A warm bowl of curry may comfort the body and soul, but a professor in Missouri S&T’s Linda and Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering wants to know if one of its key ingredients can do even more. 
 
Curcumin — the bright yellow pigment that colors turmeric and gives many curry powders their golden hue — is celebrated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, but Dr. Hany El-Azab says it breaks down quickly in the body and is difficult to absorb. 
 
That’s why El-Azab is working with Dr. Salam Titinchi, a chemistry professor at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, through the University of Missouri’s South African Education Program to address this issue. 

“We hope to use microwave-assisted chemistry to tweak curcumin’s structure so the body can absorb and keep it longer,” El-Azab says. “By proving we can change the molecule and, eventually, show how those changes help the body, this natural compound could become the basis for new treatments that reach patients far beyond the spice aisle.” 
 
The researchers are conducting experiments that use microwave energy to speed chemical reactions and create new chemical derivatives of curcumin. These tests are designed to demonstrate that these chemical derivatives can be produced and to generate data needed for future, larger-scale research. 
 
As part of the South African Education Program, Titinchi traveled to Missouri S&T this summer to tour the university’s laboratories, review early results and work with El-Azab’s team to plan the next round of experiments. 
 
“This kind of exchange is invaluable,” El-Azab says. “Sharing ideas face-to-face and seeing each other’s labs opens doors for projects we couldn’t do alone and builds the long-term relationships that move science forward.” 
 
To learn more about Missouri S&T’s chemical and biochemical engineering programs, visit chbe.mst.edu. 

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit  www.mst.edu.