Charles Francis Schnabel

Charles Francis Schnabel (1895-1974) was an American agricultural chemist who discovered in 1931 that wheat and barley grasses reached their nutritional peak at or just prior to the commencement of the jointing stage. His research was innovative in that he believed the nutritional value of grasses varied through different stages of the plant's life. In 1934, he applied for a patent for processing young wheat, barley and rye grass shots, for the production of an animal and human food supplement unique in its ability to provide health benefits. The active ingredient in the grasses was chlorophyll.