Kalai Selvi Ignasimuthu

R&D and Management Accomplishments

• Identified nutrient-dense, climate-resilient, high-yielding millet cultivars through on-farm trials, directly benefiting smallholder tribal farmers.
• Multiplied and distributed improved varieties, achieving 25–30% yield increases while enhancing dietary intake of iron, calcium, and zinc in rural communities.
• Established three millet-based value chains with farm-gate processing and value addition facilities, improving dietary diversity and raising tribal household incomes by 20–25%.
• Designed and delivered 18+ training programs for 500+ farmers, FPOs, and government officials on nutrition-sensitive cultivation, seed production, processing, and value addition.
• Prepared Detailed Project Report (DPR) for construction of processing and value addition unit.
• Defined technical specifications and led procurement of millet processing line, Nutribar production, and packaging machinery.
• Oversaw fund management, project staffing, and comprehensive documentation for smooth implementation.

R&D Accomplishments

• Led R&D team for assessing glycemic index and micronutrient bioavailability of millets, collaborating with ICMR-NIN to validate health benefits.
• Coordinated Phase I clinical trials for millet recipes, ensuring compliance with safety protocols and healthcare regulations through collaboration with medical and nursing staff.
• Assessed effects of millet consumption on NAFLD and athletes' nutritional well-being in partnership with ILBS and Manav Rachna Institute.
• Developed millet products for school supplementation, enhancing the bioavailability of iron, calcium, and zinc in collaboration with NIN and MS Ramaiah Medical College.
• Evaluated biochemical, physico-chemical, and functional properties of millet cultivars, facilitating new product development in conjunction with NABL accredited laboratories.
• Standardized extraction methods for prolamine protein khafir from sorghum and in vitro digestibility
• Created innovative products for Project BalPoshan, supporting ITC's CSR initiative for Anganwadi children.
• Provided technical expertise to mentor startups at Nutrihub in designing experiments, interpreting results, and developing predictive models using advanced analytics software.

Effective administration and management:

• Managed the Centre of Excellence at ICAR-IIMR, overseeing a range of activities: product development, quality control, sensory analysis, processing technology scaling, visitor management, and capacity-building programs (e.g., start-up ignition and cooking with millets).
• Coordinated the constitution of the Institutional Ethical Committee, a first-of-its-kind arrangement at the institute to undertake clinical trials, and registered the trial in CTRI.
• Co-ordinated the visits of important dignitaries at CoE including the Ag Minister of Kerala, Karnataka, UP, Governors of UP and Telangana, and several officers of state & central governments.
• Provided administrative support to the CEO's office, ensuring the smooth conduct of research activities.
• Facilitated startup engagement at the CoE to accelerate R&D and product development.
• Successfully implemented the ITC BalPoshan Project in collaboration with MAMTA.
• Led research teams for collaborative research with diverse stakeholders like Nestle, ITC, PepsiCo etc.,
• Ensured effective utilization of physical and financial resources by liaising with DA & FW (NFSM) and MoFPI, including budget allocation for IIMR, NIN, and others.

Documentation and Policy Advocacy:

• Secured funding by drafting compelling project proposals for national (ICAR, DST, NFSM, MoFPI, Industry) and international (FAO, World Bank) funding agencies.
• Authored need- based reports for ICAR, DST, DA & FW, and other agencies, including reports on implementing recommendations from the International Year of Millets Task Force groups.
• Actively disseminated research findings by participating in national and international seminars, conferences, and roundtable discussions on millet R&D.
• Contributed to scientific publications by drafting manuscripts for research articles, newsletters, and other publications.
• Developed communication materials in the form of presentations, concept notes, extended abstracts, and scripts for creating audio-visual content on millet processing and value addition.
• Supported the CEO's office in policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement initiatives, including the incubation of millet startups.

• Extraction of phytochemicals, nutraceutical components (catechins) and flavors from herbs, millets, focusing on their value addition.
• Developed functional food products enriched with micronutrients through fortification, aimed at conducting in-vitro bioavailability studies.
• Standardized the extraction of spice oils, oleoresins, and natural colors, incorporating them into food systems as flavors and preservatives.
• Conducted derivatization and structural modification of bioactive molecules, alongside microbiological studies on synthesized compounds relevant to food safety.
• Characterized isolated components and micronutrient complexes using a wide array of techniques: chemical, chromatographic (Preparative TLC, HPLC, LC-MS, HRMS), instrumental (TGA, DTA), physicochemical (optical rotation, RI), and spectroscopic (UV, FT-IR, 1H & 13C NMR, 11B NMR, XRD) etc.
• Applied nano-spraying technology to stabilize biomolecules, ensuring sustainable release.
• Conducted food adulteration testing utilizing FT-IR studies and purity checks on components using NMR spectroscopy.
• Conducted overall proximate analysis of food samples adhering to ISO food safety and hygiene standards.
• Well-versed in FSSAI and NABL regulations governing food safety and quality assurance.
• In-vitro bio-accessibility studies particularly focusing on the bio-accessibility of total polyphenols using enzymatic dialysis tube methods.
• Conducted antioxidant assays, including polyphenol estimation and various anti-oxidant assays, such as the Folin-Ciocalteu method (TPC) DPPH radical scavenging activity and Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP).
• Documentation on the project outcomes and new project proposal drafting for the funding agencies.