Development of a natural product rich in bioavailable OMEGA-3 DHA and EPA using locally available ingredients in Tanzania

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dc.creatorCharles, Christina
dc.date2020-11-25T11:40:56Z
dc.date2020-11-25T11:40:56Z
dc.date2020-05
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-25T09:19:10Z
dc.date.available2022-10-25T09:19:10Z
dc.descriptionA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
dc.descriptionPoor mental health remains a serious public concern worldwide. The most vulnerable individuals are children and adolescents in developing countries. Nutritional deficiency of Omega-3 DHA and EPA has long been recognized as a major contributing factor for mental health illnesses. Provision of ready-to-use natural product rich in preformed Omega-3 DHA could address this problem. However, most commonly used products are expensive and contain less or no preformed Omega-3 DHA, making them less suitable for prevention of mental illnesses in resource-poor countries. The main objective of this study was to develop a natural product rich in preformed Omega-3 DHA and EPA from locally available ingredients. Linear programming (LP) was used to formulate a natural product rich in preformed Omega-3 DHA and other essential nutrients using locally available ingredients other than fish and dairy products. Laboratory analysis was then performed to validate the nutritional value of the LP-formulation using standard analytical methods. The relative difference between the LP tool calculated values and the laboratory-analysed values were calculated. Sensory testing was also done to evaluate consumer acceptance of the final product. Optimal formulation contained 220 mg of preformed Omega-3 DHA+EPA, enough to meet the RDI for children aged 2-10 years. The LP analysis further showed that the cost of present product is USD 0.15/100 g, which is 50% lower than that of Plumpy’nut. Laboratory analysis revealed similar results as that of LP at P=0.05. These findings indicate that readyto-use natural food rich in preformed DHA and EPA can be developed from locally available ingredients.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/20.500.12479/1035
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/94803
dc.languageen
dc.publisherNM-AIST
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
dc.rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.subjectMicroalgae
dc.subjectMental health
dc.subjectPreformed Omega-3 DHA
dc.subjectNutrient-based intervention
dc.titleDevelopment of a natural product rich in bioavailable OMEGA-3 DHA and EPA using locally available ingredients in Tanzania
dc.typeThesis

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