Conjoint Analysis for Selecting the Ingredients Levels of Fortified Beverage

This research paper concentrated on the “Conjoint Analysis for Selecting the Ingredients Levels of Fortified Beverage”. Conjoint analysis is a multivariate technique used specifically to understand how consumers develop preferences for products or services and to formulate predictions about ingredients levels towards product concepts and it is also called as trade-off analysis. The fortified beverage was prepared with various levels of ingredients such as Carrot (5%, 10% and 15%), Moringa (5%,10% and 15%), Mushroom (3%,6% and 9%), Dates (1%,2% and 3%) and Seaweed (1%,2% and 3%). Since, this large number of combinations led to non-responsible of consumers and improper results may be obtained. Hence, the conjoint analysis for selecting the best ingredient levels of ideal fortified beverage is based on the utility estimation and relative importance of attributes and was found that it should have the following attributes combination: Carrot – 15 per cent, Mushroom – 6 Per cent, Moringa – 5 per cent, Dates – 2 per cent and Sea Weed – 1 per cent.

Effects of a multi-micronutrient-fortified beverage, with and without sugar, on growth and cognition in South African schoolchildren: a randomised, double-blind, controlled intervention

Little is known about the effects of combined micronutrient and sugar consumption on growth and cognition. In the present study, we investigated the effects of micronutrients and sugar, alone and in combination, in a beverage on growth and cognition in schoolchildren. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, children (n 414, 6–11 years) were randomly allocated to consume beverages containing (1) micronutrients with sugar, (2) micronutrients with a non-nutritive sweetener, (3) no micronutrients with sugar or (4) no micronutrients with a non-nutritive sweetener for 8·5 months. Growth was assessed and cognition was tested using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children version II (KABC-II) subtests and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT). Micronutrients decreased the OR for Fe deficiency at the endpoint (OR 0·19; 95 % CI 0·07, 0·53). Micronutrients increased KABC Atlantis (intervention effect: 0·76; 95 % CI 0·10, 1·42) and HVLT Discrimination Index (1·00; 95 % CI 0·01, 2·00) scores. Sugar increased KABC Atlantis (0·71; 95 % CI 0·05, 1·37) and Rover (0·72; 95 % CI 0·08, 1·35) scores and HVLT Recall 3 (0·94; 95 % CI 0·15, 1·72). Significant micronutrient × sugar interaction effects on the Atlantis, Number recall, Rover and Discrimination Index scores indicated that micronutrients and sugar in combination attenuated the beneficial effects of micronutrients or sugar alone. Micronutrients or sugar alone had a lowering effect on weight-for-age z-scores relative to controls (micronutrients − 0·08; 95 % CI − 0·15, − 0·01; sugar − 0·07; 95 % CI − 0·14, − 0·002), but in combination, this effect was attenuated. The beverages with micronutrients or added sugar alone had a beneficial effect on cognition, which was attenuated when provided in combination.