Effectiveness of Calcium-Fortified Thai Traditional Cracker Using Cricket Protein on Biochemical Marker of Bone Health and Bone Mineral Density

Background: Thailand is one of the countries facing a high prevalence of low bone mineral density (BMD) due to inadequate calcium (Ca) intake. Using crickets as alternative protein sources is fascinating for nutritionists because of their high biological value and cost-efficient production. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Ca-fortified Thai traditional crackers using cricket protein. Methods: Four formulas of Ca-fortified crackers were prepared with different amounts of Ca based on the percentage of recommended Ca in adults for one portion (۱۵%, ۲۵%, and ۵۰% per ۲۵۰ mg of cracker dough) before conducting a sensory evaluation with ۳۰ participants. The selected acceptable Ca-fortified cracker formula (۵۰% of Ca by RDA per portion) was further used in an intervention study with another group of ۴۰ participants (intervention group=۲۰ and control group=۲۰). The participants in the intervention group were asked to consume ۲۵۰ g of crackers/day of ۵۰% of RDA per portion formula for ۱۲ weeks to compare bone health parameters with the control group. Results: Results revealed that BMD values of wrist and ankle bones in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=۰.۰۰۴ and P<۰.۰۰۱, respectively), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P=۰.۰۴) at endpoint. The results also found a positive correlation between Ca intake and BMD parameters among all participants (P<۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion: The developed Ca-fortified Thai traditional crackers using cricket protein is preliminarily effective in improving bone health conditions among the participants.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bone density ، Calcium ، Food ، Cricket ، Bone health