Emmanuel Omamus l Sunday, December 13, 2020
LAGOS, Nigeria – Experts in nutrition have collectively canvassed for branding and packaging of soybeans in a culturally acceptable way to sustain demand in the quest to solve the perennial problem of protein deficiency in Nigeria.
The experts, which include Professor Ibeyemi Olayiwola, Professor of Human Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Mrs. Josephine Chukwunweike, Nutritionist and Member of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria and Mr. Charles Nkwoala, a Nutritionist and Food Safety Manager all spoke at the Protein Challenge Webinar(Series 7) put together by MediaCraft Limited with the subject, Nigeria’s Protein Deficiency: Soybeans to the Rescue.
In her address, the Keynote speaker, Professor Olayiwola took a look at the importance of protein, stressing that protein is essential for growth, body building, repairs and replacement of lost tissues. Besides, she is of the view that protein protects the body against infections, boost the immune systems, support metabolism and source a of energy.
Olayiwola explained that protein is essential for the beginning of life as it is essential for fetal growth, placenta development and production of amniotic fluid. “Protein requirement is very small in the early periods but increases progressively as pregnancy proceeds”, she said, adding that total protein demand for pregnant women is 925 grams with 82 percent accumulated towards the end of the gestation period.
She told the gathering that maternal nutritional needs for protein during pregnancy is 54 percent higher than any other nutrients, stressing that inadequate maternal protein is responsible for low birth weight babies. She said there is therefore the need for adequate consumption of protein at different stages of life since protein requirements differ depending on age, sex and physiological condition such as growth, pregnancy and lactation hence the World Health Organisation(WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) emphasise the need to take protein intake seriously.
Nutrition experts, she said have agreed on Recommended Dietary Allowance(RDA) of at least 0.8 grams per kg body weight per day that safely and adequately meets the protein needs of most healthy persons and that doing otherwise will spell doom. According to her, protein deficiency leads to diseases such as wasting, stunting and underweight. In infants, she said protein deficiency leads to edema of the hands and legs(swollen hands and legs), skin damages, roughness, scanty hair, monkey faced child and big stomach and head.
She described soybeans intake as the best and the cheapest way to end protein deficiency, noting that soybeans has 30.16 kg of carbohydrate, 7.33 grams of sugar, 9.3 grams of fibre, 36.49 grams of protein, 19.94 grams of fat, 2.88 grams of saturated fat, 4.404 grams monounsaturated, 11.255 grams polyunsaturated, 8.54 grams of water, 277mg of calcium, 15.70 mg of iron, 1797 mg of potassium, 2mg of sodium and 4.89 mg of zinc.
Professor Olayiwola also took her time to address the protein qualify of soybeans through its biological value. According to her, biological compounds in soybeans include isofavones, pettides, flavonoids, phytic acid, soy lipds, soy phatoalexins, soy saponins, lecithin and hemagglutinin.
She called on food processors and farmers to join the campaign for soybeans, adding that there is a lot of value chain in the processing of soybeans, ranging from its use for animal feeds, uses in the pharmaceutical industry, soyoil, milk and powder and that so many products can be formulated from it. Besides, she also pushed for education of Nigerians on the benefits of soybeans to drive demand.
In discussing her paper, Mrs. Josephine Chukwunweike said women and children under the age of five, infants and adolescents remain the most vulnerable to protein deficiency. For a change, she advocated for exclusive breast feeding in the first six months of the child’s life. She also took a look at the rate of consumption of soybeans across Africa and came to the conclusion that farmers can be encourage to produce soybeans if they are told that there is more money to be made from processing soybeans than selling it raw. She also called on government to protect farmers so as to avert incidents of beheading farmers in their farmlands.
In his presentation, Mr. Charles Nkwoala talked about the need to make soybeans culturally acceptable to Nigerians through advocacy and availability. Besides, he canvassed for packaging of the product in an acceptable way, the way noodles was branded such that it has become acceptable to almost every household in Nigeria and in the process making it a business that is driven by forces of demand and supply.
He is of the view that the situation will be different if food items are produced with soybeans recipe backed up community education on the usefulness of soybeans and that it is consumed by people seeking a healthy lifestyle. In the meantime he believes that parents can mix soybeans with crayfish in pap for their children and wards.
The protein webinar, the last for the year was moderated by Louisa Omoniyi.
