Whole maize flour could enhance food and nutrition security in Malawi

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR multi-centreen
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationLilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resourcesen
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Zimbabween
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Centeren
cg.contributor.donorBill & Melinda Gates Foundationen
cg.contributor.donorUnited States Department of Agricultureen
cg.coverage.countryMalawi
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2MW
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.coverage.regionSouthern Africa
cg.creator.identifierVictor Taleon: 0000-0002-8316-0733
cg.howPublishedFormally Publisheden
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-025-00311-yen
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - HarvestPlus
cg.identifier.publicationRankNot ranked
cg.isijournalISI Journalen
cg.issn2731-4286en
cg.issue1en
cg.journalDiscover Fooden
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.volume5en
dc.contributor.authorNgoma, Theresa Nakomaen
dc.contributor.authorTaleon, Victoren
dc.contributor.authorMvumi, Brighton M.en
dc.contributor.authorGama, Aggrey P.en
dc.contributor.authorPalacios-Rojas, Nataliaen
dc.contributor.authorMatumba, Limbikanien
dc.date.accessioned2025-03-05T21:41:58Zen
dc.date.available2025-03-05T21:41:58Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/173493
dc.titleWhole maize flour could enhance food and nutrition security in Malawien
dcterms.abstractMaize is the staple cereal in Malawi, with a daily per capita consumption of 383 g (dry matter basis), primarily consumed in the form of nsima, a thick porridge. We combined a milling experiment with focus group discussions (FGDs) to provide insights into mass and nutrient losses during maize grain dehulling and maize flour consumption patterns in rural Malawi. Milling batches (30 kg) of four maize grain varieties were dehulled at three abrasive disk dehullers under controlled conditions. The impact of maize variety and dehuller design on mass and nutrient losses during dehulling was statistically significant (p < 0.05), with a mean mass loss of 28.1 ± 5.7%, and nutrient losses of 9.8 ± 1.9% for protein, 61.7 ± 2.0% for zinc, and 47.7 ± 3.6% for iron. Six FGDs conducted in rural areas of Lilongwe District revealed a preference for refined flour due to convenience and cultural norms, despite the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour, which was recognized for its ability to provide satiety, particularly during periods of maize scarcity. Participants also highlighted switching between flour types based on seasonal maize availability, social stigma associated with whole grain flour, and awareness of nutrient losses during dehulling. Given Malawi’s precarious food insecurity situation, transitioning from dehulled maize flour nsima to whole maize flour or less refined nsima, is imperative. Our study findings can have food and nutritional savings for other southern Africa countries where the dehulling is a common practice.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademicsen
dcterms.available2025-02-17
dcterms.bibliographicCitationNgoma, Theresa Nakoma; Taleon, Victor; Mvumi, Brighton M.; Gama, Aggrey P.; Palacios-Rojas, Natalia; and Matumba, Limbikani. 2025. Whole maize flour could enhance food and nutrition security in Malawi. Discover Food 5(1): 40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-025-00311-yen
dcterms.issued2025-12
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherSpringeren
dcterms.subjectmaizeen
dcterms.subjectmaize flouren
dcterms.subjectnutritionen
dcterms.subjectfood securityen
dcterms.subjectmillingen
dcterms.subjectfood lossesen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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