Improvement of nutritional quality of local dishes and their acceptance by children of different ages

ABSTRACT Objective Food insecurity and child malnutrition are central topics in many food programs around the world; however, these indices do not diminish. The creation of strategies is necessary to increase the effectiveness of nutritional improvement programs. The objective of this research was to improve the nutritional quality of three local dishes included in the regular diet of the population by adding amaranth and to evaluate their acceptance by children from three communities in Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico. Methods The study was carried out in three communities of “Tochimilco”, Puebla, Mexico, in order to evaluate three local dishes: banana smoothie, beans and corn tortillas, which were chosen by mothers of the region in participative workshops on preparation of local dishes enriched with amaranth. Two sensory tests were applied: paired-comparison and hedonic scale to 208 and 210 children of preschool and scholar age, respectively. Results It was found that consumers showed similar preference for banana smoothie and beans enriched with amaranth compared to non-enriched dishes; while the amaranth enriched tortilla gained more preference in the different statistical tests and it was the dish with higher content of amino acids. Sensory attributes were similarly assessed and there were no significant differences among rural and urban communities and school year. Conclusion Children easily accept the addition of amaranth to the dishes they are accustomed to, as it does not change their food culture. It is possible to improve child nutrition by designing healthier dishes and incorporating them into the daily cooking of those who prepare the food.

摘要
研究目的：粮食不安全与儿童营养不良是全球诸多粮食计划的核心议题，但此类问题并未得到缓解。制定相关策略以提升营养改善项目的实施实效实属必要。本研究旨在通过向墨西哥普埃布拉州托奇米尔科地区居民日常膳食中的三款本土菜品中添加苋（amaranth），提升其营养品质，并评估该地区三个社区的儿童对改良后菜品的接受度。

研究方法：本研究在墨西哥普埃布拉州托奇米尔科的三个社区开展，选取三款本土菜品进行评估：香蕉冰沙、豆类菜肴与玉米薄饼。这三款菜品是该地区的母亲们在参与苋强化本土菜品制作的专题研讨会上共同选定的。研究分别对208名学龄前儿童与210名学龄儿童开展了两项感官测试：成对比较测试与喜好评分量表（hedonic scale）。

研究结果：结果显示，相较于未强化的菜品，受试儿童对添加苋的香蕉冰沙与豆类菜肴表现出相近的偏好；而在各项统计检验中，添加苋的玉米薄饼获得了更高的偏好度，同时该菜品的氨基酸含量也更为丰富。感官属性的评分结果呈现相似趋势，城乡社区间与不同学龄段间均未出现显著差异。

研究结论：研究表明，儿童能够轻松接受在其日常食用的本土菜品中添加苋，因为此举并未改变其饮食文化。通过研发更健康的菜品并将其融入日常膳食制作流程，可有效改善儿童营养状况。