Dharini Sivakumar

Ensuring food security involves providing safe, nutritious, and sustainable food.

My experience spans post-harvest storage, packaging, preservation, processing, food chemistry, and metabolomic analysis, focusing on pre-harvest and post-harvest supply chain management for subtropical fruits such as avocados, citrus, and lychees. I have expertise in community engagement for post-harvest processing, product development, and market access, as well as in developing cost-effective storage solutions and preservation technologies in collaboration with the fruit industry. My research emphasizes phytochemical changes from farm to fork and strategies to sustain them for consumer benefits, with a particular focus on rescuing bioactives to develop healthy diets by integrating gastronomy, food science, and nutrition. Additionally, I have worked with underutilized and traditional vegetables, including amaranth, nightshade, and pumpkin leaves, using metabolomics to validate breeding programs and optimize food preparation methods. This work aims to enhance the absorption of minerals and bioactive compounds while reducing antinutritive compounds, thereby improving the nutritional status of rural populations in Africa. I have also contributed to the sweet potato breeding program in Africa, selecting varieties rich in anthocyanins, beta-carotene, and iron to address nutritional deficiencies and support food security in rural regions.