OUR FELLOWS
Mobolaji Omemu is working to prevent infant and child mortality that is often caused by diseases linked to the heart of the home—the kitchen.
In Nigeria, mothers prepare ogi—a traditional weaning food—by soaking, washing, grinding, sifting, and fermenting maize meal. The wet ogi is then cooked in bulk and stored, but it often becomes contaminated during storage.
When a child has diarrhea, mothers don’t associate the illness with their food,” says Omemu. “They’ve never had any training, so they don’t understand contamination or nutrition. Ogi is stored in water that is discarded every two days, so any nutrients get poured out along with the water
Field of Research
Upgrading traditional food technology, focusing on microbiology, nutrition, and biotechnology of African foods.
