Kriktos, Cricket Tortilla A la IPB
Acute wasting nutrition problems and low consumption of essential fatty acids are health concerns that need attention. Wasting is one of the nutritional problems that can cause adverse effects for children, namely increasing the risk of illness and death.
Acute malnutrition occurs due to lack of nutrient intake for the body causing an impaired growth and decreasing levels of child intelligence. In addition, the lack of consumption of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 will also adversely affect children.
Essential fatty acids function in support of physical and mental development for children. Intake of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 in children today cannot be sufficed properly. This is because the foods consumed by children contain low essential fatty acids.
One of the strategies to solve this problem is to eat healthy foods containing high nutrients. Children need a snack that provides balanced nutrients. However, today many snacks on the market only contain high fat, salt and sugar, but low in fiber and vitamins.
This fact underlies a research in developing a corn-based snack called Tortilla Chips with the addition of cricket flour in it which is useful for increasing the nutrient content. This study was conducted by Ahmad Sulaeman, Eny Palupi and Anindita Nurul Pawzy Handini from the Department of Community Nutrition of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).
"Crickets are halal insects for consumption. Utilization of crickets as food has been done in Indonesia, precisely in the area of Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, and Riau, in the form of fried crickets. Crickets contain high protein, omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, calcium and chitin," said Prof. Ahmad Sulaeman.
In this study, there were three "Kriktos" Cricket Tortilla Chips formula tested with the amount of cricket flour added: 1st formula (11 grams of cricket flour or 10% of total dough), 2nd formula (16 grams of cricket flour or 15% of total dough) and 3rd formula (21 grams of cricket flour or 20% of total dough).
The results showed that the best formula was the 3rd formula with the addition of 21 grams of cricket flour (20% of total dough). "Kriktos" Cricket Tortilla Chips selected had 23.19% higher protein content compared to the commercial Tortillas Chips on the market. In addition, it also contained other essential nutrients such as omega-3, omega-6, chitin, vitamin B12, iron essential minerals and calcium.
"One serving of "Kriktos" is 30 grams. This amount meets the nutritional needs of children. It is recommended for children to consume 1.5 to 3 servings of "Kriktos" per day. This snack not only can meet the nutritional needs, but also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and chitin that can be beneficial for health (heart and immune). Therefore, this snack is called "superfood," he added. (TK)
