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Development of quality protein product using biofortified maize to combat malnutrition among young children
Author(s) -
Grover Kiran,
Arora Shobita,
Choudhary Monika
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
cereal chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.558
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1943-3638
pISSN - 0009-0352
DOI - 10.1002/cche.10326
Subject(s) - malnutrition , underweight , protein–energy malnutrition , methionine , food science , nutritional supplementation , protein malnutrition , protein quality , human nutrition , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , obesity , overweight , biochemistry , amino acid
Background and objectives Protein–energy malnutrition is the most prevalent nutrient deficiency across the world predominantly affecting young children. The present study was undertaken to develop quality protein maize (QPM)‐based biscuits for its supplementation to 60 malnourished young children (aged between 4 and 6 years). The developed biscuits were analyzed for nutritional composition, and the effect of supplementation was determined by evaluating the overall nutritional status of the subjects. Findings The nutritional analysis revealed that QPM‐based biscuits contained 8.1 g/day crude protein, 0.8 g tryptophan, 1.6 g methionine, and 3.6 g lysine per 100 g. The evaluation of nutritional status of the subjects revealed that the blood levels of total protein in the subjects of both groups were at par with the standard value (6.6 g/dl) before and after supplementation. Conclusions A percentage of total anemic subjects (63.3%) in the experimental group significantly ( p ≤ .01) reduced to 16.6 percent, and the prevalence of severe underweight (≥3 SD ) (23.34%) reduced to zero after supplementation with QPM‐based biscuits. Significance and novelty This study opens prospects for the bakery industry to develop low‐cost quality protein products which may further be recommended to the supplementation programs engaged to curb malnutrition in the developing countries.