Scientific Roundtable Discussion - Millets for Enhancing Agri-economy, Nutrition, Environmental and Sustainable Development Goals

Dr Anoma Chandrasekara currently serves as the Professor in Food Science & Nutrition of the Department of Applied Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. She received her BSc (Agriculture) and M Phil (Food and Nutrition) from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and PhD from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. She has developed a unique research program for investigating the potential bioactivities and mode of actions of phenolic compounds of underutilized tropical foods of cereals, legumes, roots, tubers, and herbs in wellness and management of diseases. She served on a number of national committees including technical and steering committees on the revision of food-based dietary guidelines for Sri Lankans, and was a past president of Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka. She was ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the world for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 based on a standardized citation metrics author database by Elsevier BV.

Dr. CV Ratnavathi, Director (A), ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad & Principal Scientist (Biochemistry) did her post-graduation, M.Sc and M.Phil at Central University of Hyderabad, Ph D from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and joined Agricultural Research Service, ICAR in 1985 and started her career at CTRI, Rajahmundry. She joined sorghum family at NRCS, now IIMR, Hyderabad in 1989 and has research experience of more than 37 years. Dr. Ratnavathi has significant research contributions to focus sweet sorghum as a bioenergy crop for ethanol production and grain sorghum as a major health cereal and developed many semi-processed and processed foods like flakes and pasta from sorghum. Dr. Ratnavathi published 120 research articles, which include mostly international, 15 book chapters and 8 books. She is recognized as a reviewer for biofuel projects by MNRE and for health foods by DBT. Dr. Ratnavathi has undertaken several projects such as NATP project on value addition, ICAR network project on mycotoxins, NAIP project on millet foods, NFBSFARA (NASF) project on sweet sorghum and two DBT projects on functional foods and fortified millet foods, project on grades and standards under millet mission programme. She has vast experience in food safety research and her work was cited by CODEX committee. She is a resource person for many national and international training programmes and a recognized reviewer for many international journals like Food Chemistry, Journal of Cereal Science and Biomass and Bioenergy. She has also participated in international research programmes at Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia, Purdue University, West Lafayette and Texas A&M University, Texas, USA. She is an expert reviewer for BBSRC, UK funded projects. She is elected as a member of the scientific panel of FSSAI for Cereals, pulses and oil seeds and products including bakery for two terms. She is an elected fellow of AP Akademi of sciences, Guntur and Telangana Academy of Sciences, Hyderabad. She was also the Acting director of ICAR-IIMR from 1st June, 2022 to 15th February, 2023.

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi is Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and part of FAO’s core leadership structure. With nearly two decades of experience in agricultural research and development in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Dr. Elouafi is a strong advocate for diversifying into neglected and underutilized crops. She is also internationally known for her work on promoting use of non-fresh water in agriculture and empowerment of women in science. Dr. Elouafi has been a member of various strategy expert panels and advisory groups. Her contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, in particular the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum.

Dr. Jay Kant Yadav is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan (India). He holds Ph.D. in Biotechnology and has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute and Ulm University, Germany. Dr. Yadav has been a Guest Professor at the Institute of Protein Biochemistry of Ulm University, Germany. His research group examines the fundamental aspects of the structure-function relationship of protein aggregation and the formation of amyloids in various age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Currently, the group focuses on identifying amyloid-like protein aggregates in different foods and their implications in challenging protein quality and human health. Recent studies from Dr. Yadav’s lab have confirmed that many proteins derived from milk, egg, and plant seeds possess high aggregation propensity and are likely to form amyloid-like structures under simulated industrial food-processing conditions. His group aims to decode the crucial factors responsible for protein aggregation and amyloid formation in processed foods and to provide a technological solution to safeguard the nutritional quality of dietary proteins.

John Taylor is a food scientist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. His specialization is grain science and technology, focusing on the grains and grain-based foods of Africa, particularly sorghum and millets. He also has strong interest in grains for nutrition, especially in food-based approaches to prevent micronutrient malnutrition.
His life mission is to undertake research, development and implementation work into the nutritional quality and processing of African grains with the aim of improving food security and promoting economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. An equally important aspect of this mission is people empowerment.

John is a Past-president and Honorary president of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC), and a Fellow of ICC, the Cereals and Grains Association (CGA) and the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He is recipient of several awards, most recently the CGA’s T.B. Osborne Medal and the ICC’s Clyde Bailey Medal. He is a Fellows of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST).

Peter Pressman, MD, MS, FACN is a faculty member of the University of Maine and Curriculum Consultant at the Saba University School of Medicine. He is the Director of Medical Operations at Polyscience Consulting and a Senior Scientist at the Daedalus Foundation. He has published extensively in the areas of medical nutrition and food toxicology, sits on multiple editorial boards, and is a reviewer for Food and Chemical Toxicology, the American Journal of Medicine, Toxicology Research and Application, and others. He was an Associate Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and served as a Naval Medical Officer in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sasakawa Africa Association Chair Hon. Prof. Ruth Oniang’o received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Union of Food Science & Technology (IUFoST). She was honored in 2022 for her contributions to the field of food science and technology for the benefit of all humanity over her career. Hon. Prof. Oniang’o has been the Chair of the Board of the SAA since 2010. She was awarded a PhD in Food Science and Nutrition by the University of Nairobi in 1983 and later became a Professor of Nutrition at Jomo Kenyatta University. Her research focused on food security, nutrition and pregnancy, childhood nutrition, and agricultural processing. In 1992, she founded the Rural Outreach Program to provide small farmers with indigenous soil testing and other resources needed to be productive. Hon. Prof. Oniang'o founded the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development in 2001 to highlight relevant academic research in the field. She is currently the editor-in-chief of the journal. She served in the Kenyan Parliament from 2003 to 2007 where she helped pass the Kenya Biosafety Bill and the Nutritionists and Dietetics Bills. In 2005, Hon. Prof. Oniang'o established the Diana Elukhambi Health Centre in Kakamega, with the help of Beyond Borders Organization from Utah. She has been president of IAFoST and is a patron of the Food Science and Technology platform of Kenya.

Dr Rao occupied various Scientist positions in CSIR Institutes, before attaining the position of Director at North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, India. Subsequently, he was CSIR-Distinguished Scientist. Dr Rao’s significant contributions were in the area of process development and providing engineering packages to Chemical, Leather, Food and Allied Industries during his professional career. Dr Rao has more than 165 publications in peer reviewed international and National journals, 70 papers presented in national and international seminars, proceedings, 21 patents, 3 copy rights, 2 books and 10 chapters in books to his credit. Dr Rao is Fellow of several Academies including IAFoST.

Dr. Roger Clemens, is an adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at USC’s School of Pharmacy as well as Assistant Professor of Regulatory and Quality Sciences. He served as a Scientific Advisor for Nestlé USA for several decades. Dr. Clemens is an elected Fellow for the American Society for Nutrition, American College of Nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists, and International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He serves on several editorial boards and reviewer of more than 25 medical/scientific journals.

Dr. Hongda Chen is the National Program Leader of Bioprocess Engineering and Nanotechnology at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA. He leads the national portfolio of food science, engineering and technology in research, education and extension for advancing food processing and manufacturing technologies, and value-added products. He also provides the national leadership for nanoscale science and nanotechnology for agriculture and food systems. Dr. Chen is a Fellow of IAFoST and member of the IUFoST Scientific Council.

Dr. Vish Prakash is the Immediate Past President of IUFoST. He has served IUFoST for over 35 years in his capacity as Councillor, Fellow and Past President of IAFoST. He is the Recipient of Lifetime achievement Award of IUFoST, Currently member Board of Directors of IUFoST and organized the successful Mumbai Congress in 2018 as Chair. He has also served as Chair of Scientific Council of IUFoST.

He was Former Director of CFTRI, Mysore,India and Distinguished Scientist of CSIR - India. He has received more than 70 National and International awards including one of the high India‘s Civilian Awards Padmashree, Coveted Bhatnagar Award for Science and Technology of India and at Regional Level & several Lifetime Achievement Awards from various organizations in India and Abroad.

He has made an enormous contribution to the Field of Millets, Legumes, Pulses and Oilseeds over the past 50 Years and is author of Several Books and Reviews and policy papers on the subject of Nutrition, focusing on Plant Proteins.