NEF Biscuits, Relief from Heaven

Recent devastating floods that submerged an entire province in southern India – Kerala - drew my mind back to emergency food supplies for humans caught in natural disasters. Food that can be delivered swiftly to such persons needs to be compact, lightweight, and nutritional with a long shelf life. It can then be stored in emergency relief depots and supplied to disaster management teams swiftly. It should be food that can be consumed without cooking. In earlier posts this author has described precisely such a food in the form of biscuits that aside from wheat flour contain micronutrients and proteins, are organic and easily digestible. They were named OFR biscuits. The interested reader may like to look up these posts too. They can be found here 

Aside from disaster relief such a food when available, is useful for travelers. They are useful in homes as a snack, for an occasional quick lunch perhaps along with soup, salad or fruits, or, breakfasts along with tea, coffee, hot milk or fruit juice. Such biscuits along with a glass of milk and some fresh fruit can make an excellent midday meals in schools as well.

The present post emerges from further reflection on earlier ideas of this author for OFR biscuits. The new proposals as described here would be found convenient, better and easier to implement by any biscuit manufacturer interested in the recipe. They are put out here in the public domain without any claim of copy right or patent in public interest but the author would appreciate if this blog is acknowledged as inspiration incase a manufacturer makes use of the ideas.

The new biscuit has been given a new name NEF biscuit. – Nutritional Emergency Food Biscuits. When persons caught up in disaster receive such food it is indeed God sent, a gift from heaven.

Essential Components of NEF Biscuits

NEF biscuits aside from wheat flour, contain other ingredients to add proteins, fats and micronutrients so as to make the food more wholesome for human consumption and survival over several days.  They have been conceived in a way that only the most digestible ingredients are included as suitable for even infants, using primarily non-chemical ingredients. The only chemical agents that need be used are raising agents. No vitamins are added since here the emphasis is on natural food with the possible exception of a small amount of ascorbic acid, vitamin C, the most benign of vitamins and needed by persons who may not be able to access fresh fruits and vegetables. Its sour flavor would complement the salty biscuits. NEF biscuits are not sweet but salted as indeed most daily foods are. It is conceived as a temporary replacement for food. Sugars are not necessary in production of these biscuits.

Protein Components

Presently only two of the best protein matter as suitable for biscuits is recommended for NEF biscuits. The first is buttermilk flour that is already used in the baking industry and is available widely in food markets.

The second ingredient described here is not easily available in food markets but is most easily prepared. It is preboiled mung bean flour. Boiling washed split mung bean lentils for five minutes, washing, drying and grinding to flour may prepare it. Mung beans have been selected here as the most digestible of all lentil beans, suitable for infants too. Soya bean flour, although cheaper has been avoided.  Flour of split, skinned Mung beans may be used directly but the pre-boiled version as suggested here shall make the biscuit more easily digestible by the youngest of children. It shall add a delicious taste to the biscuit too that Soya beans cannot.

The precise proportion of protein matter to add to flour is not given here. It would have to researched by the manufacture so as to fit in their existing production line. It is expected to be about ten percent.

Oils and Fats

Trans fats must be strictly avoided in preparing the biscuit mix. They are also banned in many countries now but any other healthy oil or fat may be used. Palm oil or Sunflower oil are good choices

Micronutrients

How to get natural micronutrients in the biscuits is a unique feature of NEF biscuits. For this finely chopped leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, mustard, alpa alpha (lucerne) leaves or goosefoot are boiled or pressure cooked with a little water. The water is drained out, cooled and used as the water to prepare the biscuit mix rather than plain water. Vegetables are not directly used in the biscuit mix so as to maintain their consistency but boiling removes the water-soluble micronutrients into the water that is then used for preparing the biscuits.

Flavoring

Although such biscuits can be plain with just the appropriate amount of salt added, more natural herbal flavors or spices may be added. This note is not recommending any here because the choice is vast in this area. A good place to use as guidance is to refer to potato chips. Two of them are this authors favorite, Pringles and Lays.

Variety

A natural instinct of a human is to look for variety in food. A human is easily turned off from the same food if offered daily. Variety can easily be introduced in NEF biscuits by using different permutations and combinations of the ingredients suggested in this note. It is easily possible for any biscuit manufacturer to begin with two types, later expanding to four and varying these in future, based on market response.

If a manufacturer takes up production of NEF biscuits, they may wish to prepare lots with simple paper packaging for relief, army and school supplies as well as a fancy colorful packaging for others who purchase biscuits from stores and super-markets. The Health benefits of such a biscuit will be an aid to marketing. Thus any manufacturer who takes up the production of NEF biscuits would do both - make money and do social service. The best wishes of this author are with any prospective biscuit maker.

This author can be contacted easily as a comment to this post for more information or just a thank you note. :- ). He receives email notifications of all.