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Short description
Our goal is to produce complementary food using locally available materials which can be accessed by everyone and to increase the bio-availability of essential micronutrients by mixing locally available foods. We want to make a porridge consisting of partially germinated ground millet, soybean-flour, the flour of sweet potatoes and tamarind.
The problem we aim to solve
The deficiency of vitamin A and zinc are more pronounced and a bigger public health concern than any other nutrients. According to a Uganda Demographic Health Survey in 2016, the major reasons for this high prevalence are reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, low access to supplementary micro-nutrients, increased consumption of highly polished flour, poverty which makes people consume staple food which are mainly a starch source (cereals) and unpredictable changes in climate.
With our formula we want to increase accessibility because all this food is locally available. Its consumption can fight “hidden hunger”.
Our solution
Our formula consists of malted/partially germinated millet flour, orange flesh sweet potatoes flour, tamarind and soybean. These materials are locally available and of high nutritional value. This blend will provide the adequate essential micro-nutrients needed to combat hidden hunger.
Major micronutrients provided are vitamin A (orange flesh and sweet potatoes) and zinc. Vitamin A is important for immune functions increasing the ability to resist infections, cell growth differentiation, improving vision, ensuring teeth and bone development in children, maintaining epithelial cells and mucous membrane. Zinc is one of the essential minerals needed for healthy living. It offers a myriad of functions to our body, since it protects the immune system and is needed for the digestive system. It also helps heal wounds and vitamin A metabolism and is an antioxidant which protects the body against oxidative stress which would otherwise lead to cancer.
This formula does not only provide these nutrients but also other macronutrients such as protein from soybean which is one of major nutrients required to grow and replace worn out cells. It also provides carbohydrates from millet as a source of energy and iron as an essential mineral whose deficiency leads to anemia. The calcium in the formula is important for bone and teeth development. Therefore this formula is a multipurpose food and its consumptions can protect you from many health conditions. Take tamarind as an example which is one of the ingredients to reduce hypertension and is an antioxidant.
The innovativeness of our approach
In partial germination, there is an increase in the volatile components. The nutrients are changed into a form that is more easily absorbed by the body. As such there is always an increase in the bioavailability of these nutrients, hence easy and an ensured way of maximizing absorption. If we achieve this with our formula, there is reduced energy and time spent on this.
Also during malting, inhibitors which mainly suppress the absorption of these nutrients are always removed since there is a breakdown of these complexes to a much simpler form and as such, this inhibitors are removed and chances of them being present in a food are eliminated.
Technologies and Methods
This formula is effective and efficient and can easily be adapted by anyone, including illiterate people. It includes the following procedures:
Malting/partial germination of millet:
Well sorted millet is poured into clean containers. Water is added and the milled is left to sit for 12 hours allowing it to germinate. Next, the water is drained and the germinated seed spread to dry in the sun. The dried millet is ground into flour.
Orange flesh sweet potatoes:
Fresh sweet potatoes are harvested and peeled, washed, sliced into chips and dried in the sun. The dried chips are ground into flour.
Potential Partners
Gulu university and RECO who mainly deal in the production of food stuffs of mainly the malnourished people in the country. Working with them will be helpful since the field of focus is the same with ours.
Gulu university being our institution for learning, will implement this as a product to the community since its a much more trusted public institutions in this area.
Voting ends on June 24, 2018, 11:59 pm (CEST).
| Team: | Osano. A. Sammy
Oloya Dick Amulen Janet |