My current research at the Quadram Institute focuses on how the structural properties of plant dietary fibre sources influence gastrointestinal functioning.

I completed my graduation at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management, India, followed by a Master’s and PhD at Massey University, New Zealand. My PhD aimed to link the industrial processing of mamaku polysaccharide to health outcomes. To answer this, I adopted a multidisciplinary approach that integrated food physics, powder technology, product development, in vitro gut models (digestion and colonic fermentation), clinical trials (both rat and human), and bioinformatics. My PhD thesis, titled “The Tale of the Shear-Thickening Mamaku Polysaccharide: From Forest to Gut”, was awarded the Dean’s List of Exceptional Theses.

After completing my PhD, I joined the University of Hohenheim, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher, where I investigated the inter-individual differences in oral processing and its impact on food digestion and consumption.

Key publications

Bisht, A., Goh, K. K. T., & Matia-Merino, L. (2023). The fate of mamaku gum in the gut: Effect on in vitro gastrointestinal function and colon fermentation by human faecal microbiota. Food and Function, 14, 7024-7039. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3FO01665J
Bisht, A., Dickens, M., Rutherfurd-Markwick, K., Thota, R., Mutukumira, A. N., & Singh, H. (2020). Chlorogenic acid potentiates the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells. Nutrients, 12(9), 2706. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092706
Bisht, A., Goh, K. K. T., Sim, I. M., Edwards, P. J. B., & Matia-Merino, L. (2024). Does harvesting age matter? Changes in structure and rheology of a shear-thickening polysaccharide from Cyathea medullaris as a function of age. Carbohydrate Polymers, 329, 121757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121757
Bisht, A., Goh, K. K. T., & Matia-Merino, L. (2024). Process-structure-function relationship for mamaku suspension: Effect of drying methods on powder functionality. Food Hydrocolloids, 150, 109683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.109683