Evaluation of Locally Produced Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26538/tjpps/v4i3.5Keywords:
sensory evaluation, mineral composition, proximate analysis, Ready to use therapeutic food, MalnutritionAbstract
Ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) is a macronutrient paste that is vital to treating severe acute malnutrition in children in Nigeria and other developing countries. The study aims to evaluate locally produced RUTF for the prevention of childhood malnutrition in Nigeria. In this study, maize, soybeans, groundnut and dates were processed, then their proximate and mineral composition was determined. Two RUTFs were produced by two different formulas, F1 and F2. The F1 comprised of soya beans, groundnut and dates, while F2 was composed of maize, soya beans, groundnut, and sugar. The sensory properties of the formulated RUTF were tested by a panel of 20 persons. The analysis of the formulated RUTFs showed the percentages of carbohydrate, crude protein and crude lipid of F1 as 44.18, 10.70, 30.30, while that of F2 as 47.46, 14.50 and 21.78 respectively. The standard RUTF showed the percentage of carbohydrate, crude protein and crude lipid as 52.93, 10.73, and 19.90 respectively. The metabolizable energy content in F1 (464.70 kcal) was significantly higher than F2 (404.95 kcal) and standard RUTF (433.70 kcal). The calcium content of F1 (2.58g) and F2 (2.83g) was significantly higher than the standard RUTF (0.63g). There was no significant difference in the taste, texture and overall acceptability between the standard RUTF and F2, however, their overall acceptability was significantly better than F1. In conclusion, RUTF was produced using locally available food materials and the F2 formula was more preferred than the F1 in terms of overall acceptability.
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