SAGURIMI: High-Protein Sago and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Noodles as a Local Food Innovation to Support Stunting Prevention in Indonesian Children

Abstract

Indonesia, stunting is still a major nutritional issue, affecting children's physical, cognitive, and healthy growth. Lack of consumption of high-quality protein is one of the primary reasons for stunting. This study developed Sagurimi, crispy noodles based on sago flour and Nile Tilapia fish as a high-protein food innovation for stunted children. The Sagurimi formulation from sago flour: wheat flour: Nile Tilapia flour (F1: 20:20:60, F2: 30:40:30, F3: 40:30:30) was analyzed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to determine the amino acid profile. The results of the one-way ANOVA analysis showed significant differences (p <0.001) between formulations. F1 has the highest content of L-leucine (7,723.04 mg/kg), L-lysine (7,164.91 mg/kg), and L-arginine (6,348.01 mg/kg), which play a role in bone and muscle growth. However, these values decreased significantly in F3 (4,045.56 ± 51.3 mg/kg and 2,706.18 ± 36.37 mg/kg). L-glutamic acid had the highest concentration in all formulations, with a range of 16,199.67 ± 72.86 mg/kg in F1 to 10,865.59 ± 139.9 mg/kg in F3. Arginine content also experienced a similar pattern, where F1 had the highest level (6,348.01 ± 31.61 mg/kg) and F3 the lowest (3,890.79 ± 42.65 mg/kg). Increasing fish meal increases the content of essential amino acids, while a higher proportion of wheat flour decreases protein levels. The results of this study indicate that Sagurimi has the potential to be a protein-rich supplementary feeding and is suitable for stunted children.