Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remain highly prevalent among tribal girls and women in remote regions of India more than others. This issue arises from limited access to iron rich foods, low dietary variety and poor nutrient absorption. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a culturally acceptable, iron rich functional food called &ldquo;Megh Laddoo&rdquo;. 
 
Method: Ragi (finger millet), bay berry (Myrica esculenta), sesame seeds and Bengal gram were used to formulate three variants (VRI, VR-II and VR-III). The formulations were prepared with ragi to sesame seeds ratios of 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. Sensory evaluation (9 point hedonic scale) identified VR-III as the most acceptable variant (8.6/10). The selected variant was named &lsquo;Megh Ladoo&rsquo; and was subjected to further nutrient analysis, shelf-life assessment and cost evaluation. 
 
Result: Megh Laddoo (VR-III) provides 367.52 kcal energy, 10.52 g protein, 8.96 g dietary fibre, 204 mg calcium and 18.10 mg of iron, per 100 g, meeting about one-third (57%) of the ICMR daily iron requirement for adolescent girls. Microbial analysis confirmed that Megh Laddo is safe for consumption for up to two weeks. At Rs.9 for 30 g serving, it is accessible to economically disadvantaged sections of the population. Thus, Megh Laddoo could increase iron intake and improve health outcomes for tribal girls and women, highlighting culturally relevant food based solutions to tackle IDA in hilly areas with limited resources. 
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Development and Quality Evaluation of Iron Rich Megh-Laddoo

Double fortified salt (DFS) having iron and iodine, has been formulated for tackling the problems of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Since there is lack of scientific evidence on the effect of double fortified salt on different cooking methods, So the present research was designed to evaluate the availability of iron and iodine content from commonly consumed recipes using double fortified salt. Seven different recipes using different cooking methods were selected for the experimental trial. The findings of the present research work concludes that during boiling, open pan, pressure cooking and pan cooking method, salt should be used at the end stage of cooking process but for shallow frying, deep frying and steaming method, salt should be used at the beginning stage of cooking process for the maximum retention of total iodine and iron content (p&gt;0.05). So double fortified salt should be used in daily meal preparations to improve the nutritional status.

Availability of iron and iodine from commonly consumed recipes&nbsp;using double fortified salt

<div>Background: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common type of nutritional anaemia which affects people globally. Adolescent period symbolizes the initiating of menstrual period in girls hence, they are at a larger risk for nutritional anaemia. Supplementation, fortification and dietary diversification are the three initiatives for alleviating anaemia. Hence, this present investigation was undertaken with the objective to study the impact of millet based biscuits on haemoglobin level of adolescent girls of Samastipur district. 
 
Methods: The haemoglobin level of selected forty adolescent girls aged 17-19 years from Uma Pandey College in Pusa block at Samastipur district were carefully examined before intervention study. Experimental adolescent girls who fell in the Hb level range of &lt; 8 to 11.9 g/dl were intervened with 250 g of T5 millet biscuit for a period of 45 days in order to complement 1/3rd of the regular need of iron for adolescent girls.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The mean increase in haemoglobin level after intervention was found to be 1.24 g/dl in experimental girls which indicated the positive impact of millet biscuits on haematological health of anaemic adolescent girls. The present work will be a complementary contribution towards alleviating anaemia among adolescent girls.</div>

Development and Quality Evaluation of Iron Rich Megh-Laddoo

Availability of iron and iodine from commonly consumed recipes using double fortified salt

Impact of Iron Rich Millet Biscuits in Alleviating Anaemia among Adolescent Girls of Samastipur District