Browsing by Author "Pathiraje, P. M. H. D."

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Nutritional information and healthiness of ready-to-eat/cooked packaged food products available for children in Sri Lanka and attitudes of parents living in Western province toward purchasing
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2022) Grero, K. M. U.; Pathiraje, P. M. H. D.; Herath, T.
As a result of drastic changes in dietary habits and lifestyles, overweight and obesity among schoolchildren in Sri Lanka have more than doubled in the last decade. Research show that a substantial percentage of urban schoolchildren tend to consume excessive amounts of processed foods on daily basis. Children’s food purchases and choices are primarily depend on parents/guardians. Thus, the present study is carried out to assess the nutritional content and healthfulness of ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) packaged foods available in Sri Lankan supermarkets, and parental attitudes toward purchasing them. The Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) for Sri Lanka was used to evaluate RTE/RTC foods and nonalcoholic beverages as they are more likely to be part of a healthy or less healthy diet based on the nutritional information on the package. In total, 192 products were collected and categorized into highly consuming five broad food categories; (i) ready-to-eat cereal, fine bakery wares, and confectionery products (ii) ready to eat savouries (iii) sugary beverages (iv) milk and dairy products and (v) prepared/ready-to-cook foods, to collect nutritional information. Among collected food products, 29 (15%) products were unable to evaluate due to incomplete nutritional labelling while all the tested food products were unable to be recognized as healthier for marketing. Moreover, among 26 (13.54%) products that carried health and nutrition-related claims, 19 (73.7%) were recognized as less healthy, while others were unable to evaluate due to the absence of nutritional information. A descriptive research design was used to identify the factors influencing parents’ purchasing behaviour towards RTE/RTC food products. Using an online questionnaire, a sample size of 151 parents/guardians living in Western province who had one or more children, between the ages of 3-13 were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Results of the multiple regression model analysis revealed that the monthly household income, children’s influence/preference, and commercial aspects are positively influenced (p<0.05) by the parent’s purchasing behaviour. Even though, parents’ opinion was negatively influenced (p<0.05) the parent’s purchasing behaviour toward RTE/RTC food products. The findings suggest that effective policies should be implemented to increase the relative availability of healthier ready-to-eat packaged foods, as well as to improve the provision of nutritional labelling.
A study on consumer preference for instant food products and the development of a pumpkin- and canistel-based instant pudding powder mix
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2022) De Silva, W. S. A.; Pathiraje, P. M. H. D.; Peiris, T. U. S.
Consumer preferences are changing from time to time. Therefore, this study was conducted among working and non-working women in the Ratnapura district to identify current consumer preferences for instant food products and pumpkin-based food products. The results of this study revealed that convenience in preparation is the main reason for purchasing instant foods. However, many consumers believe that instant foods are not healthy. According to this survey, occupation, working hours per day, and the average income of the family influence, consumer preference towards instant food products. There were significant differences among occupation (X2 = 47.5, P = 0.011), working hours per day (X2 = 3.74, P = 0.019) and average income of the family (X2 = 24.52, P = 0.001). The majority of the respondents (202) preferred to see plant-based instant foods in the local market. Additionally, many respondents (80.6%) stated that the available pudding/pudding mixes at the local market are not good for health, mainly due to less nutrients, high sugar content and too much added artificial ingredients. Therefore, this study will be useful to the manufacturers of instant foods to understand the preferences of modern consumers to enhance sales. Furthermore, this study revealed that the consumption of pumpkin and availability of pumpkin-based products in the local market are low although the post-harvest loss of pumpkin is high in Sri Lanka. Many respondents (64.5%) stated that they do not like much for the taste of pumpkin although, majority of the respondents (64.2%) were aware of the nutritional value of pumpkin. However, many respondents (83.9%) preferred to purchase new pumpkin-based food products. Therefore, pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)- and canistel (Pouteria campechiana) -based instant pudding mix fortified with pumpkin and chia seeds was also developed in this study. This novel, cost effective, and convenient pudding mix was found to be a good source of β-carotene (7.34 mg/100 g) and fibre (4.89%). Four pudding formulae were prepared with different proportions of ingredients. A sensory evaluation was conducted to evaluate consumer acceptance for colour, texture, taste, aroma, appearance, overall acceptability and purchasing intention using a nine-point hedonic scale. The sensory attributes of the best treatment were compared with a local commercial pudding mix. The formula with 37% pumpkin powder and 25% canistel powder was significantly different from other treatments and showed the highest mean scores for all sensory attributes. Additionally, the sensory attributes of the new pudding mix were similar to the compared locally available pudding mix except for colour and aroma. Therefore, this study revealed that there is a potential to develop a tasty, nutritionally rich, and microbiologically safe pudding mix from pumpkin and canistel.