నైరూప్య

Functional food product development from underused crops of Himalayas to combat malnutrition

Anitha Kumari

Nigeria (13.9 million) and Pakistan (10.7 million) as per Global Nutrition Report 2018. To address malnutrition, underutilized fruits (quince, crab apple) are the key component of balanced human diet and also the main drivers in achieving global nutritional security by providing nutrients, vitamins and minerals. These fruits are adapted to low-input agriculture. Their enhanced use in the form of functional food products can bring about better nutrition. Apart from nutrients, these fruits also possess medicinal properties like anti-diabetic, anticancer, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory and antifertility (Vishwakarma et al. 2017). Focusing attention on neglected and underutilized fruits is an effective way to help maintain a diverse, healthy diet and to combat micronutrient deficiencies among the children. These fruits are rich sources of nutrients and the functional food products developed from these fruits is helpful in reducing the incidence of malnutrition as well as ensure food and nutrition security.