Production and use of a shelf-stable bovine blood powder for food fortification as a food-based strategy to combat iron deficiency anaemia in subsaharan Africa

Abstract

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most widespread micro-nutrient deficiency  disease world-wide, particularly in developing countries. Although there are several strategies to combat IDA, food-based strategies are the most sustainable and yet little research has been carried out in this area. The study aimed at developing a technology for processing and preserving bovine blood into a shelf-stable powder, which would easily be utilised in fortifying commonly consumed food items, as a food-based strategy in the fight against iron deficiency anaemia. A shelf-stable  powder was processed from fresh bovine blood and the physical, chemical,  microbiological and shelf-life characteristics assessed using conventional methods. The results of the chemical analysis showed that bovine blood powder has a very high concentration of haeme iron at 195.46 mg/100g of powder. This is more than ten times the level of iron in bovine liver, one of the most commonly used food source of haeme iron whose iron content is only 17 mg/100gm of liver. Although microbiological tests carried out on the freshly processed blood powder and on the same powder after one and three months of storage at room temperature found a significant rise in yeast, mould and total plate counts, these values were low and within safe limits. The blood powder was used to fortify a bean sauce. Sensory analysis panellists considered the fortified bean sauce moderately acceptable with a mean score of 4.667 (like slightly) compared to a mean score of 2.333 (like very much) for the non-fortified sauce, on a nine point Hedonic scale. These findings show that processed bovine blood powder has very high levels of haeme iron and  thus has great potential as a food-based strategy to combat iron-deficiency  anaemia in resource-poor developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. However, more research is needed to improve the microbiological and  sensory characteristics of the blood powder.

Key Words: Bovine blood, Iron  deficiency anaemia, Sub-saharan Africa