Research & Expertise
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The Shokunbi laboratory at work
Editorial photograph: graphite-furnace AAS / wet bench / sample prep
Division 01
Studying how nutrients and dietary components interact at the molecular and cellular levels to influence human health.
Why it matters
Provides the scientific foundation for understanding how diet affects metabolism, disease prevention and overall well-being.
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Nutritional Biochemistry
Helix or laboratory macro photograph
Division 02
Evaluating harmful substances in food, including their biochemical effects, toxicity and safe exposure limits.
Why it matters
Ensures food systems are safe, regulated and protective of public health, particularly in environments with rising chemical exposure.
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Toxicology & Food Safety
Toxicology flask / hazard photograph
Division 03
Researching bioactive compounds in foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Why it matters
Supports development of health-promoting foods and innovative products that can prevent or manage non-communicable diseases.
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Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals
Plant material / functional food photograph
Division 04
Investigating microplastics, pesticides, heavy metals and industrial pollutants, and their interaction with food systems and human biology.
Why it matters
Addresses growing global concerns about hidden risks in food and the environment, with implications for long-term health and sustainability.
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Environmental Health & Emerging Contaminants
Water sampling or microplastics microscopy
Division 05
Leadership in postgraduate education, research development and the mentoring of emerging scientists.
Why it matters
Strengthens research capacity, innovation and knowledge transfer, ensuring the next generation of research leaders is groomed early and well.
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Research, Capacity Building & Academic Leadership
Convocation / postgraduate cohort
Division 06
Assessing substances that can damage DNA or cause genetic mutations through dietary or environmental exposure.
Why it matters
Critical for identifying risks linked to cancer, hereditary disorders and long-term health effects, enabling preventive strategies.
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Genotoxicity & Mutagenicity
Chromosome microscopy / genetics imagery
Current focus
Four live threads of work driving publications, partnerships and policy conversations through 2026.
Thread 01
Baseline surveillance of microplastics in drinking water and table salt across Ogun State and beyond. The first datasets regulators and households can act on.
Thread 02
From conophor-nut ketogenic menus to Phragmanthera incana extracts: formulating and evaluating plant-based foods that meaningfully shift cardiometabolic outcomes.
Thread 03
Continued expansion of the mineral-composition reference for Nigerian foods, paired with intake assessments that surface the calcium gap and the sodium burden.
Thread 04
Complementary food formulation, breast-milk safety, and adolescent dietary health, with the patented GROWSTAR food anchoring child nutrition outcomes.
Mineral surveillance · sample
The dataset reveals the average Nigerian adult takes in under half the recommended calcium and nearly double the sodium ceiling.
What sets the work apart
Most researchers pick one side of the plate. Prof. Shokunbi works at the intersection, surfacing risks and benefits together so policy and practice reflect the whole picture.
Two decades of fieldwork across Nigerian and South African food matrices. The data, the menus, and the functional-food prototypes are grounded in what people actually eat.
Mineral surveillance datasets, contaminant baselines, and complementary food formulations designed to inform regulators, agencies, and clinicians. Not just journals.
Postgraduate leadership at the institutional and national level. Mentees move on to academia, regulation, and industry across the continent.
Featured projects
Detailed case studies of signature projects are being curated for publication on this page. In the meantime, the 40+ peer-reviewed papers chart the underlying science.
GROWSTAR
Patented complementary food for malnourished children
Conophor Keto Trial
Loma Linda University collaboration · 2022–2025
Microplastics Baseline
First multi-source baseline across Ogun State
Mineral Atlas
Mineral composition for 141+ Nigerian foods