Ms. Ashi Khare will present her APS as per the detail below:

Date: 27th September 2023

Time: 1000 – 1130 hrs.

Venue: CTARA Conference Room No.1

Topic: Developing Ready-To-Use, Plant-Based Food Formulations With High Iron Bioavailability

Guide: Prof. Amit Arora 

RPC Members: Prof. Satish Agnihotri, Prof. Parag Bhargava

Abstract:

Malnutrition is among the top 6 risk factors for death in India, and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is regarded as one of the major contributors. Nutritional anemia accounts for ~70% anemia prevalence among Indian children and adolescents, specifically in females. The recent National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5) depicts how the situation has worsened in the past decade with an increase of 5% in the overall prevalence of anemia among adolescents (59.1%) in India. Evidence suggests that current supplementation and fortification practices alone may make little difference in reducing the risk of iron deficiency anemia. Sustainable food-based strategies need to be determined. Iron-rich plant sources, with appropriate ratios of bioavailability enhancers and inhibitors, can be utilized to develop effective products. However, achieving highly bioavailable iron (Fe) from food sources alone is challenging. In an attempt to achieve the same, shortlisted Fe-rich ingredients are subjected to 9 traditional pre-processing to reduce antinutrient content and enhance Fe bioavailability. Processing treatments, specifically roasting, germination, blanching, and sequential treatments lead to the maximum reduction in antinutrients. Roasting and germination among seeds, and blanching in green leafy vegetables significantly enhanced Fe and Zn bioaccessibility. Selected samples retaining the highest amount of bioaccessible Fe post-processing are used to prepare a base formulation with 18mg Fe and 9mg Zn/100g sample (fulfills 50% RDA of Fe and 106% RDA of Zn among adolescent girls). The formulation (100g) fulfills 103.5% RDA for protein and 22% recommended calorie intake/day. The bioaccessibility of Fe from the formulation is 6 times higher than a rice-based meal (as recommended by the dietary guidelines from ICMR-NIN).

Keywords: Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), Iron, Bioavailability, Product Development, Food Synergy, Food Processing