Development of mackerel meal-based RUFF (<i>Ready-to-Use Fish Food</i>) product with the addition of sardine, soybean, and red palm oil in malnourished rat models

RUFF (Ready-to-Use Fish Food) has been formulated to address severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children under five. However, its effect on malnourished models has not been reported. This study explains how mackerel meal-based RUFF with sardine, soybean, and red palm oil affects body weight in malnourished rats. Using a completely randomized design, 25 male Sprague-Dawley rats were split into five groups: reference (standard diet), control (protein deficiency 5%), protein-deficiency + sardine oil treatment (PD FO; RUFF A), protein-deficiency + soybean oil treatment (PD SO; RUFF B), and protein deficiency + red palm oil treatment (PD RO; RUFF C). After 14 days of inducing malnutrition, the treatment groups received RUFF. The study found that the RUFF formulation met the nutritional standards set by FAO and WHO for RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food). In terms of growth, the body weight of the treatment group increased significantly. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in the PD FO (p = 0,001), PD SO (p = 0,007), and PD RO (p = 0,001) treatment groups. This study shows that RUFF products, adding sardine, soybean, and red palm oil, can improve the nutritional status of malnourished animal models, which can be further studied in human subjects.