Home ›› 28 Dec 2021 ›› Front
Instant noodles made from quinoa work well in controlling diabetes, according to a research study done at Sylhet's Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).
This relatively low-cost instant food can be a welcome alternative to noodles made from wheat, rice, potato, and sweet potato which contains high content of carbohydrates that lead to diabetes, hypertension, obesity and other complex diseases, according to the research done by a SUST student as part of her PhD thesis.
The research was done by Meherunnahar, PhD Fellow of the Department of Food Engineering and Tea Technology (FET), supervised by Professor Dr Mozammel Haque of the same department.
The co-supervisor was CSO Dr Md Abdus Sattar Mia of Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) of Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR).
Aimed at finding low-cost healthier climate-adaptive alternatives to the popular carbohydrate-rich instant noodles, the study also focused on producing nutritious noodles with a composite flour made from quinoa, wheat, rice bran and mushrooms.
The amount of carbohydrates has been reduced by about 50 per cent and the amount of protein, vitamins and minerals has been increased in this instant noodle, which is much more nutritious than ordinary noodles, according to the study findings.
Quinoa was used as the main raw material in this study. Besides, the quality of the other three raw materials were determined by their physical, chemical and functional properties analysis. Then the best variety of raw material were selected for the production of noodles.
The use of these noodles as food will help control the complex diseases and physical problems including diabetes, hypertension, hyperactivity and obesity.
According to the study, this noodle is gluten and sugar free. Per 100 gms of quinoa rice contain approximately 10-12 per cent protein, 65-70 per cent carbohydrate, 5-7 per cent fiber, 2-3 per cent fat, 380-390 kcal energy, 30-32 mg calcium, 7-8 mg iron, 350-400 mg of potassium, 600-700 mg of phosphorus, as well as other minerals and vitamins.
Researcher Meherunnahar said that quinoa is useful for diabetic patients as it relieves constipation because of its high fibre content. It takes a long time to digest, providing energy to the body.
Adequate amounts of minerals in quinoa help relieve deficiencies in the body, which is especially beneficial for pregnant women and children, she added.
Moreover, according to medical science, gluten-rich foods increase the hyperactivity of many children. Therefore, even in the case of children with special needs, nutritionists prefer quinoa instead of flour, which is laden with gluten.
Nutritionists now call quinoa a "superfood" because of its great health benefits and its extraordinary role in the diet, said Meherunnahar.
On another note, quinoa is capable of adapting to climate change.
As Bangladesh is ranked among the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts. Therefore, it is important ensure food security by promoting crops which are adaptable to the adverse climatic conditions.
Moreover, once quinoa has been made popular as a healthy alternative to the more mainstream carbohydrates, the demand for quinoa production in the country will also increase. Marginal farmers can attain benefit from this situation as quinoa can be produced at a low cost. It also can be produced in drought-affected fallow lands and sandbar areas.
“It is very important to promote crop diversification,” Research supervisor FET Prof Md Mozammel Haque said.
Besides, many complex diseases including diabetes, obesity and hyperactivity are also increasing. So, disease control and simultaneous climate adaptation of grain production has now become a major challenge, he said.
Therefore, more research is needed on this type of crop and he urged the concerned researchers to come forward in this regard.
SUST Vice-Chancellor Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed said, "Research into climate-friendly crop production and low carbohydrate production is undoubtedly a timely decision.”
He further said that teachers and students of the university have always done well in research.
