MORINGA; Delivering Nutrition and Economic Value to the People of Malawi

Lack of adequate nutrition remains the world's most prevalent health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality. It is a direct or indirect cause of 43% deaths worldwide among children under 5 years of age. The two separate forms of malnutrition - wasting (a deficit in weight relative to length) and stunting (a deficit in length relative to age) are closely related and often occur together in the same children, leading to an increased risk of mortality. Although the prevalence of stunting is decreasing worldwide, Africa faces a rise in the absolute number of stunted children. Malawi is amongst the countries most affected in sub-Saharan Africa with 42% of the children being stunted and 4% wasted.

Maize is the principal food crop and dietary staple in many parts of the developing world including Malawi. This reliance on maize and the lack of dietary diversity is a significant contributing factor to micronutrient deficiencies (present in over 30 percent of the population).

Supplementary feeding by provision of extra nutrient-dense food beyond the home diet is an intervention aimed at improving the nutritional status or preventing the nutritional deterioration of the target population. Multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors play a role in determining the type and content of supplementary foods provided in different countries. The acceptability and efficacy of the nutrition support is variable (depending on sensory perception of the food, price, convenience of preparation, etc.) and can be a limiting factor for success in preventing and treating moderate and severe acute malnutrition. In this context there is an increasing demand for innovative strategies offering alternative solutions for year-round access to commonly consumed home-grown products with good nutritional value in countries with widespread hunger.

Moringa Oleifera - widely regarded as the 'miracle tree' has been described as 'a nutritional and medicinal cornucopia'. The Moringa plant is native to Northern India but has become naturalized in Malawi where it is common throughout. All parts of the plant are usable for different purposes, but for human and animal nutrition the leaves are the most widely utilised. Moringa leaves can be repeatedly and sustainably cropped and are rich in macro- and micronutrients, as well as bioactive compounds. These nutritional characteristics give Moringa the potential to significantly contribute in Malawi's battle against protein-energy malnutrition and mineral element deficiencies, providing home-grown feed and food products to replace/partly replace, with economic advantage, imported nutrient premixes.

Research devoted to nutritional characterisation of Moringa oleifera shows that it is a rich source of affordable, readily available, essential nutrients and phytoconstituents. The Moringa foliage is a good source of minerals, carotenoids and tocopherols, polyunsaturated fatty acids, ascorbic acid, folate and phenolics. Studies in animal models report significantly higher bioavailability for iron from Moringa foliage when compared to ferric citrate. Additionally, some major forms of folates were found to be highly bioavailable compared to other folate-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables. However, different factors such as environmental, genetic, postharvest handling, stage of leaf development - significantly influence nutrient contents of Moringa leaves.