Ready-to-Use Supplementary-Food Biscuit Production with Low-Cost Ingredients for Malnourished Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In Africa, the number of children under 5 years old who suffer from stunting and wasting are, respectively, 61.4 and 12.1 million, and to manage situations like these, emergency food products like RUTF and RUSF (ready-to-use therapeutic/supplementary food) are very useful. The aim of this study was to develop an RUSF biscuit using the low-cost food resources usually present in Sub-Saharan Africa (Burundi and the DRCongo in our case study); we conducted chemical characterization, nutritional evaluation, and a stability trial simulating the usual storage conditions in a rural context to demonstrate that RUSF can be functional also using low-cost ingredients and a simple method of production. The obtained recipes showed good potential in supplying protein integration—17.81% (BUR) and 16.77% (CON) (% as food) were the protein contents—and the protein digestibility values were very high (BUR: 91.72%; CON: 92.01%). Moreover, 30% of the daily requirement was achieved with less than 50 g of both recipes in all the considered ages. Finally, a good shelf-life was demonstrated during the 35-day testing period at 30 °C, considering moisture, texture, and lipid oxidation evolution. Recipes like these, with appropriate changes, could be very useful in all contexts where child malnutrition is a serious problem.