On the 22nd of April 2022, a National Seminar on “Foods for Gut Immunity” was held by the collective efforts of the undergraduate departments of Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Botany, and Food Science, in association with KSTA (Government of Karnataka).

The event began at 9:30 a.m. with a prayer song recited by Saumia and the team, followed by a dance recital by Malvika and the team. S Harsha Paul, Dean of Biosciences, and the HOD, Department of Microbiology had given the welcome address and introduced the chief guest, Prof. B. P. Veerabhadrappa, Honorable Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University. Prof. B. P. Veerabhadrappa, addressed the gathering with a speech on the diversity of food found across the world and how men adapted to it which varied accordingly across generations. The Hon. Vice-Chancellor also briefed the gathering about the opportunities that persist in both private and public sector jobs in the field of science and commended the workings of our prestigious institution and suggested more courses be added to obtain the university status. Rev. Dr. Praveen Martis SJ, Principal, then gave his presidential remarks. Ms. Shameena K.A., head of the Department of Biochemistry, proposed the vote of thanks for the inaugural portion of the seminar.

The Inauguration was followed up by a keynote address on “Therapeutic Uses of Fermented Food” by, Dr. Prakash M. Halami, Chief Scientist and Head of the Department of Microbiology and Fermentation Technology at CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, the resource person for the event. The speech proceeded with the basic concept of how our gut works and the microorganisms that it harbors. He pointed out key sensitive topics regarding how various harmful pathogens inflict inflammation which leads to Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the role of Bifidobacteria in the large intestine and Lactobacillus in the small intestine, the Benefits of Bifidobacterium in humans, and how it could be the key tool in maintaining the longevity of the lifespan of a person, Bifidobacterium a key probiotic which does not lead to contamination in any form and fit for human consumption, etc. He concluded with his current research on how they synthesized curds with both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, where the approval for mass-scale production is yet to be initiated and where the Indian society could view Bifidobacterium to be equally as important as Lactobacillus. A Question & Answer session was held, where the students actively participated in the discussion and the seminar concluded at 12.30 p.m.

The exhibition on fermented foods, “Fermentato La Fiera”, was inaugurated by the Chief guest, Prof. B.P. Veerabhadrappa, in the LCRI Block Entrance, compered by Mr. Ian Castelino. The exhibition consisted of 27 teams exhibiting multiple kinds of fermented foods such as kimchi, buttermilk, cheese products, and various types of pickles and wines. Dr. Ambarish C. N., Postgraduate Department of Biochemistry, and Dr. Santhosh Wilson Goveas, Postgraduate Department of Biotechnology, judged the exhibits. The exhibition hall was managed under the supervision of Dr. Vaishali Rai, Department of Microbiology. The exhibition concluded at 1:15 p.m.

The valedictory program began at 3:15 pm. Dr. Richard Gonsalves, Director, LCRI Block was the guest of honor, accompanied by Prof. Harsha Paul S, Dean, Biological Sciences, and Ms. Shameena, Dept of Biochemistry. Ms. Nidhi Shenoy, the student coordinator, had given the welcome speech, followed by the distribution of prizes. First place was secured by Shriya Rao and Pratheeksha, second place was secured by Alroy Nazareth and Dabria Heleena Moniz, and third place was secured by Shreyas K.B and Sushupthi. The vote of thanks for the exhibition and valedictory ceremony was proposed by Mr. Vishal Shridar Moger, the student coordinator. The event concluded at 4 p.m.