Dr Mary Tanyitiku joined the University of Greenwich in October 2023 as a Research Fellow in food and safety. She is a trained food process engineer with experience in academia and the food industry. For example, in 2014 and 2015, she worked with the Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV Cameroon, to improve the performance of women cooperatives/CIG in the diary value chain, that is, production, collection, processing and commercialisation of milk and milk products. This fixed-term field project focused on diet formulation/animal nutrition and incorporated local dairy producers and processors in the Far North dairy platform termed “Plateforme des Acteurs de la Filière Lait de la région de l’Extrême-Nord” (ACFILEN). Then, between 2015 and 2018, she went further as a lecturer to design curriculums and teach modules in the production and processing of arable, animal, and plantation food products as well as in diet formulation/animal nutrition, starting from the very first batch of student teachers (postgraduate level) at the Higher Technical Teachers Training College of the University of Buea, Cameroon. In addition, she was a senior quality and food grader at Kraft Heinz Watties, Christchurch, New Zealand, for four seasons. 

While her MSc research studied the effects of processing methods (germination, toasting, fermentation and soaking) on the technofunctional, nutritional and sensory characteristics of African consumed cereal-based complementary foods, her doctoral research was interdisciplinary and combined qualitative research (in-depth face-to-face interviews, participant observation, visual methods), molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) and traditional microbial culturing to understand the public health risks of foodborne pathogens among snail meat-consuming populations in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Cameroon. The latter was fully funded by the New Zealand Aid programme.

Despite her career goals in food science, she enjoys teaching French to children under 11 years of age, as a volunteer.

Tanyitiku MN, Bessem P., & Petcheu, I. (2024). Gluten-free corn cookies incorporated with stinging nettle leaf flour: Effect on physical properties, storage stability, and health benefits. International Journal of Food Science, Wiley. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/8864560.

Tanyitiku MN. (2024). Microbiological contamination of fermented cassava products sold in local markets, Yaounde (Cameroon). African Journal of Agriculture and Food Science, 7, 1-14. doi:10.52589/AJAFS-DPAMM68W.

Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas, G., Sullivan, J., Njombissie Petcheu , IC, & On, S. (2024). Survival of Escherichia coli in Edible Land Snails: Implications for Heliciculture and Public Health. Pathogens, 13, 1-10. doi:10.3390/pathogens13030204.

Tanyitiku MN, Njombissie Petcheu IG (2023) Effect of stinging nettle leaf flour substitution on the quality characteristics of fermented corn complementary foods. Journal of Food Research. 12(4). 11-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v12n4p31.

Tanyitiku MN, Teh EA, Laison RM, Njombissie Petcheu IC (2023). Foodborne pathogens in leafy vegetables grown and consumed locally in Yaounde, Cameroon: A public health concern. Journal of Food Research. 12(2). 11-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v12n2p11.

Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Njombissie Petcheu IC, Sullivan JJ, On SLW (2022) Snail meat consumption in Buea – Cameroon: exposures to foodborne pathogens through social practices assessed in 2019 and 2021 (2022). Archives of Public Health.  80(256). 1-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-01009-8.

Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Njombissie Petcheu IC, Sullivan JJ, On SLW (2022) Public health risks of foodborne pathogens in edible African land snails in Cameroon. Emerging Infectious Diseases: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 28(8). doi: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2808.220722.

Tanyitiku MN, Njombissie Petcheu IG (2022) Formulation and nutritional analysis of processed sorghum, soybeans, and mango complementary foods. Journal of Food Research. 11(3). 11-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v11n3p11.

Tanyitiku MN (2022). Nutritious food and Health risks: A review on the edible land snails of Africa. Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene. 8(2). 64-77. doi:https://doi.org/10.18502/jfsh.v8i2.10669. Impact factor:

Tanyitiku MN, Nicholas G, Sullivan JJ, Njombissie Petcheu IC, On SLW (2022) Snail meat consumption: the methodological challenges in exploring its public health risks. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. SAGE. 21, 1-12. doi.org/10.1177/16094069221078132.

Book chapters

Luca Serventi, Kaichao Yang, Congyi Liu, Mary Tanyitiku, Minoo Mohajer (2023). Lipids. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p73-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5

Luca Serventi, Georgia Mary Wilson, Qiao Chen, Yukun Li, Mary Tanyitiku, Ziqian Feng (2023). Minerals. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p59-71 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5

Luca Serventi, Yuxuan Wang, Ziqian Feng, Mary Tanyitiku (2023). Fat soluble vitamins. In Serventi L. (Ed.) Sustainable Food Innovation, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer International Publishing AG. p107-117. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_5

Her role in NRI includes

• The support of the research of NRI academic staff members,
• Contribute to the development of new research areas,
• Work collaboratively with the Laboratory Manager in the provision of practical classes,
• Provide supervision to students’ conducting laboratory-based research projects and
• Contribute to teaching and assessment