College Girl from SOS Children’s Villages of India Publishes Her Research Findings

GOA:
Ch Grace Valentina, a student of M.Sc in Food Technology, from SOS Children’s Villages of India, an International NGO that works for children without parental care or children at the risk of abandonment got her research findings published in the August 2020 issue of Asian Food Science Journal. The research findings were about anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer properties of green coffee extract.

Valentina came to SOS Children’s Villages – Hyderabad when she was 12 years old. A studious student with a research bent of mind, she chose food and nutrition, her field of passion, for her higher studies. Currently, Valentina is pursuing 2nd year in MSc Food Technology in Loyola Academy at Old Alwal in Telangana. She is conducting her research experiments in Food and Nutrition at Greensmed Lab in Chennai.

Talking about her research work on green coffee extract, Valentina said, “The ethnobotanical study on green coffee I conducted with the guidance of my mentors and contributions from fellow researchers, establishes that green coffee beans of Coffee Robusta variety have significant medicinal properties that can fight several lifestyle diseases. We found that the chlorogenic acid in green coffee acts as an antioxidant, aids weight loss, helps in controlling high blood pressure and maintaining blood
sugar levels – and reduces the risk of formation of cancer cells. Valentina hopes to develop food and nutritional supplements to bring the health benefits of green coffee to the patients, and public at large.

On the focus of her research in food and nutritional supplements, Valentina said, “Today, lifestyle diseases have emerged as a major health issue. Lifestyle modifications are important to prevent the onslaught of illnesses like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. But owing to ever increasing professional demands, many people are unable to make necessary lifestyle modifications – they are not able to follow dietary guidelines. My aim is to create effective natural supplements to help such people maintain health effectively.”