Department & Program:

• Food Science

Funding Sources:

• James W. Barlow Graduate Fellowship in Food Science
• NSERC Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship

Research Focus:

Emefa is currently conducting research in the area of Food Microbiology. Her research project is a joint collaboration with Forbes Medi-Tech Inc., a nutraceutical and pharmaceutical company based in Vancouver B.C., and NSERC. The project concerns the antimicrobial activity of a phytosterol compound Forbes has developed that is proven to lower blood cholesterol when ingested. This compound has been added to margarines as well as yoghurt and other dairy products. It is important to understand the antimicrobial activity as it might have an effect on the quality of the food products by inhibiting spoilage organisms or the starter cultures used in cheese and yoghurt processing.

Prior to starting her Masters degree, Emefa graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and was awarded the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences B.Sc. (Food Science) Medal. She is a member of the CIFST (Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology) from which she was awarded two scholarships during her undergraduate career. Throughout her years as both an undergraduate and a graduate student at the University of Manitoba, she has been involved in research projects with numerous faculty members in both the Food Science and Human Nutritional Sciences departments. One such collaboration led to the publishing of an article in the Journal of Food Science titled “Functional and bioactive properties of quinoa seed protein hydrolysates”, in which Emefa is listed as second author.

In the future, Emefa plans to continue her education in the area of food microbiology by pursuing a Ph.D. degree.