PREPARATION AND QUALITY EVALUATION OF READY TO USE THERAPEUTIC FOOD (RUTF) FOR CHILDREN BELOW FIVE YEARS

Abstract

Severe acute malnutrition has been the major cause of morbidity and mortality of people in the world. RUTF is an energy-dense, mineral- and vitamin-enriched food that requires no preparation and is specifically designed to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM). RUTF is soft and can be consumed easily by children from the age of 6 months. According to the formulae, eleven products of RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food) were prepared using cereals, legumes, nuts, oilseeds, oil, sugar, SMP and vitamin and mineral premix. On the basis of sensory evaluation, RUTF consisting 11 parts of wheat, 13 parts of maize, 11 parts of soybean, 1 part of bengal gram, 10 parts of pumpkin seed, 10 parts of peanut, 11 parts of milk powder, 17 parts of sunflower oil, 15 of parts sugar and 1 part of vitamin and mineral premix was found to be the best among the eleven products. The product was analyzed for proximate composition, mineral, vitamin, microbiological quality, organoleptic quality, rate of change in PV and AV, and cost calculation. The protein, fat, carbohydrate, crude fiber, total ash, vitamin C, iron and calcium of the product were found to be 13%, 35.76%, 45.44%, 2.7%, 1.80%, 55 mg/100gm, 13.2 mg/100gm and 535.6 mg/100gm respectively. The diet can supply 555 Kcal/100 gm. The energy contributed by the protein, fat and carbohydrate were found to be 9.35%, 57.9% and 32.71% of total Kcals respectively and contains all the essential amino acids required by the children under 5 years of age. The diet was found to be microbiologically safe. The total plate count and yeast and mold count in the product were 2.13×10^3 cfu/g and 42 cfu/g respectively. The cost of product was calculated as NRs. 28.10/100 gm. The rate of change in AV and PV under HDPE packaging when studied for four consecutive weeks were found within the acceptable limit.