Scientist Profile

• Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
• Nutrition Biology, Nutrigenomics
• Fermented foods, Microbial biotransformation, Bioactive peptides
• Microbial Enzymes for production of nutraceuticals

• Visiting Scientist at Quadram Institute of Biosciences, Norwich, United Kingdom (May to June, 2024) Research Exposure – Effect of fermented soybean products on gut microbiome and metabolome using artificial gut models.
• Scientist – C (Microbiology) at Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, (July 2017 to January 2023)  Research Exposure – (i) Characterisation and application of microbial resources of North East India for food and industrial bioprocess (ii) Peptidomic analysis of protein rich fermented foods and characterisation of novel bioactive peptides (iii) Microbial resources from high altitude region of Sikkim for production of industrially important biocatalyst and metabolites
• Scientist (Contract) at Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Sikkim Centre, Sikkim (December 2012 – July 2017). Research Exposure - Characterisation of bioactive peptides in fermented foods of Sikkim Himalayan region
• Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology from Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR), Mysore. Title of the thesis - Biotechnological approaches for recovering lipids from fish processing by-products and biological activity of recovered lipids

• Characterised microbial composition in selected fermented foods (kinema, chhurpi, etc) consumed in different seasons by culture dependent and culture independent approaches. 
• Molecular characterisation of bioactive peptides with specific and multiple function in fermented foods of Himalayan region such as fermented milk products including cheese (consumed in different season), fermented legumes including soybean, fermented soybean cheese and yak milk-based cheese products.
• Designed starter cultures using different microorganisms (Lactic acid bacteria/Bacillus spp./yeasts) for improving functional properties of fermented products. 
• Developed bioprocess for production of bioactive peptides enriched soybean/milk-based products inspired from traditional fermented foods of North East India and identified novel bioactive peptides from traditionally fermented foods that can have application in reducing hypertension and oxidative stress. 
• Characterised microbial population in extreme ecological niches of Sikkim Himalaya and selected high altitudes native strains for production of biocatalysts having application in food and industrial bioprocess.
• My doctorate research was focused on application of lactic acid fermentation for simultaneous recovery of beneficial lipids and bioactive peptides from fish processing by-products for its application as nutraceuticals. We have developed fermentation processes for recovery of (i) PUFA rich lipids and protein hydrolysates from fish processing waste, and (ii) protein hydrolysates from tannery waste.

Production of functional foods and nutraceuticals using microbial resources associated with traditionally fermented foods applying foodomics approaches 

• Culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches - Microflora characterisation for production of functional foods.
• Designing starter cultures consortia for (i) improvement of functional properties of fermented foods (ii) production of specific nutraceutical.
• Microbial biotransformation of food derived bioactive molecules and their characterization through metabolomic, proteomic and lipidomic approaches.
• Food-derived bioactive peptides (Multifunctional peptides) - production and characterization.
• Elucidation of health benefits of selected fermented products/nutraceuticals using animal models.

Microbial Enzymes from microbial resources from extreme ecological niches for application in food bioprocess

• Characterisation of microbial extremozymes from microbial resources of extreme ecological niches for application in food industry.
• Formulation of food enzymes/cocktail for nutraceutical production and reduction anti-nutritional factors.
• Valorisation of low-cost substrates using Microbial enzymes for the production of value added products having nutraceutical applications.

Publications (Best Five)

1. Chourasia R, Phukon LC, Abedin MM, Sahoo D, Rai AK*. 2022. Production and characterization of bioactive peptides in novel functional soybean chhurpi produced using Lactobacillus delbrueckii WS4. Food Chemistry. 387, 132889. (IF – 9.231). 
2. Padhi S, Chourasia R, Kumari M, Singh SP, Rai AK*. 2022.  Production and characterization of bioactive peptides from rice beans using Bacillus subtilis. Bioresource Technology. 351, 126932 (IF – 11.889)
3. Abedin MM, Chourasia R, Phukon LC, Singh SP, Rai AK*. 2022. Characterization of ACE inhibitory and antioxidant peptides in yak and cow milk hard chhurpi cheese of the Sikkim Himalayan region. Food Chemistry X, 13, 100231. (IF – 6.443).
4. Sanjukta S, Padhi S, Sarkar P, Singh SP, Sahoo D, Rai AK*. 2021. Production, characterization and molecular docking of antioxidant peptides from peptidome of kinema fermented with proteolytic Bacillus spp. Food Research International. 141, 110161 (IF – 7.425).
5. Rai AK, Bhaskar N, Baskaran V. 2013. Bioefficacy of EPA-DHA from lipids recovered from fish processing wastes through biotechnological approaches. Food Chemistry, 136, 80-86. (IF – 9.231).

• INSA Distinguished Lecture Fellowship 2024 by Indian National Science Academy in Agriculture Sciences.
• Associate Fellow, 2023, Indian National Science Academy, India.
• Selected Member, Scientific Panel on Alcoholic beverages of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi
• Young Scientist Award 2022 by the International Bioprocessing Association (An International Forum on Industrial Bioprocess) for research contribution in Food and Industrial Microbiology.
• The Royal Society International Exchange Award in collaboration with University of East Anglia, UK.
• Selected Member, The National Academy of Science (MNASc) 2022 in Biological Sciences
• Scientist of the Year 2020 by National Environment Science Academy, New Delhi at Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi. 
• Young Scientist Award 2017 from Association of Food Scientist and Technologist (India) at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad.
• Award for Excellence in Food Biotechnology 2016 from Society of Applied Biotechnology at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
• Young Scientist Award 2015 in Microbiology by Association of Microbiologist of India (AMI) during 56th Annual conference of AMI at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
• Anna University-Centre for Biotechnology (AU-CBT) Excellence Award - 2009 from Biotech Research Society of India at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai.
• Awarded Senior Research fellowship by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) 2011.
• Awarded Senior Research fellowship by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 2007-08 in the field of Agriculture Microbiology.