ABSTRACT
Malabar spinach multifunctional goods addresses the needs of everyone who wants to continue their journey to health beyond COVID 19. Due to its abundant supply, a lot of the crop is either wasted or goes unused. This study sought to transform the excess produce into an innovative food product. It aimed to utilize Malabar spinach into a powder and incorporate into a bread to produce a nutrient-rich product. A quantitative experimental research design was utilized in the analysis of the study. Four treatments of enriched bread were prepared. A microbial analysis was conducted prior to product evaluation and the sample’s microbial load count was within the safe limits for food consumption. Research showed that the four treatments of the enriched breads were acceptable and has significant differences in terms of its characteristics. T1 and T2 with a computed value of 6.642 and 8.162 with descriptive equivalent of like very much and like extremely and as the most acceptable treatment to be analyzed for total crude fiber properties. T1 had 1.39 grams of total crude fiber while T2 had 1.78 grams. The total crude fiber content has significantly increased from T1 to T2. To obtain the ideal result, control recipe plus the addition of 10 grams Malabar spinach powder was done. Techno-guide on Bread Enriched with Malabar Spinach was created, highlighting its complete crude fiber qualities, recipe, and cost.
Keywords: Malabar spinach, enriched-bread, microbial analysis, total crude fiber analysis, techno-guide
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
The public popularity over other foods, bread and biscuits can serve as good sources of fiber, calcium, iron and zinc. It is strongly suggested that there is an increase of quantity in terms of food-to-food fortification with sufficient nutritional value. Baking contributes to the addition of fiber, calcium, iron, and zinc in the enrichment of the bread (Agrahar, 2020). According to Alsuhaibani, A. (2018), food enrichment to bread improved its rheological qualities, nutritional value, and quality in comparison to the control bread. However, compared to the control bread, food enrichment dramatically increases popular acceptance. Thus, it is advised to fortify bread with fiber from natural sources.
Basella alba, also known as "Alugbati" in the Philippines, is an underutilized crop with health advantages (Tongco et al., 2015). Malabar spinach is unique compared to other leafy green plants as it is able to survive in both temperate and very hot environments. Malabar spinach can be treated like regular spinach, you can eat it baked, boiled, fried, sautéed or steamed. Basella alba is high in crude fiber content because it absorbs water and is advantageous in improving gastrointestinal function, preventing constipation, and lowering the risk of metabolic disorders (Tongco, 2015).
A child who is wasting, according to the World Health Organization, is "too thin for his height and is the result of recent rapid weight loss or failure to gain weight." Operational parameters for the School-Based Feeding Program's implementation for the academic 2017-2022 were provided by DepEd Order 39, series of 2017. The Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, also known as Republic Act 11037, aims to combat hunger, encourage students to enroll, improve their nutritional status, give them food for growth and development, and improve health and nutrition use.
Realizing the benefits of Malabar spinach and knowing the various local and global issues, this paper seeks to produce bread-enriched with Malabar spinach with the use Malabar spinach powder as an ingredient in making nutrient-rich product. This supports the promotion of good eating habits. This will be beneficial to school-aged children because they will be able to eat a nutritious snack while also getting the nutrients provided by the Malabar spinach. This will help the community in reducing food waste by effectively utilizing food resources, as the Malabar spinach stem is frequently discarded and thrown away.
Theoretical-Conceptual Background of the Study
The framework presented on the next page shows the theories and goals that serve as anchors of this study. The study is supported with the theory of innovation by Joseph A. Schumpeter (2003) that expounds how an idea or a product obtains, boosts, and spreads or diffuses through a certain social system. The expected outcome of this diffusion is when people embrace a new concept and ideas or a product. While the theory of food waste reduction by Papargyropoulou et al. (2014) suggested that in order to have more sustainable resolution of the increasing food waste issues the first move is to embrace a sustainable production and utilize strategy in consumption and as well as discuss food surplus and waste all over the global food surplus chain.
Utilizing the Malabar spinach leaves, its stem and incorporating it to the production of bread is one way to control and reduce the increasing food waste today as Malabar spinach leaves and stem is frequently discarded and thrown away and they consider Malabar spinach leaves as the only useful and beneficial part. With these underlying connections, this study in which Malabar spinach stem and leaves are incorporated to the production of bread were the step in reducing and controlling food waste and to obtain new product or innovation. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education's Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division (BLSS-SHD) is committed to providing students with nutritious food. The program gave beneficiaries nutritious food products and pasteurized milk for SY 2021–2022, only 33 days for pasteurized or sterilized milk and only 60 feeding days nutritious food products.
The researcher incorporated Malabar spinach powder in the production of bread. According to Chef Rose Marie Lim’s recipe the ingredients in making bread are 12g yeast, 240g water, 40g egg, 4g salt, 56g sugar, 120g butter, and 500 grams all-purpose flour. However, for the treatments the amount of Malabar spinach powder will vary by grams. The researcher came up with four treatments having the first treatment as the control, the second, third, and fourth as the control plus the varying grams of Malabar spinach powder. Microbial Analysis was made to the four treatments to make sure that the food is safe for product testing. To examine the difference of the treatments, sensory attributes were tested through the different senses. The breads were examined by its color, odor, hand texture, mouth texture, and taste. Hedonic rating scale were utilized in determining the preference of the trained panelist with bread enriched with Malabar spinach. Kurek, M., & Wyrwisz, J. (2015), stated that there were numerous health advantages of fiber that have been studied, such as improved intestinal function, reduced levels of blood cholesterol, and better blood sugar regulation. Total Crude Fiber analysis were made to determine the fiber properties, and various nutrients that might be present in the formulated bread.
Lastly, a Techno-guide was made in order to provide and display new ideas and products to the people that aid them incase if they have plan to make such product in the future.
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