Prof. Tibor Pasinszki, a chemical engineer from School of Science, CETVET presented his seminar titled “The Chemical Quality of Kava Consumed in Fiji”.

Abstract: Kava is the traditional, non-alcoholic and sedative beverage of the Pacific, but it is now sold around the globe. It is mainly made from roots and rhizomes of the kava shrub. Kava is very popular in Fiji; the annual household consumption is close to 1 billion FJD. Kava drinking, however, is not without health risk due to harmful and toxic compounds in plant organs. Quality control and quality monitoring of plant materials are therefore important. Physiological and toxic effects of kava are attributed to two groups of chemical compounds produced by the plant, namely kavalactones and flavokavains, and chemical quality can be assessed by quantifying their amount in kava products. The lecture is to provide an overview of chemical quality and policies governing the quality control of kava products.