Artificial-Biltong

Improved Utilization of Banana Heart and Filtered Soy Cake Meal by Production of Artificial-Biltong: A Protein Rich Biltong: An Effort to Overcome Malnutrition In Nigeria

Annisa Ulfah Pristya^1
1Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Brawijaya University

Malnutrition also known as bad nourishment is a health problem that is increasing in the world in 2007 since 1990 which can be explained as mostly contributed by food shortages or food distribution problems, poverty and unaffordable food prices and affecting all age groups that is also led to another diseases and mortality. This problem is commonly found in developing countries including Nigeria. Besides, Nigeria also produces banana which contribute 61% of 50% worldwide production and filtered soy cake meal production approximately reaching 1,1 million tons. The fortification of foods is often regarded as the most cost-effective long-term approach to reduce the prevalence of protein deficiency. The approach of food fortification can be done by adding amount of protein in food which is commonly consumed by Nigerian people. In Nigeria, Biltong is a famous food consumed with increasing consumption level reaching 2.16% per year. The increase in population, limited meat production, poverty, and highly nutritional food cost had brought more serious food security and public health problem including malnutrition in Nigeria. There are still many other abundant protein sources available but has not been explored and well-known. Therefore, production of another alternatives of protein source but still similar to Biltong using local sources readily available will be a great advantage. This newly developed product is an Artificial-Biltong, a Biltong-like product having dark brown color. It is mainly made of composite banana heart as carbohydrate source enriched with filtered soy cake meal as protein source. Banana heart also have many essential nutrient such as calcium, fosfor, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C. Beside that, filtered soy cake meal contains 4,45 % calcium; 0,58 phosphor; and 15,52 energy. By making dry food products, constraints and problems of storage and transport is also increasingly facilitated. A longer shelf life, ease of presentation, to be its own advantages of dry food products. Artificial-Biltong contains 7,5 g of protein in a slice Biltong (100 gram). The consuming artificial-biltong must be eaten 4 slice to supply the protein compound in the body. Abundant and cheap raw materials, the production cost might have been lower and therefore the people especially the poor can afford it or even they can produce it by themselves, making this product easy to apply and affordable by Nigerians. Some advantages should be obtained when producing artificial-biltong are: firstly, it is made from local resources material which is abundant available and cheap such as banana heart and filtered soy cake meal so it is affordable by almost Nigeria people, and then it also employs a simple, cheap, and applicable technology so that hopefully the price will be affordable for the poors. Secondly, It is also enriched by protein from filtered soy cake meal and other micronutrients from this source. Therefore, hopefully it will help to solve malnutrition including undernutrition problems in Nigeria, especially deficiency protein. Thirdly, the process production from artificial-biltong is very simple, besides that by the use of banana heart and filtered soy cake meal as Biltong which is the common food in Kenya, then the great number of banana heart and filtered soy cake meal there can be maximally used. The demand for banana heart and filtered soy cake meal increases so that the agricultural productivity can increases as well. This condition can rise the standard of living for society, particularly the farmer in Nigeria.

Keywords: Banana Heart, Biltong, Malnutrition, Nigeria, Protein