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Turn rice straws into packaging materials

CONSIDERED by farmers as waste materials, rice straws can have the potential to become packaging materials for packing rice and other food commodities.

When harvested, rice usually leaves a voluminous amount of straws in the field, and burning seems to be the most convenient way to dispose it.

However, burning rice straws causes air pollution and risks to human health.

To address the situation, a research project will study the straws alone, and in combination with other biodegradable raw materials to develop an eco-friendly process of converting it into packaging materials.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) has approved the implementation of the project dubbed “Development of Green Packaging Technology Using Eco-friendly Materials for Rice and other Commodities.”

It will be implemented by the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISaTU) in La Paz, Iloilo City.

The raw materials available and abundant in the locality will be identified and characterized where the potential raw materials will be converted into packaging papers.

The project intends to develop packaging materials for specialty rice and food commodities following an environment-friendly process protocol.

The process protocol is expected to be cost-effective and will result in longer preservation of rice products, reduced use of health hazardous chemicals to avoid food contamination, and reduced carbon emissions.

A series of tests and evaluation will be conducted until the packaging materials become strong, durable, moisture-resistant, and affordable.

Those who will benefit from the outputs of this project include farmers growing organic/specialty rice and consumers.

ISaTU researchers and inventors intend to file for patent on the process and product as soon as these are fully developed.

With this project, PCAARRD looks forward to further provide solutions to waste management problems in rice farms through innovative products and processes that are eco-friendly as well.

In another development, a project to document the indigenous vegetables locally known as “katutubong gulay” in the different provinces of the Philippines has been officially set in motion following a recent inception meeting at the DOST-PCAARRD.

Titled “Documentation of the Indigenous Vegetables in the Philippines,” the project will gather and compile information about several indigenous vegetables in the country.

This initiative could lay the foundation for further research and development works.

The importance of mainstreaming the production and utilization of indigenous vegetables as healthy alternatives to common vegetables in every Filipino’s food basket has already been discussed.

The team will gather available printed or electronically published, including unpublished materials in 25 provinces of the 17 regions in the country.

They will also source out materials from national and local agencies as well as public and private institutions to produce information, education, and communication (IEC) materials.

A database of all the abstracts and indices on indigenous vegetables will be one of the outputs of the project.

In line with the targets of the “Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) for Vegetables,” the project will indirectly help increase the consumption of safe vegetables in the country. (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./PN)

Helping parents to meet infants’ nutritional needs

PARENTS need good knowledge to ensure adequate and balanced nutrition for their kids, especially in infancy (birth to two years). During this dynamic phase which is marked by rapid development, a sufficient amount and appropriate composition of nutrients are crucial for growth and functional outcomes in terms of cognition, immune response, metabolic programming of long-term-health, and well-being.

Given this need, the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI), an organization with the goal of fostering Science for Better Nutrition, recently held the 91st International NNI Workshop in the Philippines titled “Nurturing a Healthy Generation of Children: Research Gaps and Opportunities.” With the objectives of exploring early eating behavior and taste development, and understanding what children eat, the workshop provided professionals with scientific updates as well as clinical and practical exchanges with globally recognized experts and colleagues from different countries.

Topics included emerging research on early feeding behavior, dietary intakes, and health outcomes. The most recent findings of national surveys on the nutritional intakes of children in various countries were presented at the workshop.

In the Philippines, a study by the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST - FNRI) on food consumed by infants and toddlers aged 6-35 months demonstrated that the intake of fat and many micronutrients in Filipino children are markedly inadequate. DOST – FNRI was represented by Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, assistant scientist and officer-in-charge of the Nutrition Assessment and Monitoring Division.

The study concluded that the shortfalls in nutrient intakes can be largely explained by the fact that refined rice was the major source of many key nutrients, while nutrient-dense foods such as milk, fruits, and vegetables only played a little role in the diet.

Meanwhile, Prof. Andrea Maier-Nöth, managing director of Eat-Health-Pleasure GmbH in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland spoke on findings on the early development of food preferences and healthy eating habits in infants.

She explained that children have many taste buds and are born with the ability to taste, smell and discriminate among a variety of foods; and to learn to like and enjoy a variety of foods that are pleasurable and healthy.

Furthermore, food pleasure can be learned early and through guidance.

Prof. Maier-Nöth shared Do’s and Don’ts for parents feeding infants:

Do’s

- Breastfeed if possible, since breast milk carries flavors from the mother’s diet that encourage later acceptance of a variety of foods;

- Give a mix of infant cereals, vegetables and fruits first after milk (start at six months);

- Train baby’s taste early to accept vegetables and fruit which can be bitter and sour;

- Try to feed your baby a variety of vegetables and healthy baby snacks with different flavors and textures daily; at about seven months give healthy finger foods to chew on (different shapes, faces of veggies);

- Make healthy foods pleasurable via food pairing, cooking together, experiencing ingredients, gaining knowledge about healthy foods, eating and enjoying together, growing veggies and eating them;

- You are your child’s first and most important role model! Eat the food you want your child to eat and show that you like it!
Don’ts

- Don’t give up after only two to three tries. If your baby does not accept a new food, offer it on at least eight occasions between foods that he likes. Exposing infants early to the taste of commonly rejected foods, such as vegetables, is a powerful strategy to increase food preference, beyond food neophobia or the pickiness phase;

- Don’t try to force your infant to eat, but do make sure he takes at least a tiny taste at each meal. Some infants hardly eat any of an initially disliked vegetable for 5 – 6 days and then suddenly they start to eat and enjoy it;

- Don’t panic! Be patient and calm if your child rejects a food. Fussy children do grow out of it!

- Don’t put disliked food on the plate next to liked food and expect your child to eat them all.

With respect to allergy and early food variety, according to Prof. Maier-Nöth, high food diversity during complementary feeding might actually be beneficial in preventing food allergy.

The period between births to two years offers a one-time opportunity to shape food preferences and habits that will have an important impact on a child’s growth and health. It is an opportunity that parents need to recognize and invest in.

Legal framework needed on nuclear energy

The Philippines has a lot to learn from advanced countries on nuclear technology as a national power resource.

“There is a wide range of issues that we need to explore and thresh out before we can accurately measure the true potential of nuclear technology as an alternative energy source in the Philippines,” said Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate committee on energy chairman.

In a statement, Gatchalian said a comprehensive legal framework on the use of nuclear power would have to be crafted first if the country would add nuclear power to the energy mix.

He noted the need to set up a nuclear regulatory body which would oversee the following: licensing, inspection, and enforcement; radiation protection; sources of radiation and radioactive material; safety of nuclear facilities; emergency preparedness and response; transport of radioactive material; radioactive waste and spent fuel; liability and coverage; non-proliferation and physical protection; export and import controls; and physical protection.

Gatchalian said at present, the country’s only existing nuclear energy body is the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology whose functions center on radiation and nuclear research and development.

“All of the gaps in our nuclear energy legal framework would first need to be addressed by passing comprehensive legislation… A strong national framework on nuclear power must be compliant with international standards on safety, security, safeguards, and liability,” Gatchalian said.

He added the Philippines has yet to ratify three key international nuclear conventions, namely the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, and the amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.