Advanced! BRIN Innovation Creates Nutritious Biscuits For Pregnant Women To Prevent Anemia And Stunting

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JAKARTA - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) created nutritious biscuits for pregnant women to help meet the nutritional intake needed by pregnant women to prevent anemia and stunting.

"Nutritious biscuit products have been developed for pregnant women, which also contain soy hydrolyzate, but Moringa flour is added for micronutrients," said BRIN Food Process and Technology Research Center principal engineer Noer Laily in a Webinar Talk to Scientists Research and Innovation for Food Security. and Energi which was followed virtually in Jakarta, Antara, Tuesday, August 9th.

Soy hydrolyzate is an ingredient that can be formulated into various products to increase nutrient absorption and prevent malnutrition, prevent anemia and stunting.

Mothers who suffer from anemia and have a low body mass index can cause stunted growth and development of the baby, including intelligence, and have the potential to give birth to babies with stunted.

Because it is made using Moringa flour, the biscuits are rich in micronutrients sourced from Moringa leaves, namely vitamins and minerals. Moringa (Moringa oleifera) also has a high carbohydrate content and has antioxidant activity.

Moringa is also known as one of the plants that has the potential as an immunostimulant, which is a compound that can modulate the immune system so that it can increase endurance.

Moringa leaves contain macronutrients and micronutrients such as protein, vitamins A, C, E, B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate and are rich in minerals such as calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K). , iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn).

The production of these nutritious biscuits is already on an industrial scale, and currently being tested for efficacy in pregnant women for anemia or chronic energy deficiency. The production scale has been successfully carried out for 300 kilograms/batch.

The nutritional composition of the product was developed with reference to the provision of additional food (PMT) for pregnant women in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 51 of 2016.

The Ministry of Health said about five out of 10 pregnant women in Indonesia who have anemia or lack of blood have the potential to give birth to children with stunting.

Stunting is the condition of a child who does not get good nutrition or chronic malnutrition problems in the early stages of growth, so that stunted children have a body shorter than normal height for their age.

Therefore, pregnant women are highly recommended to consume nutritious food intake and supplementation to meet nutritional adequacy.

The Indonesian government is very concerned about preventing and overcoming the problem of stunting in order to create quality and healthy future generations of Indonesia so that they can contribute optimally to the development and progress of the nation.

Therefore, the results of research and innovation in the form of nutritious biscuits for pregnant women are an effort to support government programs in reducing stunting rates.