Yanduru Mercy was recognised under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) for a green method to detect aflatoxins in cassava-based foods.
Yanduru Mercy, one of the pioneer graduates of Muni University’s MSc Chemistry programme, won a Poster Presentation Prize under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being at the 6th Commonwealth Chemistry Posters competition, held online on 1–2 October 2025. More than 250 poster abstracts from 23 countries were accepted; the winners were announced on 8 December 2025.
Her research tackles the contamination of staple foods by aflatoxins — toxic, carcinogenic compounds produced by certain fungi. She developed a green, sensitive method to measure very low levels of aflatoxins in traditionally processed cassava products, using eco-friendly sorbents made from water-hyacinth biomass and eggshell-derived calcium carbonate before analysis by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.
