Nutritional evaluation of snacks obtained from chickpea and bovine lung blends

Chickpea snacks, containing 0, 5 and 10% of added bovine lung were obtained by extrusion at 130°C and 13% moisture content of the feed. These extruded products had improved contents of iron and protein compared to traditional ones, being able to provide up to 30% of the iron RDA in a 30g pack. Acceptability of these enriched snacks was assessed using a 9 point hedonic scale and was found high and comparable to commercial brands. Protein nutritional quality of these samples, measured by the NPR method, was similar and slightly lower than that of casein. The same behaviour was observed for the growth ratio of the experimental animals. Results indicate that it is possible to produce a highly acceptable snack of high nutritional quality that could be useful in feeding programs to counteract anaemia and malnutrition.