Ms. Lilian Kerio is the Institute Director of the Tea Research Institute (TRI) at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the first woman to lead the institute since its establishment in 1951.
A Senior Research Scientist with extensive experience and a proven track record in the tea industry, she provides strategic leadership in advancing tea research, innovation, and technology dissemination. Her contributions include the development and commercialization of 62 tea varieties, the advancement of innovative crop health and nutrition technologies, the conservation of tea genetic resources, and the promotion of value addition and product diversification. She played a pivotal role in the biochemical characterization of purple tea anthocyanins, leading to their commercialization and advancing understanding of their health-promoting properties and commercial potential. She is currently undertaking doctoral research on the microencapsulation of tea anthocyanins to enhance their stability, retention of bioactivity, and suitability for industrial applications.
The research aims to overcome the challenges associated with anthocyanin degradation during processing and storage, thereby enabling their effective use as functional ingredients in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Her work supports value addition in the tea sector by developing innovative, high-value products derived from tea bioactive compounds. Ms. Kerio is passionate about leveraging science, innovation, and partnerships to drive sustainability, competitiveness, and inclusive growth in the African tea sector. During the conference, she will be speaking on “Unlocking the full value of tea through Research and Innovation”.
