Silver Cyprinid Fish-Enriched Snack for Pregnant Women’s Nutrient Supplementation

Pregnant women in developing nations face significant micronutrient deficiencies, due to inadequate nutrition, insufficient nutrient supplementation, and increased nutritional requirements for fetal growth and development. A potential solution to this issue is the provision of nutrient-dense foods such as snack bars. This study used silver cyprinid, a small pelagic fish, as a novel ingredient in the formulation of fish-enriched bars to address the micronutrient needs of pregnant women. The fish was processed through ashing, steam-blanching, drying, extrusion, and roller-milling to produce roller-milled extruded fish. Fish-enriched bars were formulated by combining roller-milled fish with vegetable oil, salt, sugar, corn flour, water, and vanilla essence, with optional additions of caramelized sugar or honey. The bars were baked at 180°c for 10 minutes, cooled, and packaged for subsequent nutrient, microbial safety, and shelf stability assessment. The bars were nutritionally rich, containing 25g protein, 325mg calcium, 615mg phosphorus, 223mg Magnesium, 27mg iron, 11.6mg of zinc, 0.3mg copper, <0.05 g of Selenium, 276.71mg sodium and 895.45 mg potassium per 100g. Fish bars with honey were highly favored, with sensory scores ranging from 6.56±0.96 to 7.13±0.89 for texture, appearance, aroma, taste, and acceptability. The bars were safe with total aflatoxin of 1 mg/kg, log total plate count of 4.6cfu/g, and below detection limit for total coliforms, salmonella, clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, yeast, and mold. Moreover, lipid peroxidation levels were in acceptable ranges after 6 months of storage. In conclusion, fish bars were wholesomely capable of meeting pregnant women’s nutritional requirements but digestibility and clinical trial results need investigation.

Keywords: Rastrineobola argentea, Undernourishment, Fish-Enriched Bar, Peroxidation, Micronutrient Deficiencies, Roller Mill-Extrusion.