Maize is a staple human food eaten by more than a billion people around the world in a variety of whole and processed products. Different processing methods result in changes to the nutritional profile of maize products, which can greatly affect the micronutrient intake of populations dependent on this crop for a large proportion of their caloric needs. This review summarizes the effects of different processing methods on the resulting micronutrient and phytochemical contents of maize. The majority of B vitamins are lost during storage and milling; further loss occurs with soaking and cooking, but fermentation and nixtamalization (soaking in alkaline solution) can increase bioavailability of riboflavin and niacin. Carotenoids, found mainly in the kernel endosperm, increase in concentration after degermination, while other vitamins and minerals, found mainly in the germ, are reduced. Mineral bioavailability can be improved by processing methods that reduce phytic acid, such as soaking, fermenting, cooking, and nixtamalization. Losses of micronutrients during processing can be mitigated by changes in methods of processing, in addition to encouraging consumption of whole-grain maize products over degermed, refined products. In some cases, such as niacin, processing is actually necessary for nutrient bioavailability. Due to the high variability in the baseline nutrient contents among maize varieties, combined with additional variability in processing effects, the most accurate data on nutrient content will be obtained through analysis of specific maize products and consideration of in vivo bioavailability.

Dietary protein and amino acid requirement recommendations for normal "healthy" children and adults have varied considerably with 2007 FAO/WHO protein requirement estimates for children lower, but dietary essential AA requirements for adults more than doubled. Requirement estimates as presented do not account for common living conditions, which are prevalent in developing countries such as energy deficit, infection burden and added functional demands for protein and AAs. This study examined the effect of adjusting total dietary protein for quality and digestibility (PDCAAS) and of correcting current protein and AA requirements for the effect of infection and a mild energy deficit to estimate utilizable protein (total protein corrected for biological value and digestibility) and the risk/prevalence of protein inadequacy. The relationship between utilizable protein/prevalence of protein inadequacy and stunting across regions and countries was examined. Data sources (n ¼ 116 countries) included FAO FBS (food supply), UNICEF (stunting prevalence), UNDP (GDP) and UNSTATS (IMR) and USDA nutrient tables. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations, paired-sample/non-parametric t-tests and linear regression. Statistically significant differences were observed in risk/prevalence estimates of protein inadequacy using total protein and the current protein requirements versus utilizable protein and the adjusted protein requirements for all regions (p , 0·05). Total protein, utilizable protein, GDP per capita and total energy were each highly correlated with the prevalence of stunting. Energy, protein and utilizable protein availability were independently and negatively associated with stunting (p , 0·001), explaining 41 %, 34 % and 40 % of variation respectively. Controlling for energy, total protein was not a statistically significant factor but utilizable protein remained significant explaining , 45 % of the variance (p ¼ 0·017). Dietary utilizable protein provides a better index of population impact of risk/prevalence of protein inadequacy than crude protein intake. We conclude that the increased demand for protein due to infections and mild to moderate energy deficits, should be appropriately considered in assessing needs of populations where those conditions still prevail.

Lysine supplementation reduced diarrheal morbidity in children and respiratory morbidity in men in Ghana.

No cases of VAD were identified by both TLRs and SR (true positives) in Thai or Zambian children. Specificity of SR to evaluate VAD was high, but additional research is needed to investigate sensitivity. Adjusting SR cutoffs for inflammation improved specificity by reducing false positives. SR as a VAD indicator may depend on infection rates, which should be taken into consideration. These studies were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01061307 (for Thailand) and NCT01814891 (for Zambia).

Reaching vulnerable populations in low-resource settings with effective business solutions is critical, given the global nature of food and nutrition security. Over a third of deaths of children under 5 years of age are directly or indirectly caused by undernutrition. The Lancet series on malnutrition (2013) estimates that over 220,000 lives of children under 5 years of age can be saved through the implementation of an infant and young child feeding and care package. A unique project being undertaken in Ghana aims to bring in two elements of innovation in infant and young child feeding. The first involves a public-private partnership (PPP) to develop and test the efficacy and effectiveness of the delivery of a low-cost complementary food supplement in Ghana called KOKO Plus TM . The second involves the testing of the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social business models in the distribution and delivery of the product. This paper shares information on the ongoing activities in the testing of concepts of PPPs, social business, social marketing, and demand creation using different delivery platforms to achieve optimal nutrition in Ghanaian infants and young children in the first 2 years of life. It also focuses on outlining the concept of using PPP and base-of-the-pyramid approaches toward achieving nutrition objectives.