Nutritional characterisation of Zambian Moringa oleifera: acceptability and safety of short-term daily supplementation in a group of malnourished girls

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 ol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of food sciences and nutrition 2019-01, Vol.70 (1), p.107-115
Main Authors: Barichella, Michela, Pezzoli, Gianni, Faierman, Samanta A., Raspini, Benedetta, Rimoldi, Martina, Cassani, Erica, Bertoli, Simona, Battezzati, Alberto, Leone, Alessandro, Iorio, Laura, Ferri, Valentina, Pinelli, Giovanna, Pusani, Chiara, Bolliri, Carlotta, Cilia, Roberto, Caronni, Serena, De Marco, Patrizia, Cereda, Emanuele
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptability
Adolescent
Anthropometry
Body Composition
Calcium
Carotenoids
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Diet
Dietary Supplements
Female
Food
Food plants
Food resources
Food science
Girls
Humans
Leaves
Local population
Malnutrition
Malnutrition - diet therapy
Malnutrition - etiology
Malnutrition - prevention & control
Minerals
Minerals - analysis
Moringa oleifera
Moringa oleifera - chemistry
Natural & organic foods
nutritional facts
Nutritive Value
oral supplementation
Plant Leaves - chemistry
Populations
Powder
Powders
Proteins
Safety
Vitamins
Vitamins - analysis
Zambia
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0963-7486
1465-3478
DOI:10.1080/09637486.2018.1475550