TY - JOUR
T1 - Nutritional characterisation of Zambian Moringa oleifera
T2 - acceptability and safety of short-term daily supplementation in a group of malnourished girls
AU - Barichella, Michela
AU - Pezzoli, Gianni
AU - Faierman, Samanta A.
AU - Raspini, Benedetta
AU - Rimoldi, Martina
AU - Cassani, Erica
AU - Bertoli, Simona
AU - Battezzati, Alberto
AU - Leone, Alessandro
AU - Iorio, Laura
AU - Ferri, Valentina
AU - Pinelli, Giovanna
AU - Pusani, Chiara
AU - Bolliri, Carlotta
AU - Cilia, Roberto
AU - Caronni, Serena
AU - De Marco, Patrizia
AU - Cereda, Emanuele
PY - 2018/5/23
Y1 - 2018/5/23
N2 - In Zambia, chronic malnutrition still is one of the most common problem among children. To fight against malnutrition, the easiest short-term solution could be to combine specific types of food with affordable local plants. A large variety of natural food resources grow in Zambia, such as Moringa oleifera (MO), whose leaves are known for their health benefits, but are not consumed much by local populations. We analysed Zambian MO powder obtained from dried leaves and found that it contains large amounts of protein, minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium and carotenoids. These characteristics make MO a good and sustainable complementary solution to malnutrition. We also evaluated the acceptability and the safety of dietary supplementation with MO powder in malnourished children for 30 days. A daily dose of 14 g daily was safe and well accepted. Its regular use in the menu of local populations may be viable proposition.
AB - In Zambia, chronic malnutrition still is one of the most common problem among children. To fight against malnutrition, the easiest short-term solution could be to combine specific types of food with affordable local plants. A large variety of natural food resources grow in Zambia, such as Moringa oleifera (MO), whose leaves are known for their health benefits, but are not consumed much by local populations. We analysed Zambian MO powder obtained from dried leaves and found that it contains large amounts of protein, minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium and carotenoids. These characteristics make MO a good and sustainable complementary solution to malnutrition. We also evaluated the acceptability and the safety of dietary supplementation with MO powder in malnourished children for 30 days. A daily dose of 14 g daily was safe and well accepted. Its regular use in the menu of local populations may be viable proposition.
KW - body composition
KW - malnutrition
KW - Moringa oleifera
KW - nutritional facts
KW - oral supplementation
KW - Zambia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047307319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85047307319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09637486.2018.1475550
DO - 10.1080/09637486.2018.1475550
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85047307319
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
JF - International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
SN - 0963-7486
ER -