Dear friends,
I have one quick question. We are having a networks of village health workers program in rural remote area of Myanmar. With that network, we are doing the prevention and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition by using MUAC and Plumpy 'nut. Regarding plumpy nut, we use PlumpyField with Nutriset .
After we have sent it to the villages, the consistency of the package of Plumpynut gets a bit harder ( firmer), though it is well within the expiry date.
I would like to ask/ request your advice whether it is still good to be used or not . As plumpy nut are quite expensive, this is a very difficult decision for us.
Thanks so much
Looking forward to your expert opinion
warm regards
Nini
Dear Nini,
From my experience, the consistency of the sachets of RUTF (Plumpy Nut/Others) has often been a bit firm, especially at opening the box. This under correct storage conditions and before expiration date. That’s why sachets should be kneaded thoroughly before opening to mix the ingredients and to obtain a more homogenous softer paste. But if you have any doubt, better to contact the producer directly to ask for clear advice.
Best,
Jess
Answered:
7 years agoDear Nini,
Can you tell more about the area these RUTF sachets are used ? Is this a cold mountainous area ? Plumpy nut, like any other RUTF has a lot of fat with a hardness / softness changing with temperature. You can check that by putting a few sachets in a fridge and seeing them becoming hard and them taking them out to usual temperature and seeing them becoming soft again. You should expect sachets to become harder if used in colder areas. No consequences, however, RUTF warms up quickly to 37 degrees once swallowed and then the softness is the same for all children.
Answered:
7 years agoHi All,
just to follow up on Andre's comments, in the mountainous areas of Afghanistan we often had problems with cold RUTF becoming hardened. In those cases we would advise the carer to warm the sachet in the armpit or trouser pocket for 10 mins before giving to the child. The should still massage the sachet before opening as standard.
When firm packets are found in warm climates it is usually due to settling during storage and can be easily made into a smooth edible consistency again with a little massaging of the sachet while the sachet is unopened.
Occasionally one does come across RUTF which is hardened more than might be expected in warm areas. In one instance the RUTF was almost powdery where it was hardened. I do not know what factors led to this instance but again the RUTF could be made into a better and edible consistency by massaging the sachet. In this particular case it took a couple of minutes per sachet to make it an even consistency again and appeared to be otherwise ok and was acceptable to the children.
Answered:
7 years ago