Venezuelan scientists develop nutritional supplement based on lentils and cocoa

Published at: 13/09/2024 10:33 AM

Students of the National Training Program for Food Safety and Nutritional Culture of the Territorial Polytechnic University of Maracaibo, together with researchers from the Zuliano Institute Foundation for Technological Research (Inzit), are developing a nutritional supplement based on lentils and cocoa shells, as part of their internship project at this research center.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the project responds to the lines of research on food sovereignty, technology and alternative food development of the Venezuelan National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation.

This nutritional supplement will be intended for 35 children, who are part of the soccer school of the La Rotaria Sports Complex, located north of the city of Maracaibo, Zulia state. With the specific objective of helping with the macro nutritional development of each player. The interns mainly serve this sector that requires more energy and nutrients.

They also seek to generate strategies for the dissemination of nutritional requirements and for early diagnosis to avoid diseases derived from the lack of macro and micro nutrients in children and adolescents.

Willy Gómez and Sabrina Medina, agronomists and researchers from the Agrifood and Environment coordination of the INZIT Foundation, are responsible for evaluating, guiding and controlling the analyses carried out by the students, in relation to the processing of legumes and cocoa shells. These raw materials are considered to be rich sources of dietary fiber.

The experts of the Inzit Foundation affirm that nutritional supplements based on lentils and cocoa shells can be a viable and sustainable solution for the nutritional well-being of the Venezuelan people.

Mazo News Team