Gov’t nutritionists develop squash flour for making pan de sal

Vitamin-A fortified bakery products were pilot- tested in a supplemental feeding program among malnourished primary school children in Calapacuan and Matain, Subic, Zambales through FNRI’s industry EJ Baker.


By MADEL R. SABATER - Manila Bulletin

Government nutritionists have developed flour from squash that they said is fortified with Vitamin A and can be used to bring down the cost of baking pan de sal, an official of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) said yesterday.

At a press conference in Quezon City yesterday, FNRI director Dr. Mario Capanzana said pan de sal using Vitamin A-fortified flour can help reduce malnutrition and cushion the increase in prices of pan de sal, one of the 30 "most frequent food items" in the country.

"We looked at certain raw materials as alternatives and our research and development (R & D) efforts came up with formulations" for flour made from squash which is rich in Vitamin A, Capanzana said.

He said the squash formulation could either be used as puree or as flour.

Though yellowish in color, pan de sal using squash flour mixed with wheat flour could help cut the cost of baking them by 35 percent.

Capanzana said squash flour still needs to be mixed with wheat flour for bakery products. In baking pan de sal, the mixture can have at most 12 percent of squash flour, he said, adding that pan de sal made with squash flour would have a shelf life of three days.

"It’s a simple process where we can use other materials in making pan de sal and at the same time, contribute to the nutritional requirements," Capanzana said.

He said the technology for producing squash flour is now ready for commercial purposes.

Vitamin-A fortified bakery products were pilot- tested in a supplemental feeding program among malnourished primary school children in Calapuan and Matain, Subic, Zambales through FNRI’s industry EJ Baker.

FNRI has also developed flour alternatives using banana and cassava.

It also developed fortified noodles with Vitamin A, iodine and iron using squash, seaweed and saluyot.

The FNRI 2003 National Nutrition Survey discovered that 40 out of 100 children from six months to five years old and 36 of 100 children from six to 12 years old had Vitamin A deficiency.