Processing of high Iron Beans into Convenient Products

Session: Iron is considered a very important nutrient in the human body because it plays a vital role in oxygen transport as well as other several physiological functions. Iron deficiency is a serious health concern especially during childhood and adolescence at it impairs mental development and learning capacity. Also, inadequate iron in pregnant women increases the risk of premature birth. Beans are mainly consumed one form and requires sufficient amount of energy to cook. The use of appropriate technology to process iron beans into diversified ready to eat products would increase their consumption and ultimately combat iron deficiency

Dr. George Nyombaire has over 10 years’ experience in agricultural value chain development and clearly understands the linkage between agriculture, processing and nutrition. He has vast experience in food product development focusing on the effect of processing on physicochemical and nutritional properties of different food crop crops. George improved nutritional properties of a type of breakfast cereal while working for PepsiCo at its Research and Development facility located in Barrington, Illinois, USA. He used extrusion cooking technology at Michigan State University to invent a low-cost, safe and nutritious ready to eat extruded bean snack and extruded bean porridge, which have potential to save energy and improve nutritional status of populations especially women and children in impoverished communities.