Scaling‐up biofortified beans high in iron and zinc through the school‐feeding program: A sensory acceptance study with schoolchildren from two departments in southwest Colombia

• Published in: Food science & nutrition 2018-06, Vol.6 (4), p.1138-1145
• Main Authors: Beintema, Joni J. S., Gallego‐Castillo, Sonia, Londoño‐Hernandez, Luis F., Restrepo‐Manjarres, José, Talsma, Elise F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptability; Agriculture; Beans; Biofortification; Children; Colombia; Crops; Departments; Diet; Feeding; Food; Global health; Health problems; Iron; Malnutrition; Micronutrients; Nutrition research; Nutritional status; Olfaction; Original Research; Polyphenols; Population studies; Populations; Pregnancy; Schools; Sensory acceptability; Smell; Socioeconomic factors; Taste; Zinc
• ISSN: 2048-7177; 2048-7177
• DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.632

Iron and zinc deficiencies are global health problems, affecting mostly pregnant women and young children. In 2016, biofortified iron and zinc beans were introduced in Colombia. The incorporation of biofortified beans into the national school‐feeding program could facilitate adoption and potentially improve the nutritional status of large populations. However, biofortified beans have to be accepted in order to be consumed by populations. We therefore studied the sensory acceptability of two biofortified beans, BIO‐101 and BIO‐107, and local beans at schools with free feeding services in two departments of southwest Colombia. Measured on a five‐point Likert scale, the mean overall scores were 3.88 ± 0.64, 3.79 ± 0.74, and 3.81 ± 0.76, for BIO‐101, BIO‐107, and the local bean varieties, respectively, without significant differences. The children in Piendamó (Cauca) slightly preferred BIO‐107 over the local bean (p