MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) launched its newest innovation: an enhanced nutribun made of carrots.
“Carrots is like a squash and other colored fruits and vegetables that contain beta carotene. (Beta carotene) when ingested will be metabolized to vitamin A that helps keeps the eye healthy, and its very important nutrient to guard our body from free radicals which is one of the causes of infection,” said DOST-FNRI director Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa in a virtual launch Tuesday.
The “new variant” of the enhanced nutribun doesn’t contain artificial flavors and colors, the agency said.
The development of the enhanced nutribun carrot variant was led by Engr. Charlie Adona, Richard Alcaraz, Jonahver Tarlit, and Filoteo Ponte.
The innovation aims to contribute to the country’s feeding programs and to help local farmers by increasing the demand for vegetables.
The use of carrots follows the DOST-FNRI’s first enhanced nutribun made of squash, which was launched last July 2020.
“During the lean months of the supply of squash the price was so high, and therefore the supply was very scarce. Our adoptors cannot supply the demand of our partner agencies for supplemental feeding,” Dr. Angeles-Agdeppa mentioned.
In 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations listed carrots in the top five of 27 primary vegetable products.
Carrots are also one of the the most important vegetables that commonly grow in the highlands of the country, according to the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research.
The DOST-FNRI said a single serving of the enhanced nutribun carrot variant contains 500-kilocalories, 18-grams of protein, 6-milligrams of iron and 350-micrograms of vitamin A.
It also provides the required energy and nutrient intake for children aged six to nine years old — 31% of energy, 59% of protein, 60% of iron, and 90% of vitamin A — as recommended by the Philippine Dietary Reference Intake.
“When packed in polyethylene plastic, it (enhanced nutribun) can last up to 5 days at room temperature,” the agency said in a press release.
According to DOST-FNRI, aside from providing nutritional benefit and livelihood to the farmers, the development of the enhanced nutribun new variant is also a “call to all entrepreneurs, prospective technology adoptors and other stakeholders to continue the fight against the country’s malnutrition problems and contribute to the government’s efforts towards zero hunger.”
There are now 79 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have adopted the needed technology to produce the enhanced nutribun, according to DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Guevara.
“The DOST-FNRI is also actively promoting the marketing of the enhanced nutribun among other government agencies, LGUs, NGOs, private companies and foundations for its inclusion in their respective supplementary feeding program and other socio-civic programs,” she said.
Science Sec. Fortunato de la Peña lauded the newest innovation from the FNRI, saying it would give an additional option to the MSMEs in times of overpricing and limited supply.
“This again will spur additional economic opportunity for our technology adoptors, the baker industry, their workers, and vegetable farmers.”
Dela Peña added, “there is a huge market potential and captured demand for the two variants of enhanced nutribun as nutritious and healthier options for bakery products that Filipinos patronize.”
The DOST-FNRI is one of the research and development institutes of the Science and Technology department. It also serves as the principal research arm of the government in food and nutrition.
