Indian
scientists have designed ready-to-eat therapeutic food (TF-RTE)
products and handed over
associated scientific findings and technology to an industry partner, a step
that could benefit the millions of children afflicted with severe acute
malnutrition (SAM) - the most dangerous level of malnutrition. SAM is globally responsible for the death each
year of 2.6 million children under the age of five. The research undertaken by
scientists of the agricultural and food engineering department, at the Indian
Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, led to creation of five varieties of TF-RTEs
which, in paste form, can be administered to the children until they have
gained adequate weight.
According
to WHO, severe acute malnutrition is when children suffer severe wasting that
may or may not be accompanied by swelling of the body from fluid retention. The
afflicted have been tagged as the most vulnerable people in the world.
Out
of the 20 million children worldwide afflicted with SAM (mainly in sub-Saharan
Africa and south Asia), India is home to 8.1 million SAM children. "SAM is
diagnosed when the circumference of the upper arm is less than 115 mm or when
the weight for the height of a child is severely reduced. They are very thin as
most of their fat and muscle has been used by their bodies to stay alive,"
H.N. Mishra, professor of food technology and principal investigator of the
project, agricultural and food engineering department at the IIT, told IANS
over phone. "As per WHO guidelines, the SAM children who do not require
hospitalisation, can be administered specially formulated nutrient-rich foods
at home for treatment...the proportions of essential nutrients required have
also been designated," he elaborated.
Mishra's
team came up with five formulationss using peanut, potato and Bengal gram as
the core ingredients, as part of a project sponsored by department of
biotechnology and a Delhi-based industry partner (Gattapu Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.).
"The raw materials are easily sourced, cheap and stable at room
temperature. Since they are in a paste form, they can be consumed easily by the
children," said Mishra, adding that the food technology used is a secret. Following the technology transfer process Feb
10, Mishra said they would be distributed in square-shaped, screw-capped
pouches of various quantities by the industry arm.
"Until
it is distributed by the industry, for the mean time, we have set up a pilot
scale unit in our lab where we can produce the TF-RTE," said Mishra. However,
Vandana Prasad, a social activist advocating child nutrition and health,
stressed the need to apply the formulations in a community-based approach. "There
is nothing wrong with the formulations per se, but they should be introduced to
the community... the family, the community should be able to make such
nutrient-rich foods... this would generate livelihood as well.
Commercialisation is not the answer as SAM affects the poorest of the
poor," Prasad, founding member, the Public Health Resource Network, said.
Mishra
hoped some kind of an understanding can be worked out with the industry partner
to spread the know-how of the product at the grass-root level. "The way it
has been designed, starting from the formula to the package, everything is for
the ease of the children. Mothers can screw open the cap and place it into the
child's mouth," he said.