Dr Chika I. Chukwuma
NRF Rating: C2
Researcher
Qualifications: Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Professional Background
Dr Chukwuma is an expert in diabetes and endocrinology research and a Registered Professional Natural Scientist (Prof. Nat. Sci.) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). His research focuses on functional foods and medicinal plants in the management of diabetes and associated metabolic disorders.
Through multi-disciplinary research, he probes the medicinal phytochemistry of non-edible fruit wastes, elucidating their mechanistic and pharmacological potential in managing metabolic diseases and oxidative stress, thereby providing insights into their applications as readily available medicinal food products.
He has published more than 65 research papers in high-impact factor journals, produced 2 doctoral and 5 master’s students, and holds over 1,300 Google Scholar citations with an h-index of 23. With a C2 rating by the South African National Research Foundation, he is recognised as an established researcher with a strong track record of securing competitive grants, scholarships, and research awards. He has served as a Guest Editor for reputable journals in Frontiers and MDPI, and currently serves on the Editorial Board of Discover Applied Sciences (Springer Nature) and Current Chinese Science (Bentham Science).
Areas of Expertise
- • Functional Foods
- • Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders
- • Oxidative Stress
- • Medicinal Plants
- • Pharmacology
Selected Publications
Top Journal Articles
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Chukwuma CI*. (2024). Antioxidative, Metabolic and Vascular Medicinal Potentials of Natural Products in the Non-Edible Wastes of Fruits Belonging to the Citrus and Prunus Genera: A Review. Plants, 13(2): 191.
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020191 → - • Izu GO, ..., Chukwuma CI*. (2024). Unravelling the Influence of Chlorogenic Acid on the Antioxidant Phytochemistry of Avocado Fruit Peel. Antioxidants, 13(4): 456.
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13040456 → - • Muhammad A, Chukwuma CI*, Erukainure OL, Islam MS. (2024). Editorial: Therapeutic potential of natural products in oxidative and metabolic diseases. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15: 1375788.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1375788 → - • Mashile B, ..., Chukwuma CI*. (2024). Temperature-dependent extraction and characterisation of ellagitannins with potent antioxidant and glycaemic control properties from ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate peel. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59(1): 408-424.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16823 → - • Setlhodi R, ..., Chukwuma CI*. (2024). Modelling the Influence of Extraction Temperature on the Ellagitannin and Antioxidant Profiles of “Wonderful” Pomegranate Peel Using Advanced Chemometrics Analysis. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 17: 83-99.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-023-03104-2 →
Top Conference Presentations
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Chukwuma CI, Ramorobi LM, Mashele SS. (2023). Therapeutic synergism between zinc and syringic acid against diabetes and oxidative stress. The International Diabetes Federation Virtual Congress, 4 to 7 December 2023.
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Chukwuma CI, Setlhodi R, Mashile B, et al. (2023). Modelling the influence of extraction temperature on the ellagitannin and antioxidant profiles of “Wonderful” pomegranate peel using advanced chemometrics analysis. The 25th Biennial Congress of SAAFoST, Cape Town, 28 to 30 August 2023.
- •
Chukwuma CI, Matowane RG, Mashele SS, Bonnet SL. (2023). Therapeutic antidiabetic and antioxidative synergism of Zn(II)-caffeic acid complexation. The 56th Annual SASBCP Conference, Rhodes University, 24 to 27 August 2023.
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Chukwuma CI, Akuru EA, Mashile B, et al. (2021). Nutritional and phytochemical profile of pomegranate peel and its effects on hepatic oxidative stress and metabolic alterations. The Euro-Global Conference on Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Online, 6 to 7 September 2021.
- •
Chukwuma CI. (2021). Zinc (II) complexes in diabetes management: Plant-derived phenolics as understudied promising ligands. The 5th Annual SASBCP Conference, Virtual, 22 October 2021.
