Development of a flowable, tahini-based emergency food with extended shelf life for disaster nutrition

Disasters create critical challenges in ensuring adequate nutrition for affected populations due to disrupted infrastructure and supply chains.High-energy, shelf-stable, and easily consumable foods are essential for rapid and effective disaster response.This study aimed to develop and evaluate an innovative tahini-based emergency food featuring a flowable consistency, extended shelf life, and optimized nutritional composition.Two formulations were compared: a developed product (28% tahini) and a control sample (70% tahini + 30% grape molasses).Nutritional analysis indicated that the developed formulation exhibited higher energy density (541.84 kcal 100 g -¹) than the control (488.4 kcal 100 g -¹), along with comparable protein content (12.6 g 100 g -¹ vs. 12.23 g 100 g -¹).Peroxide value analysis confirmed superior oxidative stability over two months (0.007 meq O₂ kg -¹), remaining well below the safety threshold.Sensory evaluation revealed higher overall acceptability for the developed product (3.7 ± 0.02) compared to the control (2.8 ± 0.02), with significant differences in key attributes such as spoonability and fluidity (P < 0.05).Unlike traditional tahini-based products (e.g., halva), the formulated product is flowable, nutritionally strategic, and operationally suitable for post-disaster scenarios, addressing a significant gap in emergency nutrition solutions.These findings provide a foundation for future research on fortified, tahini-based formulations tailored to humanitarian aid programs.