Nadimin Nadimin, Hijrah Asikin, Ang Yeow Nyin, Lee Shoo Thien, Zainal Abidin Bagir
Background: The main cause of malnutrition in Indonesia is insufficient nutrient intake, necessitating efforts to supplement nutrients through supplementary feeding. Conversely, Indonesia possesses a variety of local food ingredients that remain under-utilized, thus requiring processing to enrich the nutrient contentof snacks for combating malnutrition. Previously, we have developed flour-fortified biscuits from local food ingredients that contain complete nutrients (Tumiz).
Methods: Employing a randomized control group pretest-posttest design, male Wistar rats divided into four groups, each comprising 6 samples. These groups included K1: normal rats fed standard food, K-2: malnourished rats given biscuits from the Ministry of Health program, K-3: malnourished rats fed normal food, and K-4: malnourished rats given Tumiz biscuits. The intervention spanned eight weeks, during which body weight, body length, albumin, and IGF-1 levels were measured before and after the intervention.
Results: Significant increases in body weight were observed between pretest-posttest in all groups: K1 (p=0.003),K2 (p=0.006), K3 (p=0.003), and K4 (p=0.003). The greatest increase in body weight over two months was found in group K4. The albumin levels increased in the rats, there wasno statistically significant difference in albumin levels before and after the intervention acrossall groups: K1 (p=0.336, K2 (p=0.297), K3 (p=0.191), and K4 (p=0.466). All intervention groups experienced a significant increase in body length (p<0.05), including groups K1 (p<0.001), K2 (p=0.003), K3 (p<0.001), and K4 (p<0.001). The increase in body lengthof group K4 did not differ from group K1. IGF-1 levels of Wistar rats significantly increased in group K4 (p=0.006) and group K2 (p=0.026), while groups K1 and K3 experienced adecrease in IGF-1 levels.
Conclusion: Tumiz biscuits can increase body weight,body length, and IGF-1 levels but have not been able to in-crease albumin levels in malnourished Wistar rats.