Brasília, March 29, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - An ox lung enriched crunchy snack. This product, developed by researchers from the Study Group on the Functional Properties of Food in the School of Public Health (FSP) at the University of São Paulo (USP), is helping to combat a disease caused by iron deficiency in the blood and which affects 45% of Brazilian children: anemia. Every 100 grams of the enriched snack contains 10 milligrams of iron.

The efficiency of the snack was tested in two child care centers in Teresina, capital of Piauí, one of the poorest states in the Northeast region of Brazil. For nearly two months children aged 2-7 each consumed a 30-gram package of the product daily, and the results couldn't have been better. "After 55 days, the incidence of anemia dropped from 60% to 11.5%, a level comparable to that of developed countries," informed the coordinator of the project, Professor José Alfredo Arêas, who pointed out that the assimilation of the iron contained in ox lungs is 140% greater than that of iron sulphate, used as a remedy to combat anemia.

The snacks are composed of 78% chick peas, 12% corn, and 10% ox lungs. Before being incorporated into the final product, the lungs have the original fat extracted, which reduces the index of saturated fats and prevents an increase in cholesterol. According to Arêas, conventional crunchy snacks, made basically of corn, contain low levels of protein and many saturated fats. "Using ox lungs, the quantity of proteins increased 20%."

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one-third of the world's population suffers from anemia, principally because of the decline in consumption of food rich in iron, especially meat. Arêas explains that the lack of iron reduces the capacity of the blood to absorb oxygen and, in children, impairs the immunological system, the ability to learn, and the growth process. According to the researcher, some industries have expressed interest in the iron-enriched snack, but none of them has initiated large-scale production.

Translator: David Silberstein