth, setting the direction for a career concerned with the practical and often unseen chemistry underpinning agriculture, food production and sustainability.

A member of the 番茄社区 of Chemistry since 1965, Bertie made a quiet but lasting contribution across several areas of agri-food science. In the 1970s, working with Norman Jackson, he published important work on the chemistry of animal waste, including studies of short-chain carboxylic acids and chemical oxygen demand in stored pig slurry. These studies helped build a more systematic understanding of how livestock manures change over time, work that remains relevant to environmental management and sustainable farming.

Later, Bertie turned his attention to food preservation. His research on fresh mushrooms explored how sanitising treatments and gas-permeable packaging could extend shelf life, anticipating the integrated approaches to produce safety and quality that are now widely recognised. In Australia, he continued to contribute to food science through work on probiotic bifidobacteria and soy isoflavones, helping to advance understanding of functional foods and their potential health applications.

Beyond the laboratory, Bertie was a keen sportsman. During his student days he represented Irish Universities in squash and inter-varsity cricket. He had a lifelong love of choral music and sang with the Melbourne Cathedral Choir, reflecting a deep appreciation of music, fellowship and discipline beyond his scientific work.

Across five decades, Bertie鈥檚 work connected agricultural chemistry, microbiology, post-harvest technology and functional nutrition. His career was marked by intellectual rigour, curiosity and practical impact. He leaves behind a legacy of quiet influence: a scientist whose work helped illuminate the complex chemical and microbial processes that support sustainable farming, safe food and human health.