HYDERABAD: The “Best International Scientist” award has been conferred on Dr Jadala Shankaraswamy, Assistant Professor in the department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture, Mojerla, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, in the field of “processing and value addition in horticultural crops.
The Director of the Institute of Food Resources (IFR), National Academy of Agrarian Science (NAAN), Ukraine, who is the head of of the organising committee of the event “Health: promising raw materials and innovative processing” has given the award to Shankaraswamy, for his discovery on the method of producing green chilli powder and their products, for which patent was granted to him by the Indian Patent Office, Intellectual Property India.
His pioneering work on green chilli powder can replace the red chilli powder in the market, and holds promise for consumers to avoid the adulteration in red chilli powder with ‘Sudan azo’ dyes, which will cause cancer and genotoxic effect to humans.
“These dyes used to enhance red chilli powder colour have harmful effect on human health. To avoid this adulteration, my discovery may help the manufacturers to replace red chilli powder and motivate the farmers to grow more chilli crops to manufacture this green chilli powder, which is superior to the red chilli powder with preserved bounty of nutrients and pungency,” Shankaraswamy claimed, speaking to TNIE.
Shankaraswamy, a native of Karimanagar district, is the recipient of the “Chancellor’s Gold Medal” in the discipline of horticulture. His research has focussed on the social problems and applicable research for health-based food system and value addition in the horticulture crops.
He has been helping the farming community, and more importantly the rural women in Wanaparthy district, by inculcating entrepreneurial skills in them, and by developing several value added products, and has been empowering the farming community to create employment in the rural communities of Telangana.
