Farmers fortifying maize with soy beans to beat malnutrition.

Farmers fortifying maize with soy beans to beat malnutrition. While most families strive daily to eat mineral-deficient ugali, which mainly supplies energy, Joseph Nyangweso is ‘adding value’ to the meal by lacing the flour with protein-rich soy beans. Soy beans are grown mostly for industrial applications of extracting edible oil by companies like Bidco or fortification of baking and cooking flour. But the farmer, who has been growing the soy beans for small-scale selling, realized the seeds lost viability after six months if not replanted or sold. The protein content in soy beans ranges from 36 per cent to 56 per cent of grain dry weight. One cup of boiled soy beans that is about 172g gives 29g of proteins, according to the Soybeans 101: Nutritional factsheet. Just like other proteins, some people have allergic reaction after consumption. Nyangweso carried out some research on the recommended mix ration. He found out that at least one kilogramme in very four kilos of the maize flour is sufficient. That translates to about 25 per cent of soy beans flour, which should be in the mix. Maize is a stable food for more than three quarters of the population. Apart from energy, maize is a poor source of nutrients like proteins, fats and other minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, among others. For poor families that cannot afford a balanced diet, fortification has been introduced to cater for those who can buy the flour.source