Table Of ContentISBN 939017594-1
9 789390 175949
Traditional Foods and
Nutritional Security
About the Author
Dr. Renu Agrawal is the Ex. Chief Scientist at CSIR-CFTRI,
Mysuru, India and rural program coordinator for outreach
activities at CFTRI. She has over 20 patents to her name,
with 65+ publications in International and National Journals.
She has presented more than 160 papers in various national
and international conferences and delivered more than 650
talks. She has guided students for M.Sc, M. phil and PhD in
Biotechnology and Microbiology. She has represented India
as a team leader taking scientific delegation for the Asia meet at Indonesia, Bali
nominated by DST, Government of India. She had her PhD from University
of Rajasthan, Jaipur. Her areas of specialization include biotransformation and
probiotics. Her research involves lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and Bacillus as
probiotic properties inhibiting harmful diseases and reduce the use of antibiotics
improving health in the society. Her group has developed greener probiotic
technologies used by the common man. As CSIR-800 Rural development
coordinator she led CSIR-CFTRI for CSIR 800 to give a better quality of life
to 800 million people in India through scientific and technological intervention.
Many awareness camps, demonstrations of technologies were conducted. She has
been passionate about farmers and has conducted many national level conferences
for all India farmers and for women farmers. She has also been proactive to show
them alternate cropping with high nutrient crops. The microbial processes of her
team on Ready to make idli and dosa batter are the most downloaded processes
from CFTRI.
She has been awarded at multiple scientific associations. Some honourable
mentions are Scientific fellow awards as FAMI,FNABS,FSAB,FISBT. She has
been awarded Karamveer Chakra by REX-UN both bronze and silver, Best woman
scientist NABS, Woman achiever from International Guild of woman achievers,
Reflections Excellence Award from Rotary Innerwheel, Kissan Ratna puraskar,
Abdul Kalam Lifetime achievement Award, Nari Shakti Award to name a few.
She has been selected as the “Best woman scientist” by National Academy of
biological sciences, felicitated by Rotary Inner wheel for scientific excellence with
“Suguna Award” and felicitated at various scientific and societal forums. In Rotary
Innerwheel she was awarded the Best secretary for two times and also Best ISO
twice in the district 3180. She is the editor of six and reviewer for fifteen research
Journals and has authored scientific books on Role of Probiotics in Improving
Human Health, Utilization of Agricultural Wastes and Making Food Safe Free
From Pathogens. The books are being co-published with CRC Press, UK. She has
written many book chapters with Marcell Dekkar, USA and Taylor and Francis
UK. Her work has won many best paper awards at the national and international
conferences. She has taught as faculty of M.Sc Food Technology at CFTRI and
as Professor to ACSIR students. She has served as the president of ‘Association
of Microbiologists of India”, Mysore chapter. She has been on the board of many
International Technical Advisory committees at Dubai, Bulgaria, Argentina and
Indonesia. She has been on the National committees of NCERT of national Science
Talent Search, selection of meritorious children under NCERT, scientist selection
boards of UPSC, DST and DBT and many International technical committees. She
is an Executive committee board member of “National Academy of Biological
Sciences”. She has been nominated as a National Experts Advisory Committee
(NEAC) member from Government of India on; Scheme for Young Scientists and
Technologists (SYST), Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India,
National children science congress, Ministry of science and Technology, member
in TIASN ( technological intervention for addressing societal needs (TIASN),
ASAR, CODER, projects to be taken in cold and Desert areas, Pandit Deen
Dayal Upadhyay Gram Sankal Pariyojna, AWSAR for augmenting writing skills,
‘KIRAN” which involves projects for women. She has been nominated to the
Consultative Group made by the Principal Scientific Advisor, Dr. Vijay Raghavan,
cabinet rank, who reports to the prime minister of India for inputs on science and
technological developments in the country. She has been appointed as a committee
member of evaluators by DST on Smart village in Karnataka. She is a committee
member with Karnataka government for Sustainable Development Goals. She has
been nominated in the expert committee of Bangalore Chambers of Commerce
and Industries. She regularly writes for City Today newspaper and Biostand Ups a
science magazine. She has been honoured as “SHERO” by Biostandups, an online
science magazine and is on their editorial board. She an advisor to the International
journal IJBST, a publon publication. Dr. Renu has been leading innovations and
change in organisations. Her programs and scientific interviews are telecasted
on Doordarshan (DD science). Her views on women empowerment have been
relayed on All India Radio on women's day both at the state and national radio.
She is also involved in the upliftment of rural education of Karnataka through
“Pratham” for teachers training workshops and in translating course material to
be made into short videos for the children which will make science easy for them.
She has been a family counsellor at Police helpline, Mysore for last twenty years
and has saved many lives. She has been as a Jury member for the selection of an
achiever for I- woman global awards under science and innovation.
Currently she is a science communicator, reviewer, author, visiting professor in
many universities and colleges and a National Expert Advisor in many committees
in the ministry of science and technology and training to KAS and KPS officers
for Sustainable Development Goals, in Karnataka. She has edited the draft note
writing of SDG goals on Food and Nutrition for Government of Karnataka and has
written the nutrition policy for government of Karnataka to be under taken from
2021. Her commitment to work can be seen as she was taken as Project Advisor
by CFTRI even after her retirement. She has been serving the society by her work.
She has served as the secretary of "CSIR Pensioners Welfare Association, Mysuru
centre after her retirement. She is a philanthropist and has been running many
fellowships, national level competitions for poor meritorious students, novel
writing competitions, constructed pre fixed auto stand in Mysore at Hardinge
circle for public use and has donated a serum analyser and paediatrics kits for
rapid detection of HIV to Asha Kirana hospital at Mysuru.
Traditional Foods and
Nutritional Security
Renu Agrawal
Ex. Chief Scientist and Rural Program Coordinator
CSIR-Central Food Technology Research Institute
Mysuru, Karnataka
India
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Dr. V. A. Parthasarathy, Ph.D., FNABS Chennai – 600 096
President, NABS 05-05-2020
Formerly: Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut
Emeritus Scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research
National Project Coordinator, Biodiversity International (CGIAR),TFT Project
Foreword
Traditional foods have evolved endemically to various regions of the world
depending on the local availability of food. These foods, depending on seasons
also vary. Over centuries, people have been working on to improve its taste
aroma and nutritional value. They have been also found to give immunity to
the prevailing diseases in those regions. Even within a country like India, there
are thousands of local foods being prepared in the kitchen. With globalisation
and fast transport facilities, these foods have been carried to far off places and
sold in restaurants as delicacies. Nutrition security plays an important role
for good health and a strong immune system in order to fight the diseases. It
would be very interesting to know the value of these traditional foods and their
use in nutritional security.
It is heartening to note that a book entitled "Traditional Foods and Nutritional
Security" has been authored by Dr. Renu Agarwal which aims at creating
awareness in nutrition security management and the relation with traditional
practices in food.
The book deals with the progress made on the ways of Nutrition security and
different aspects of traditional foods. It is the various plant and animal systems
which are the reservoirs of fibre, proteins, vitamins, minerals, anti- oxidants
lipids, flavourants and essential phyto-chemicals. The intake of balanced
diet can provide nutrition security. Consumers around the world have been
preparing food items for balanced diet which has a direct link towards good
human health.
Res: 32/482 C , Narmada Nilayam, Bharathan Bazar, Chelavoor, Calicut- 673 571, Kerala
viii Traditional Foods and Nutritional Security
The book has been divided into 13 chapters covering various aspects including
those flavouring agents, the principle behind the preparations of the foods,
functions of these foods, nutritional value, fortification of foods and policy
issues.
This book provides a very comprehensive review starting from the introduction
of nutrition security to the challenges by the industries. The book provides the
most recent updates in the area with a holistic approach. The author has been
working in the field of food science and microbiology since four decades. I
am certain that the book will be useful to students, teachers and researchers
interested in this topic.
V.A. Parthasarathy
Formerly Director
ICAR – Indian Institute of Spices Research
Kozhikode, Kerala 673 571
Preamble
The book aims at creating awareness in nutrition security management and the
relation with traditional practices in food. It has also dealt with the progress
made on the ways of Nutrition security and different aspects of traditional
foods. It is the various plant and animal systems which are the reservoirs
of fibre, proteins, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, lipids, flavourants and
essential phyto-chemicals. The intake of balanced diet can provide nutrition
security. Consumers around the world have been preparing food items for
balanced diet which has a direct link towards good human health.
Traditional foods have evolved endemically to various regions of the world
depending on the local availability of food. These foods, depending on
seasons, also vary. Over centuries, people have been working on to improve
its taste, aroma and nutritional value. They have been also found to give
immunity to the prevailing diseases in those regions. Even within a country
like India, there are thousands of local foods being prepared in the kitchen.
With globalisation and fast transport facilities, these foods have been carried
to far off places and sold in restaurants as delicacies. Nutrition security plays
an important role for good health and a strong immune system in order to
fight the diseases. The book is very interesting in bridging the traditional
foods and their use in nutritional security as it covers the coherence of food
supply policies with respect to nutrition and food security. The book has been
divided into 13 chapters covering various aspects including those flavouring
agents, the principle behind the preparations of the foods, functions of these
foods, nutritional value, fortification of foods and policy issues for Nutritional
Security and the role of FAO and WHO. Importance of traditional Spices
in Foods for Nutritional security has been written in a very comprehensive
manner.
This book provides a very comprehensive review starting from the introduction
of nutrition security to the challenges by the industries. The book will be useful
to students, teachers and researchers interested in this topic.
Author
