Beverages based on fruit and milk products are currently receiving considerable attention as their market potential is growing. Soft drink industry had made significant progress during recent years in terms of production, but there is only a limited range of flavours available in India. The present study was carried out to develop novel milk based fruit flavoured beverages using 10, 15 and 20% apple juice (v/v) and sodium alginate as stabilizer (0.5%), in the formulation. The beverages were evaluated for their stability and various physico-chemical, sensory and microbial properties during 7 days refrigerated storage. The pH value of the beverages decreased from 6.

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Weassessed the effect of a selected intervention on the nutritional status of 2-5-year-old children in day care centres. Using a longitudinal prospective pretest/post-test intervention design, 974 children from 3 day care centres in Alexandria were followed for 1 year. Anthropometric measurements and 3-day 24-hour recall data were gathered at base line and dietary intake was calculated and compared with recommended daily allowances. An intervention programme was implemented through the establishment of kitchens in the 3 centres, provision of 2 meals/day, nutrition education for parents and training of supervisors. Baseline data revealed deficient intake of most nutrients especially calcium, calories, vitamin C and iron. Post-intervention test revealed improvement in mothers’ nutrition knowledge and the percentage of anaemic children decreased from 47.3% to 14.2%. A decrease in the percentage of underweight, stunted and wasted was also observed. The cost of the programme per child per year was US$ 20.5