KOCHI: The research to develop nutraceutical products from seaweeds for treatment of lifestyle diseases including diabetes has brought national recognition to Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) principal scientist Kajal Chakraborthy. He bagged the prestigious Norman Borlaug National Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research instituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) functioning under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The award, which is announced every 5 years, carries a cash prize of `10 lakh, besides a research grant of `1.5 crore to the scientist.
The award is in recognition of Chakraborthy’s outstanding achievement in developing nutraceutical products from selected seaweeds to combat rheumatic arthritic pains, type-2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and hypothyroidism. The latest efforts in this line of research include antiosteoporotic and immune-boosting nutraceuticals, following which the latter received wider attention in the wake of the pandemic.