Bio:

Molly Muleya is a food science and nutrition expert passionate about research at the interface of agriculture, food science, nutrition and health with an overall goal of achieving food and nutrition security for all. Her PhD focused on the mineral bioaccessibility of traditional porridges typically consumed in Zimbabwe and the effect of several conditions such as processing (fermentation and cooking), food-to-food fortification and the origin of porridges. A major lesson drawn from this work was that agriculture plays an important role in mineral nutrition, and the cycling of minerals from soils to crops and then to humans needs evaluation. 

Project summary:

The aim of this study is to determine the mineral bioaccessibility (meaning the in-vitro bioavailability) of cereals and legumes grown under different agronomic management strategies from Zimbabwe and Malawi, with the goal of identifying practices that can lead to both increased mineral grain contents and increased mineral bioavailability. Improved mineral bioaccessibility, which refers to the proportion of minerals released from the food matrix in conditions found in the digestive process, is a prerequisite for improved bioavailability. In addition, this research will determine the bioaccessibility of different types of soils contaminating cereals so that we can better interpret dietary iron intake data from developing countries

Publications: 

Bioaccessibility of iron in pearl millet flour contaminated with different soil types (2022), Food Chemistry

Selenium speciation and bioaccessibility in Se-fertilised crops of dietary importance in Malawi (2021), Journal of Food Composition and Analysis

A stable isotope approach to accurately determine iron and zinc bioaccessibility in cereals and legumes based on a modified INFOGEST static in vitro digestion method (2021), Food Research International