Production and Use of a Shelf-Stable Bovine Blood Powder for Food Fortification as a Food-Based Strategy to Combat Iron Deficiency Anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most widespread micro-nutrient deficiency disease world-wide, particularly in developing countri es. Although there are several strategies to combat IDA, food-based strate gies are the most sustainabl e and yet little research has been carried out in this area. The study ai med at developing a t echnology for processing and preserving bovine blood into a shelf-stable powder, which would easily be utilised in fortifying commonly consumed food items, as a food-based strategy in the fight against iron deficiency anaemia. A shelf-stable powd er was processed from fresh bovine blood and the physical, chemical, mi crobiological and sh elf-life characterist ics assessed using conventional methods. The resu lts of the chemical analysis showed that bovine blood powder has a very high concentration of ha eme iron at 195.46 mg/100g of powder. This is more than ten times the level of iron in bovine liv er, one of the most commonly used food source of haeme iron whose iron content is only 17 mg/ 100gm of liver. Although microbiological tests carried out on the fres hly processed bl ood powder and on the same powder after one and three months of storage at room temperature found a significant rise in yeast, mould and total plate counts, these values were low and within safe limits. The blood powder was used to fortify a bean sauce. Se nsory analysis panellists considered the fortified bean sauce moderately acceptabl e with a mean score of 4.667 (like slightly) compared to a mean score of 2.333 (like very much) for the non-fortified sauce, on a nine point Hedonic scale. These findings show that pr ocessed bovine blood powder has very high levels of haeme iron and thus has great potential as a food-based strategy to combat iron-defic iency anaemia in resource-p oor developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. Ho wever, more research is needed to improve the microbiological and sensory char acteristics of the blood powder