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Scientists root for more consumption of silverfish
Silverfish being prepared for a meal. Scientists at Makerere University have called for frequent consumption of silverfish to tackle the escalating cases of malnutrition in the country. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- "We did an analysis and found that silverfish is rich in these nutrients than the big fish and they would help the country address issue of malnutrition,” Dr Jackson Efitre, principal investigator
Scientists at Makerere University have called for frequent consumption of silverfish, commonly known as mukene, to tackle the escalating cases of malnutrition in the country.
Dr Jackson Efitre, a senior lecturer in the Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, said families should consume silverfish at least three times a week to meet the minimum amount of nutrients required for a healthy body.
Dr Efitre explained that silver fish is rich in nutrients such as zinc and calcium, which are needed for proper growth and development.
“We did an analysis and found that silverfish is rich in these nutrients than the big fish, and they would help the country address issue of malnutrition,” he said.
He was speaking at the launch of five high-value nutritious products developed by the university using mukene under Nutrifish, which is implemented by the Makerere University College of Natural Sciences yesterday. The products include baby food, snacks, sauce, maize meal and seasoning.
“Zinc is required for the body to develop especially for children, they have calcium for bone formation for young children and iron, needed in the manufacturing of blood. People think that mukene is for the poor and food for animals and poultry, but we know that they are also very rich in these nutrients,” he added.
Dr Efitre, who doubles as the principal investigator of the Nutrifish project, noted that the three-year Nutrifish project, which was funded by the International Development Research Centre in Canada and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research to a tune of Shs7.3b, was conceived in response to the high rates of malnutrition in the country.
He said limited access to micronutrient-rich foods and animal protein is a key factor behind nutritional deficiencies in Uganda.
It is recommended that individuals consume around 25kgs of fish per year but in Uganda, only half of this amount is consumed and fish intake is anticipated to decline as the population grows.
The project also looked at the issue of gender in the fisheries value chain, right from fishing, processing to marketing as well as enhancing capacities of institutions and individuals and post-harvest handling.
Ms Hellen Adoa, the State Minister for Fisheries, said consumption of fish is key in increasing nutritional security, especially among the elderly, pregnant women and children.
In her speech read by the acting director of fishers in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Tom Bukenya, Minister Adoa said fish as a commodity in the Ministry of Agriculture’s Strategic Plan was fetching $177m (Shs654b) for the country on an annual basis, the highest revenue the country has ever earned from the commodity.
