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Published on: April 7, 2023
Optimizing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods for Protein Quality, Cost, and Acceptability
Jacklyn Weber1, Meghan Callaghan2
1Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA weber_j@kids.wustl.edu callaghan_m@kids.wustl.edu.
Abstract:
This article describes current research on the development of alternative ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition. An innovative and versatile linear programming tool has been developed to facilitate the creation of therapeutic formulas that are determined acceptable on multiple levels: costs, ingredient acceptability, availability and stability, nutrient requirements, and personal preferences. The formulas are analyzed for ease of production by Washington University team members and for organoleptic properties acceptability to target populations. In the future, RUTF products that are cost-effective, acceptable, sustainable, and widely available will become a reality.
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