Revitalizing Nutrition: Energy Dense Protein Rich Supplementary Foods From Indigenous Crops For Moderate Acute Malnourished Children

Abstract

This study aimed to standardize, develop, and characterize energy dense protein rich (EDPR) ready-to-eat supplementary foods, namely paste (P0: control; P1-P8: variants), biscuit (B0: control; B1- B7: variants), and nutribar (N0: control; N1-N5: variants) from indigenous crops (preprocessed) for Moderate Acute Malnourished (MAM) children of age 6-59 months. The final variants P6 [50.4% peanut, 20% germinated soybean flour (GSF), 21% germinated finger millet flour (GFMF), and 8% germinated wheat flour (GWF)], B4 [50% GSF, 30% GWF, and 20% germinated pearl millet flour (GPMF)], and N5 [82% peanut, 9% GWF, and 9% GPMF] were selected based on the highest mean sensory scores (9-point hedonic scale) and their conformity to the technical specifications for supplementary foods by the World Health Organization (WHO). The physico-chemical analysis revealed that the energy content of P6, B4, and N5 variants was 544.23Kcal, 520.34Kcal, and 521.09Kcal, respectively. While the protein content was 13.59%, 13.48%, and 13.75% for P6, B4, and N5 variants, respectively. Furthermore, the micronutrients also fell well within the specified limits. The shelf life (moisture content, water activity, peroxide value, microbial assays, and sensory evaluation) evaluated for 180 days revealed that all the three standardized supplementary foods were shelf stable up to 180 days. Hence, the developed supplementary foods in different forms made from indigenous crops to suit the Indian palate will help addressing the alarming issue of MAM in children.