Читать книгу Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing, and Nutrition - Группа авторов - Страница 25

Malnutrition is prevalent in many regions of the world, often leading to stunting and wasting. Globally, 45% of 5.9 million deaths in children 5 years and under in 2015 were directly linked to malnutrition. Moreover, the malnutrition also significantly retards childhood growth (UNICEF, 2015). Therefore, nutritionally balanced weaning food must provide all the essential nutrients to meet young children’s dietary needs. Generally, plant‐based foods (including legumes) are used to meet the protein needs of infants and preschool children (Kumari and Sangeetha 2017; Borbi et al. 2020).

Dry beans and other pulses, due their nutrient‐dense nature, serve as an important base for weaning foods. The use of appropriate preparation techniques (such as soaking/cooking, dehulling, fine grinding, roasting whole beans, germination, and fermentation) has been found to improve digestibility and reduce flatus from beans and pulses (Donangelo et al. 1995; Twum et al. 2015). The United Nations’ WHO/FAO has detailed guidelines for preparation and use of weaning foods. Further, numerous US public‐ and private‐sector groups (e.g., USDA, USAID, Gates Foundation) have made significant impact in developing weaning food mixes and guideline.