PAU Food Scholars Win Top Honours at International Conference on Agri, Vet Sciences

PAU Food Scholars Win Top Honours at International Conference on Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences

Ludhiana: 

Scholars from the Department of Food and Nutrition, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) brought laurels to the university by securing top honours at the 12th International Conference on “Agriculture & Veterinary: Transformative Approach, Research & Innovations Forum.” The international event was jointly organised by Goa College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, and ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, earlier this month.

Karnika, a PhD scholar at PAU, was awarded the Best Oral Presentation Award for her research paper titled “Integrating Nutrigenomics into Precision Nutrition: A Timely Approach to Mitigate Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors.” The study was co-authored by Dr Sonika Sharma, Dr Shikha Mahajan, Dr Shaveta Batta, and Dr Bishav Mohan. In recognition of her outstanding contribution, Karnika was also conferred the Young Fellow Award at the conference.

Her major advisor, Dr Sonika Sharma, explained that the nutrigenomics-based research—conducted collaboratively by PAU and Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMC&H), Ludhiana—revealed that individuals carrying high-risk FTO gene variants could substantially lower their susceptibility to obesity and cardiovascular diseases through personalised dietary and lifestyle modifications. The findings highlighted the growing importance of precision nutrition in addressing genetically linked health risks.

Another PAU PhD scholar, Shrishti Joshi, received the Best Oral Presentation Award for her paper titled “Microwave Roasting of Nigella sativa: Enhancing Nutritional and Functional Properties for Food and Nutraceutical Applications,” co-authored by the same research team. She was also honoured with the Young Researcher Award at the event.

Her advisor, Dr Shikha Mahajan, noted that the research on Nigella sativa demonstrated its strong potential as a functional food ingredient with significant natural health-promoting benefits, paving the way for its wider application in food and nutraceutical products.