What a scientist studying spices wants us to know about masala
“Since my lab works on diabetes, among others, we are very interested in cumin or jeera. Cumin inhibits a lot of enzymes that malfunction in diabetes, i. e they become hyperactive.
From cumin regulating blood sugar levels to black pepper boosting nutrient absorption, modern research at Pune University is proving what traditional cooking always knew—food is medicine. (Image for representation) Can the spice box in your kitchen lead you to better health? Dr Anjali Kulkarni, Associate Professor of Botany at Savitribai Phule Pune University, is among the scientists worldwide who are drawing out unknown characteristics of spices in their labs.
“Since my lab works on diabetes, among others, we are very interested in cumin or jeera. Cumin inhibits a lot of enzymes that malfunction in diabetes, i. e they become hyperactive. If we add cumin, it reduces that hyperactivity of the enzymes and brings back the glucose level to a relatively normal level,” says Kulkarni.
Her favourite ‘fun fact’ is about black pepper. “We think of it only as a hot spice. But, it is a bioavailability enhancer, i.e. it increases the way our intestine absorbs nutrients from food when we combine black pepper. Some of the components of our food, like curcumin in turmeric, might not be water soluble. Black pepper does the job of increasing its bio-availability and helps our intestine to absorb that nutrition,” says Kulkarni. Pune-based Dr Raghunath Mashekar was one of the pioneers who conducted bioavailability studies in India, and proved this property of black pepper.
Kulkarni has been interested in spices for years, largely because of her fondness for cooking. What saddens Kulkarni is that traditional Indian cooking knew what labs are only now rediscovering – but the old wisdom about spices is almost forgotten. This, she says, has given her a sense of purpose to spread awareness about the humble masala. On May 18, Kulkarni will take the stage at the Dorf Brewhouse in Baner to speak at the ‘Pint of Science festival’ on ‘Spices: The Forgotten Superheroes’.
India has been the top spice producer and exporter for centuries. “Yet, we do not even study spices in our school syllabus. We are told about balanced diets but what about spices, which play a great role in boosting our immune system, improving cognition and controlling the gut microflora, besides having anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties,” she says.
When Pint of Science, an initiative that helps science break down the walls with regular people, offered Kulkarni a platform to reach out to the public, she readily agreed. Pint of Science, spearheaded by Dr Debarati Chatterjee, a theoretical astrophysicist and Professor at IUCAA, Pune, is a series of talks by scientists presented in an engaging way – at pubs. This year, the Pint of Science festival is being held in Pune, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Delhi and Mumbai.
After her talk, Kulkarni will be available to chat with visitors more about her work, especially her new patents on spices that bring down blood sugar levels. “I hope that, after the talk, visitors will understand that everybody uses spices in their daily life but these do more than just add hotness or flavor to the food. They have medicinal benefits and that is why we must use them judiciously. Spices are like superheroes, who with little effort and a small quantity, can give us very good benefits,” she says.
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