Mysuru:  Dr. Asna Urooj, Chairperson, Department of Studies in Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, was invited by iConferences, Colombo, Sri Lanka, to be the co-chair of the International Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Safety titled  “Global Food Security: Reality and Challenges” on Nov.7 and 8. 

iConferences specialises in organising conferences on various themes within Asia. The International Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Safety 2019 was a platform to raise and discuss prominent challenges connecting the agriculture, food security and nutrition with reference to developing countries.

Prof. Asna Urooj delivered the keynote address on the topic “Creating sustainable food future and healthy diets through diverse food systems.”

 Dr. Sudha Sairam, Chandan Vinay, Lohith and Namratha Pai, Ph.D scholars working under her guidance, also presented papers. 

Namratha was awarded Best Student presentation for the paper “In vitro starch and protein digestibility profile of processed food supplement developed for therapeutic use.”

The other paper presentations were “Breadfruit- potential food source for future nutrient and health security” by Sudha Sairam and Asna Urooj (Guide);  “Nutrient profile and macronutrient digestibility of popped Euryale Ferox seeds” by Chandan Vinay, H. Kaneez and Asna Urooj (Guide); “Impact of food processing on in vitro protein digestibility of legume based weaning food” by M.S. Lohith, K. Wang, A. Balasundaram, H. Mattar, A. Urooj, J. Maclaughlin and E.C. Mills.

Another student Shrutika Umralkar bagged an award in the 3rd International Conference on Food, Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle 2019 Emerging trends in Nutrition and Food Science in Bangkok, Thailand. Best Poster Presentation by  Shrutika Umralkar, M.S. Lohith, D. Indrani and Asna Urooj (Guide). “Studies on sensory attributes, phytochemical parameters and microstructure of Stevia rebaudiana based selected Indian sweets.”