Chibuike Udenigwe
What if we could make the world a better place through the food we eat? What if our food counteracted certain diseases like cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes? Faculty of Agriculture food chemist Chibuike Udenigwe is looking to do just that.
Dr. Udenigwe research looks at the components of food that could be used to promote and have a positive impact on human health. More specifically, he looks at short chains of proteins in food, called peptides, and how those peptides affect certain areas of human health.
"In a nutshell, it's the discovery of peptides from food," Dr. Udenigwe explains. "These peptides are derived from food proteins and we are trying figure out how they function in and affect the human body."
By looking at how these peptides function, Dr. Udenigwe explains that incorporating them into our food could have positive health benefits.
"Some of these peptides have been known to have an effect on cardiovascular disease," he says. "Others have been found to help the treatment or management of Type 2 Diabetes as well as some cardiovascular disease risk factors. We take the molecules and we put them into food using that as a delivery agent so people can actually get the health benefits."
Tapping proteins for the human food system
Dr. Udenigwe's research lab uses mostly dairy products, like yogurt and potatoes to extract the proteins. Not only is he looking to increase health benefits through food, but Dr. Udenigwe is adding value to low value agriculture products. His research looks at taking peptides from agricultural byproducts and putting them into the human food system to increase the health benefits.
"For example after dairy processing there are a lot of dairy byproducts," Dr. Udenigwe explains. "When the calf is weaned, the farm has a byproduct called colostrum. Colostrum is the first meal for the baby, but they don't use up everything. Colostrum has a lot of proteins. We can tap these proteins and bring them back into the human food system."
Dr. Udenigwe also explains that another good example is whey. After cheese making, the byproduct produced is whey which is filled with valuable proteins. Dr. Udenigwe and his research team are looking to use the proteins from these agricultural byproducts as a source of peptides and putting them back into the food system. For farmers, this research could add value to their low-value products.
"We are increasing the value of these byproducts and adding more money to the pockets of farmers who produce them," he explains. "That's one of the overall goals."
A team effort
Dr. Udenigwe doesn't conduct his research alone. He has a number of students who help him. At the moment, he has two masters students and a number of undergraduate students in his lab. He also has two or three undergraduate research students and a research assistant. Not only does he have a passion for his research, he has a passion for helping his students succeed.
"To see my students succeed is one of the things that actually drives me every day. I love to teach. My research program is a good way to deliver excellent curriculum to the students. I make them problem solvers."
Not only does Dr. Udenigwe teach his students to succeed in science careers, he teaches them valuable skills that they will be able to take to any career.
"I help them develop strong communication skills," he explains. "They learn how to communicate in written and verbal forms. Those are skills that are transferrable, even if they choose not to pursue science careers, they can take the communication skills everywhere."
As for Dr. Udenigwe, he aims to make the world a better place.
"If you look at the current situation here, some parts of the world are starving but other parts have excess, they produce lots of things and they waste a lot of things. I hope that we can start to change that."
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Chibuike Udenigwe
What if we could make the world a better place through the food we eat? What if our food counteracted certain diseases like cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes? Faculty of Agriculture food chemist Chibuike Udenigwe is looking to do just that.
Dr. Udenigwe research looks at the components of food that could be used to promote and have a positive impact on human health. More specifically, he looks at short chains of proteins in food, called peptides, and how those peptides affect certain areas of human health.
"In a nutshell, it's the discovery of peptides from food," Dr. Udenigwe explains. "These peptides are derived from food proteins and we are trying figure out how they function in and affect the human body."
By looking at how these peptides function, Dr. Udenigwe explains that incorporating them into our food could have positive health benefits.
"Some of these peptides have been known to have an effect on cardiovascular disease," he says. "Others have been found to help the treatment or management of Type 2 Diabetes as well as some cardiovascular disease risk factors. We take the molecules and we put them into food using that as a delivery agent so people can actually get the health benefits."
Tapping proteins for the human food system
Dr. Udenigwe's research lab uses mostly dairy products, like yogurt and potatoes to extract the proteins. Not only is he looking to increase health benefits through food, but Dr. Udenigwe is adding value to low value agriculture products. His research looks at taking peptides from agricultural byproducts and putting them into the human food system to increase the health benefits.
"For example after dairy processing there are a lot of dairy byproducts," Dr. Udenigwe explains. "When the calf is weaned, the farm has a byproduct called colostrum. Colostrum is the first meal for the baby, but they don't use up everything. Colostrum has a lot of proteins. We can tap these proteins and bring them back into the human food system."
Dr. Udenigwe also explains that another good example is whey. After cheese making, the byproduct produced is whey which is filled with valuable proteins. Dr. Udenigwe and his research team are looking to use the proteins from these agricultural byproducts as a source of peptides and putting them back into the food system. For farmers, this research could add value to their low-value products.
"We are increasing the value of these byproducts and adding more money to the pockets of farmers who produce them," he explains. "That's one of the overall goals."
A team effort
Dr. Udenigwe doesn't conduct his research alone. He has a number of students who help him. At the moment, he has two masters students and a number of undergraduate students in his lab. He also has two or three undergraduate research students and a research assistant. Not only does he have a passion for his research, he has a passion for helping his students succeed.
"To see my students succeed is one of the things that actually drives me every day. I love to teach. My research program is a good way to deliver excellent curriculum to the students. I make them problem solvers."
Not only does Dr. Udenigwe teach his students to succeed in science careers, he teaches them valuable skills that they will be able to take to any career.
"I help them develop strong communication skills," he explains. "They learn how to communicate in written and verbal forms. Those are skills that are transferrable, even if they choose not to pursue science careers, they can take the communication skills everywhere."
As for Dr. Udenigwe, he aims to make the world a better place.
"If you look at the current situation here, some parts of the world are starving but other parts have excess, they produce lots of things and they waste a lot of things. I hope that we can start to change that."
Explore further: Potato and rapeseed – sources of future cardio-vascular health?
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Potato and rapeseed – sources of future cardio-vascular health?
Potato and rapeseed industry produce vast amounts of protein-rich by-products, which could be utilized in the production of high-quality foodstuffs.
Milk proteins show promise in prevention and treatment of cancer
In a review of existing research, a team of Australian researchers found that milk proteins, consisting of short sequences called peptides, are potential candidates for the development of anticancer agents and can be generated ...
Research center turns yogurt waste into new products
With exploding consumer demand for Greek yogurt, production is up. That's great for food companies' bottom lines, but it also leaves them dealing with a lot more acid whey, a problematic byproduct of the ...
Edible seaweed provides an alternative protein source
Teagasc researchers are looking to seaweed for proteins with health benefits for use as functional foods. Historically, edible seaweeds were consumed by coastal communities across the world and today seaweed ...
High-quality whey proteins for foodstuffs
Whey resulting from cheese production contains valuable proteins that still often remain unused. In the EU project Whey2Food the University of Hohenheim and the Fraunhofer IGB, together with partners from ...
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Study finds that too much sodium is a worldwide killer
Americans are not alone in their taste for salty foods. Whether the salt comes from French fries or miso soup, people all over the world are getting more than the current recommendations. And according to ...
Spending cuts in India will hurt already inadequate health services
Deep cuts in health spending by the Indian government will lead to continued inadequate health services and delays in achieving universal access to healthcare, argue experts in The BMJ this week.
Many US shoppers choose low-salt fare
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Mexico closes 10 cosmetic surgery clinics in border city
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A mother's genes can influence the bacteria in her baby's gut
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