The all-time favorite noodles are now made nutritious having been enriched with different vegetables!

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) developed various types of noodles supplemeted with squash, seaweeds and saluyot. These products fondly called veggie noodles are good sources of vitamin A, iodine, protein and other nutrients.

Squash-supplemented noodle products include spaghetti, canton, instant cup noodles, and fresh miki. Seaweed-supplemented noodle products include instant spaghetti with lato, canton with lato or guso, flat noodles with lato and iodine-rich fresh miki. Saluyot-supplemented noodle products include canton and instant cup noodles.

The veggie noodles were originally developed by FNRI-DOST in response to prevailing nutritional problems in the country, particularly vitamin A deficiency (VAD), iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). However, in these times of increasing cost of flour, the vegetable components of the noodle also provide a good supplement to flour to lower production cost of the noodles.

A serving of 50-gram canton noodles with squash provides 16 percent, 20 percent and 24 percent of the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI) for energy, protein and vitamin A, respectively, of 4-6 year-old children. A 50-gram serving of canton noodles with saluyot provides 15 percent, 18 percent and 36 percent of the RENI for energy, protein and vitamin A, respectively of 4-6 year-old children. A serving of a 30-gram canton noodles with lato provides 11 percent and 22 percent, while canton noodles with guso provide 12 percent and 22 percent of the RENI for protein and iodine, respectively, of 30-49 year-old adults.

Noodle products have high market potential because these are well-accepted by all classes of consumers. They may also be viable for export due to their uniqueness, good nutritional quality and sensory attributes. Squash-supplemented veggie noodles have enticing natural and bright yellow color, while seaweed-supplemented and saluyot-supplemented veggie noodles have desirable green color. Veggie noodles have no distinguishable odor and difference in texture compared with regular noodles. Furthermore, the veggie noodles are cooked like regular commercial noodles.

The FNRI-DOST leads in the technology transfer and commercialization of veggie noodles enriched with vitamin A, iodine, protein and other nutrients. Some of these products have been successfully adopted by entrepreneurs in different in different parts of the country. Among the successfully adoptors of these technologies are Telledo’s Miki Commercial in Abra, PhilNerry Food Products in Nueva Ecija, Marinduque Food Processing Center in Marinduque, Cleafar Enterprise in Iloilo, Eagle Multipurpose Cooperative in Davao, Montanosa Research and Development Center Incorporated in Mountain Province, and QF Enterprise in Benguet.

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