PROFILE
THE CHEMISTRY OF CHAOS AND THE
magic moringa Professor Luke Chimuka in the School of Chemistry at Wits developed a method to produce an extract from the moringa plant that is used as a dietary supplement and as an additive in foods and beverages. BETH AMATO
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ambian native Professor Luke Chimuka learnt to play the jazz piano while completing his PhD in analytical chemistry at Lund University in Sweden. He fell in love with the way famous jazz pianist Chick Corea explored the keys, and the beauty and coherence of the pianist’s improvisation. Jazz isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Chimuka finds order in the apparent chaos. Similarly, the Universe is chaos and science is its order – its anchor. “As a child, I wondered how the Universe was made … how things connected, and why they did,” says Chimuka.
DISPARATE PARTS OF A WHOLE
It was the smaller things that caught his attention too: “I wanted to know how seeds germinated and how cells divided. I was interested in the ‘building blocks’ of my world,” he says. As a first-year university student, his friends called him Avogadro, named after scientist Amedeo Avogadro whose ‘constant’ is the number of atoms and molecules contained in a substance. “They knew I was a scientist from a young age. I was always quiet and very focused, and interested in the world around me,” he says. Chimuka’s background is in liquid chromatography – a technique used to separate mixtures of different compounds into its individual parts. Initially discovered by a Russian botanist to separate plant compounds, Chimuka’s early academic work involved analysing
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“I wanted to know how seeds germinated and how cells divided. I was interested in the ‘building blocks’ of my world” drugs and environmental chemicals with this method. Later, he used it to analyse the moringa tree’s leaves, mainly to see how much vitamin C and antioxidants were present. It wasn’t merely to analyse the moringa that was Chimuka’s aim, but to see how it could change the world and improve people’s lives.
THE MAGIC MORINGA
The moringa tree originates in the Himalayas and grows in many parts of Africa and the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, moringa shrubs and
trees have multiple uses. Its leaves, roots and immature pods are consumed as a vegetable, and its bark, pods, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, roots and flowers are edible. Chimuka sees the moringa as magical, especially in South Africa, where nutritious food is expensive and food security is tenuous. The moringa tree is fast growing, ubiquitous, drought tolerant and is an excellent source of vitamins A, B and C. The leaves are rich in protein and have antibiotic effects. Its products are recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers as well as young children. “The moringa has all the essential compounds and is an excellent antidote to malnutrition in poor communities,” he says. Chimuka pioneered a method to extract a moringa liquid concentrate, which can be added to food and drinks and used as a dietary supplement, but doesn’t have the bitter taste usually found in moringa powder. The liquid concentrate is drawn from a pressurised hot water extraction technology. This technology, unlike other extraction techniques, doesn’t require high solvent concentrations and is environmentally friendly. The method is commonly used to extract chemicals from soil, but Chimuka adapted and perfected it.
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FROM SCIENCE
In partnership with the Phedisanang community outside Pretoria, the Department of Science and Technology and Wits Enterprise, a business – Green Ex – was born. The business, says Chimuka, was a nice surprise and has the potential to
