Development and evaluation of nutritional supplements for the Program on Education, Health and Nutrition

Objective. To develop and evaluate nutritional supplements destined to a pr ogram of social assistance. Material and methods. In the design of the nutr itional supplements a series of criteria were considered including nutrient composition, physicochemical properties and feasibility of production and utilization. Final products were initially evaluated to determine the level of acceptance in 40 children, 52 pregnant women and 62 lactating women in Mexico City. A community trial was also carried out to determine acceptance and consumption in 108 children and 128 women from a rural community in th e state of Morelos. Results. The specific formulation and technical process es of production of the nutritional supplements are presented. Products pro ved to be widely accepted, with average scores of 4.11-4.29 for the childre n's beverage, and 3.98-4.15 for a more viscous pap (range of scores was I t o 5). Products for women received average scores from 4.75 to 5.70 in pregn ant and from 4.8 to 5.4 in lactating women (range of scores from I to 7). I n the community trial, supplements were very well accepted. Average consump tion was >75% among children and >98% among women. Mean energy intake from supplements was 244 Kcal/day far women, and for children, 168 Kcal/day with the pap and 147 Kcal/day with the beverage. Consumption was consistent in all cases along the study. Conclusions. Nine nutritrional supplements were developed and evaluated which comply with the necessary nutritional, physic ochemical and hygienic characteristics for the target population, besides b eing relatively simple to prepare, and widely well accepted and consumed.