Ibrahim Koroma, a Lecturer at Fourah Bay College has developed a dry food concentrate from fish and plants, which contains many useful microelements and is completely natural and does not smell like fish.
Ibrahim came to ASTU to study for a postgraduate degree under the state program and will soon receive a PhD degree. He has developed a technology for preparing a balanced food concentrate, which will be sold in Sierra Leone in the near future.
Food products in Sierra Leone lack many substances necessary for the human body, for example, vitamins A and E. A lack of microelements leads to diseases of the heart and other organs. Ibrahim decided to create new products that would compensate for the deficiency of these nutrients.
In the near future, the recipe will be introduced into production by a Russian company and will be supplied to various countries. First of all, to Sierra Leone. International organizations have also expressed interest in the project.
“I am currently talking to the FAO: they are also waiting for a new product to sell it in Sierra Leone,” Ibrahim stated.
The concentrate is based on only a few ingredients: sardinella, a fish rich in protein and microelements; okra, a plant common in Sierra Leone; carrots and corn flour.
Sardinella is the most abundant fish off the coast of Sierra Leone. It is not very popular as a dish in this country, but it is rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals that are important for the human body. The combination of high-protein fish and plant materials produces a truly healthy product containing important micro- and microelements.
Ibrahim has developed a balanced product that contains not only protein but also various vitamins and microelements in sufficient quantities. The technology for producing the concentrate has been worked out to the smallest detail. Ibrahim has selected the optimal mode and parameters for processing the ingredients in order to preserve the maximum benefit after drying. This concentrate has already been successfully tested at Russian enterprises. Various studies have been conducted, including on nutritional value.
The technology for producing the concentrate allows you to preserve the maximum benefit. The products are crushed, mixed and dried. And then crushed again to obtain a concentrate of different grinds. A special feature of the technology proposed by Ibrahim is the absence of a cooking stage. During the cooking process, a significant part of the valuable substances goes into the broth, which means that the benefits of the product are reduced.
According to the author of the project, existing analogues currently sold in his country contain harmful additives. Ibrahim’s product, due to its pure composition based on fish and plant components, will become the best alternative. The balanced food concentrate can be used as a spice in various dishes: soups, sauces, main courses, sandwiches and snacks.
Due to the addition of plant components – especially okra, which acts as an oxidant – the concentrate has a long shelf life (12 months) and does not smell like fish.
The scientific director of the project is the head of the Department of Technology of Goods and Commodity Science at ASTU Svetlana Vasilyevna Zolotokopowa.
“In hot climates, it is very difficult to preserve fish, so in areas of Sierra Leone that are remote from the sea, it is very difficult to provide the population with protein nutrition. Therefore, Ibrahim is solving a very important problem for Sierra Leone – this is the fight against hunger and malnutrition. They are already waiting for him in Sierra Leone to produce this food concentrate. I am sure that this product will be in demand,” the scientific director notes.
Ibrahim has conducted numerous studies. All technical documents for the food concentrate have already been received, including a patent for the development. The plans include developing new recipes to diversify the range of food concentrates.