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1. DEVELOPMENT AND POPULARIZATION OF GLUTEN FREE CASEIN FREE (GFCF) CONVENIENCE FOODS FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN
Anu Katherine, Dr. Karuna M.S, Assoc. Professor, Head of Department of Home Science and Shaly C.M, Lecturer, Department of Home Science,Vimala College, Thrissur.

ABSTRACT
Modern society is more interested in Ready to eat or Ready to cook convenience foods. Convenient food products available in the market are generally based on wheat and these refined products contain unhealthy amounts of protein gluten or casein, trans fats, salts, sugar and preservatives, which might be a serious health concern for autistic children. This research was undertaken with a view to develop ten suitable GFCF convenience foods for autistic children using different ingredients which are free from gluten and casein in different proportions. The developed products were biscuit, namkeen, noodles, pastas, porridges, uppuma mix, soup mix, ladoo mix. These products were organoleptically evaluated to assess its wider acceptability. The products were nutritionally assessed and were compared with commercially available products. The developed GFCF convenience products were popularized through demonstrations, exhibitions and a website is developed for the parents of autistic children to understand its sovereignty in the diet of these suspected individuals.

INTRODUCTION Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that is usually diagnosed before age three years and is characterized by deficits in social reciprocity and in language skills that are associated with repetitive behaviours and restricted interests (Eigsti & Shapiro, 2003). Children with autism typically have a poor nutritional state caused by their acceptance of a restricted range of foods, difficulties in digesting food and poor absorption of nutrients. Intake of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients is reduced and requires supplementation (Schreck et al., 2004). Sun and Itokazu (2002) suggested that children with autism may respond to certain foods, particularly gluten and casein containing foods, by producing more of the inflammatory cytokines which may be responsible for the neurological abnormalities seen in children with autism. Lucarelli (2000) found that avoiding foods containing gluten and casein may significantly improve symptoms associated with autism. Therefore there is a need to develop GFCF convenience foods, which would not only require lesser preparation but also be rich in nutrients. Hence the study is focused on the development and popularization of Gluten Free Casein Free convenience foods suitable for autistic children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Development of convenience products Commercially graded convenience food products such as namkeen, soup, ladoo, porridges, noodles, pastas, uppuma mix and biscuit were selected for the development of convenience food products suitable for autistic children. The ingredients which are free from gluten and casein, like rice products (rice flour,

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rice flakes, puffed rice), corn flour, pulses (Bengal gram dhal, peas, green gram dhal, cowpea, black gram dhal), tapioca flour, nuts (cashew nut and groundnut), banana powder, arrow root flour, dates, tomato powder, garlic and onion powder were selected for the preparation of ten different convenience products. The standardized products were prepared in different variations R1, R2, R3 and were compared with the standard (R0). Ingredients and the proportions of the developed products are shown in Table 1 Organoleptic evaluation of the developed products An organoleptic evaluation based on five quality attributes such as colour, flavour, texture, taste and appearance was carried out by a panel of ten judges using numerical scoring test to select the best formulation from each group. Nutritional analysis Nutrients namely energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, calcium and iron were calculated using the ICMR Nutritive Value of Indian Foods. The nutritive value of the standard and the most acceptable products were calculated and compared. Shelf life analysis The developed product was stored in various materials of packaging such as were plastic bottles, polythene covers, glass bottles and stainless steel bottles and shelf life study was conducted till three months of test period. Organoleptic evaluation was conducted to evaluate the shelf life in each month. Popularization of the developed products Demonstrations and exhibitions were conducted to give awareness to the groups about the importance of GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free) convenience food products in the diet of autistic children and to gain world wide acceptability, a website is developed with the help of a computer personnel. Statistical analysis The scores of the organoleptic evaluation by ten judges for five parameters namely appearance, colour, flavour, taste and texture of the formulated products were statistically analyzed using Kendalls Coefficient of Concordance and the Mean Rank Scores were worked out. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results of organoleptic evaluation based on five quality attributes such as colour, flavour, texture, taste and appearance showed a higher significance at 1 per cent level and some products showed not significance due to extreme similarity between the standard and the variants. Overall acceptability scores

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based on the attributes of three combinations of the developed products showed a relative equivalence with the standard. The overall acceptability score of uppuma was high and was even higher than the standard. This might be due to the ingredients such as rice flakes, rice, peas and green gram dhal which make the uppuma to obtain the highest scores. The nutrients of the developed products were highly significant than the commercial products which showed a significant increase in nutrients such as energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium and iron and is presented in Table 2. Shelf life study of the developed products revealed that the products (except noodles, namkeen and soup) were maximum acceptable till the second month. From the third month, a gradual decrease in scores was observed. The products were more acceptable in glass bottles and plastic bottles than polythene covers and stainless steel bottles. The popularization program was conducted at Anganwadies, different places of Thrissur district. The parents of autistic children and mothers of anganwadi children were the audience of the program. Demonstrations, exhibitions and nutrition education classes were conducted during the program and to gain worldwide acceptability, a website is developed which is known by the name www.conveniencefoodrecipes.com. CONCLUSIONS From the discussion it could be concluded that the developed convenience products assured a high quality both in terms of nutrition and functionality. The products were free from gluten, casein and other preservatives and are suitable for the autistic children. These products are economical and feasible to the parents of autistic children who are more interested in convenience foods. These products could be able to fuel the children with good nutrition and are enjoyable as evenly as commercial products. Further studies are required to find out the impact of supplementation of developed CFGF convenience products to the autistic children, widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine including supplementation of megavitamins and other nutritional supplements, implementation of an intensive home based program on Gluten Free Casein Free diet in rural and urban communities and development of probiotics incorporated convenience products and supplements for autistic children.

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Table 1: ingredients and proportions of the developed products

Products

Ingredients

Variations R1 R2 R3

Porridge mix I

Rice puffed Banana powder Cashewnut Rice flakes 12:5:3 2:2:1 3:6:1

Porridge mix II

Banana powder Dates Rice flakes

12:5:3

2:2:1

3:6:1

Uppuma mix

Rice Peas Green gram dhal Rice flour 1:1:1:1 2:3:3:2 7:3:3:7

Noodles

Corn flour Tapioca flour Rice flour

2:1:1

2:2:1

6:3:1

Pasta I

Rice flakes Rice puffed Corn flour Black gram dhal 1:1:1:1 3:3:2:2 4:4:1:1

Pasta II

Rice puffed

1:3:6

1:2:2

1:1:2

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Rice flour Rice flakes Biscuit Corn flour Bengal gram flour Corn flour Ladoo mix Arrow root flour Groundnut Green gram dhal Namkeen Green peas Cow pea Rice puffed Bengal gram dhal Tomato powder Soup mix Corn flour Garlic powder Onion powder 16:2:1:1 15:3:1:1 14:4:1:1 3:4:4:1:8 1:2:2:3:2 8:3:4:1:4 12:5:3 3:6:1 2:2:1 3:1:1 1:2:1 3:3:4

Table 2 Comparison of nutrients of the developed products with commercial products Products Nutrients Energy (Kcal) Std 370.00 Protein (g) 3.50 Carbohydrate Fat (g) 88.40 (g) 0.30 Calcium Iron (mg) 35.40 (mg) 0.70

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P1 Std P2 Std P3 Std P4 Std P5 Std P6 Std P7 Std P8 Std P9 Std P10

437.80 370.00 359.00 258.60 369.30 441.50 343.00 361.00 427.00 361.00 426.00 440.00 677.40 507.80 474.60 550.00 298.30 350.00 225.10

9.40 3.50 5.40 7.60 15.70 10.30 7.50 10.50 14.00 10.50 15.00 8.50 19.10 10.40 6.10 17.00 18.50 13.00 8.80

83.30 88.40 81.80 55.60 74.00 62.60 75.00 77.50 75.00 77.50 75.00 77.00 81.60 55.90 100.80 44.00 50.10 62.00 42.60

7.30 0.30 0.90 0.50 1.10 16.70 1.40 1.00 8.00 1.00 7.00 10.90 20.10 26.90 5.10 34.00 2.60 5.60 1.90

49.30 35.40 46.40 25.20 69.70 39.00 15.10 2.00 46.00 2.00 58.00 90.00 80.00 31.00 42.00 60.00 61.50 330.00 311.50

12.80 0.70 19.90 1.30 7.20 2.70 1.40 0.00 9.00 0.00 4.00 3.00 8.90 2.70 2.30 3.50 5.10 2.00 4.90

Std- Standard, P1 - Porridge I, P2- Porridge II, P3- Uppuma, P4- Noodles, P5- Pasta I, P6- Pasta II, P7- Biscuit, P8- Ladoo, P9- Namkeen, P10- Soup

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REFERENCES Eigsti, I.M. and Shapiro, T.A. (2003). Systems Neuroscience Approach to Autism: Biological, Cognitive and Clinical Perspectives. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 9. Pp. 205-15. Schreck, K.A., Williams, K. and Smith, A.F. (2004). A comparison of eating behaviours between children with and without autism. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders. 34. Pp. 433-38. Sun, S. and Itokazu, N. (2002). Innate immune responses and cytokine production against dietary proteins in children with autism spectrum disorder and those with dietary protein intolerances. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 109. P. 222. Lucarelli. (2000). Food allergy and infantile autism. Panminerva Medica. 37 (3). Pp. 137-141.

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2. PROMOTION OF AWARENESS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY AMONG MOTHERS OF SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

Dhanya. N Assistant Professor, Department of Home Science, St. Teresas College, Ernakulam. Phone no. 09446655577 and Liza Rose Poulose Former Post graduate student, Department of Child Development, St. Teresas College, Ernakulam.

ABSTRACT
In the past 10 years, there has been a sea change in the kind of food available in India. In urban India today, the availability of abundance of food, is showing with the waistlines of the masses expanding with excessive fat deposits not only among adults but also at an alarming rate even among children. With both the parents working, the food intake pattern of children tends to get neglected in nuclear families, and high rises do away with sprawling playgrounds for outdoor activities. Moreover, high-tech computer games and television offer little motivation to children to step outdoors. This study was thus undertaken with the objective of educating 50 mothers of school going children from Thrissur on childhood obesity and its implications. Key words: Childhood obesity, school children, obese children, junk foods, eating habits.

INTRODUCTION India is the second most populated country in the world with a population of 1.03 million, of this an estimated 40 million are children between 0-18 years of age. Today as standards of living continue to rise, weight gain and obesity are posing a growing threat to health in countries all over the world. Childhood obesity is an emerging health problem, the prevalence of which in India is quite high. The prevalence of obesity in Kerala is 5.5 percent (Maya, 2007). As compared to rural areas, the children in urban area are more vulnerable to obesity. Childhood obesity attributes to lack of quality time spent by parents with their children, sedentary life styles, unhealthy eating habits, stress etc. There have been few documented studies on obesity among the age groups of 8-14 in Kerala. A study conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) reveals that 27 percent of school kids in Delhi are obese. Reckless parenting and indifferent schooling have created a situation for such children worse than ever before. Proliferation of tasty, high calorie fast foods and their accessibility both at home and at school have only compounded the problem. Eating away from home is also becoming more common. Consumption of fast foods puts the child at risk of developing obesity due to their high energy density of such foods. Moreover research shows that children who frequently consume fast food have diets poorer in nutritional quality as compared to those who eat fast food less frequently (Urooj, 2006). Increased soft drink consumption not only provides empty calories but also puts on the individual at a risk of nutrient deficiencies (Saxena, 2006). Children become addicted as these drinks are freely available in many schools. Unfortunately children get hooked on the fast food and

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junk diets at previous age when their young bodies need more nutritious food. Their body requirement of calorie and protein are also higher during this period, which often are not met. Added to this the increasing popularity of television and the computer with the internet make children lead inactive lives leading to obesity and accompanying illnesses (Urooj, 2006). Children are the main targets of food advertisers with 50 percent of such advertising targeted at kids. Young children with impressionable minds are strongly influenced by advertisements promoting food that are generally rich in fats and sugar (Kennel, 1996). These advertisements disillusion young minds and they lack the discretion to think about the possible consequences and health hazards associated with the frequent consumption of these high energy goods (Saxena, 2006). Children and youth also undergo a lot of stress due to the pressure of studies and their parents high expectations. In a stressful situation or when emotionally upset, many of them resort to binge eating in order to suppress their feelings. This habit eventually leads to obesity in the long run. Obesity is indeed a modifiable disorder. Implementation of preventive measures from early childhood will have far reaching benefits, as even the prevalence of other obesity related disorder would decline. The only solution to this would be to educate the mothers having young children on this aspect and its consequences, since mothers play a very important role in taking care of the nutritional, foods needs and also on the health of the children. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to Study the level of awareness of mothers of school going children on childhood obesity Prepare a booklet on childhood obesity and use it to make the selected subjects aware of childhood obesity Test the level of awareness after the awareness programme METHODOLOGY The area selected for the study was Thrissur district of Kerala. A school named St. Pauls school located at Kuriachira in Thrissur was chosen because the students there hailed from the upper middle class strata of the society. The sample consisted of 50 mothers having children in the age group of 6-7 years selected through purposive sampling. A self designed questionnaire was used to test the pre and post awareness of the subjects on childhood obesity. A booklet on childhood obesity was also designed by the investigators which contained details such as the causes of obesity, the negative signs of obesity and also means of preventing obesity. The normal height and weight of school age children and

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