MMFEC intern improves nutrition bar for women farmers of Senegal
Dominic Pisaneschi has been interning at MMFEC since June of this year. He recently graduated from Montana State University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and has been working with the MSU Food Product Development Lab. Pisaneschi’s internship with MMFEC will explore the efficiency of a peanut nutrition bar and improve its process to lower its carbon footprint. The nutrition bar is called Bonbon Bouye. It contains baobab powder, a power derived from the fruit of the Baobab tree– or “Tree of Life” — and has several health enhancing properties and is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
A team at MSU partnered with women farmers in Senegal to create the original nutrition bar recipe with an aspiration to create a nutritious kid’s snack while supporting women farmers. Dominic’s studies in disadvantaged groups connected him to the project and inspired him to find a more efficient way to produce the bar to increase the benefit to the women and children of Senegal.
Dominic’s work has been successful in lowering the carbon footprint of Bonbon Bouye Bar by sourcing ingredients that are more carbon friendly and have a reduced environmental impact. The bar will soon go into commercialized production, and the proceeds will support the women farmers of Senegal as originally intended. Dominic’s study concludes this month, but he will continue his work with the MSU food lab and pursue his passion towards positive change in our food system.
Pisaneschi’s research was co-funded by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research New Innovator Award and the Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention grant. The content of his research publication and of this blog post are the responsibility and views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.
