The fight against child malnutrition in developing countries is the main objective of the “Morfood” project, an ongoing investigation at the University of Coimbra (UC), which also brings together researchers from the University of Porto and the Agostinho Neto University (in Angola) . The work further explores the potential of a plant, the moringa oleifera, a very nutritious plant that is already used to treat some diseases.
“Morfood” involves the production of microcapsules “in bioactive compounds extracted from moringa oleifera, known as the plant of life, which will be incorporated into certain foods (bread, yogurts and juices) for school-age children between four and ten years”, explained the UC, in a note sent this Wednesday. The project, which takes its name from the “microencapsulation of moringa oleifera extracts and their application in functional foods”, is led by researcher Licínio Ferreira, from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FCTUC), and includes researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy (FFUC). ), PRODEQ – Non-profit association of the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) of FCTUC, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and Agostinho Neto University (UAN).
Moringa oleifera is native to northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. “It is one of the most nutritious plants in the world, very rich, for example, in proteins, vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and potassium. It is a plant that is already used by African populations to combat a wide range of pathologies, such as asthma, bronchitis, hypertension, diabetes, among many others. Our study focuses on extracts from the leaves, the part of the plant that is richest in nutrients”, explained Licínio Ferreira, quoted in the statement.
The team led by the researcher at the Research Center for Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products (CIEPQPF) “has invested in microencapsulation to enrich food”, because, according to Licínio Ferreira, it is “a technology that has many advantages”. “It protects the biological activity of some compounds that are extracted from the plant and that would otherwise be degraded. For example, in the case of bread, one of the foods we have selected, the microcapsules can be introduced into the flour itself, and if the compounds are not incorporated into these microcapsules, their properties would degrade and disappear during bread making, hence the importance of microcapsules”, revealed the FCTUC professor.
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fine-tune the formula
In this first stage of the project, the researchers are characterizing samples of moringa leaves from Angola, in order to obtain the phytochemical and nutritional composition of the leaves. After this characterization, “which is fundamental”, studies are carried out on the extraction of compounds and selection of the most suitable for the purpose of the project, that is, compounds important to combat child malnutrition, the UC stressed.
Even before the microencapsulation stage, the extracts will be selected, “because eventually there will be undesirable compounds that have to be removed”. “From this selection, we will obtain enriched fractions of macronutrients and micronutrients that are beneficial to combat child malnutrition, namely carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, among others”, he explained. At the end of the project, functional foods, that is, foods enriched “with microcapsules loaded with nutrients extracted from moringa, will be tested with Angolan children”, said the University of Coimbra. “These are the so-called sensory acceptability tests, to assess the reaction of the child population to this type of food”.
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Born in Angola and aware of the reality in that African country, Licínio Ferreira observed that child malnutrition is a major global scourge. “According to the 2020 report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about 8.9% of the world population was undernourished in 2019, which represents 690 million people. Also according to this report, this number corresponds to an increase of 60 million people compared to 2014. It is a scourge that tends to worsen over the years”, he said.
If the project achieves the expected results, the team will try to establish a partnership with UNICEF (the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), so that foods enriched with moringa extracts “can reach a greater number of countries”. under development”. The Morfood project has a duration of three years and was financed in around 230 thousand euros by the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Aga Khan Foundation, “a foundation that supports projects in the fields of health and education, namely scientific and technological development”. aimed at improving the quality of life on the African continent”.
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