Comparative assessment of tempe from germinated and non-germinated soybeans to address protein-energy malnutrition...

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a major global health concern, especially in resourcelimited settings, leading to stunted growth, weakened immune systems and increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Tempe protein isolates from germinated (GTI) and non-germinated (NGTI) soybeans as alternatives to animal protein (casein) in recovering from PEM using a rat model. The rats were divided into five groups: the control group (20% casein diet), protein-malnourished (PM) group (3% casein diet), and three intervention groups (supplemented with GTI, NGTI or casein). After a 3-week PEM induction phase, the rats were re-fed with their respective diets for 3 weeks. The NGTI group showed significantly better growth recovery compared to the GTI and PM groups, demonstrating higher body weight gain, feed intake and skeletal development. While GTI showed some recovery, NGTI outperformed GTI in terms of nitrogen retention, protein digestibility, and net protein utilization, suggesting that NGTI provides superior protein bioavailability. Furthermore, NGTI rats exhibited improvements in hematological indices (e.g., hemoglobin and hematocrit) and biochemical markers (e.g., serum urea, creatinine), indicating better overall health recovery. The casein group, which served as the animal protein reference, showed the best growth and nitrogen utilization, yet NGTI demonstrated comparable performance in growth recovery and protein bioavailability, highlighting its potential as an alternative to animal protein. The results suggest that NGTI can serve as a sustainable and effective alternative protein source for rehabilitation from PEM, with potential applications in both human and veterinary nutrition, particularly for companion animals or those recovering from illness or malnutrition.