State of the art of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food: A tool for nutraceuticals addition to foodstuff

Therapeutic foodstuff are a challenge for the use of food and functional food ingredients in the therapy of different pathologies. Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) are a mixture of nutrients designed and primarily addressed to the therapy of the severe acute malnutrition. The main ingredients of the formulation are powdered milk, peanuts butter, vegetal oil, sugar, and a mix of vitamins, salts, and minerals. The potential of this food are the low percentage of free water and the high energy and nutritional density. The high cost of the powdered milk, and the food safety problems connected to the onset of toxigenic moulds on the peanuts butter, slowed down considerably the widespread and homogenous diffusion of this product. This paper presents the state of the art of RUTF, reviews the different proposed recipes, suggests some possible new formulations as an alternative of novel recipes for this promising food.

► Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) are mixtures of nutrients addressed to specific health conditions.
► RUTF contain powdered milk, peanuts butter or toasted cereal, vegetable oil, sugar, vitamins, salts, and minerals.
► RUTF have a low percentage of free water and an high energy and nutritional density.
► RUTF can be added with specific food and nutrients to complement and help treatment of pathologies.
► RUTF are new foodstuff that can be specifically formulated and addressed to therapeutic use.