Cookies from fishbone

This time, it’s cookies made from fish bones.

This calcium-enriched food produce from milkfish scraps has been developed by researchers of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), a multi-campus tertiary institution in La Union who main campus is in Sapilang, Bacnotan.

Conducted by DMMMSU-Institute of Fisheries researchers Aurora Afalla, Pomy Lachica, and Cirila Domondon, the study was funded by the Deprtment of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR)-Region I.

The technology was one of those presented at the Aquatic Technology Competition and Marketplace (ATCOM) sponsored by the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (DOST-PCAMRD) during the observance of its 20th anniversary last Jan. 30-31.

In the study, three formulations were made: F-1 (25 grams of fish bone powder and  75 g of ordinary four), F-2 (50 g fish bone powder and 50 g ordinary flour) and F-2 (75 g fish bone powder and 25 g ordinary flour).

The fourth formulation (control) consisted of 100 grams of ordinary flour.

The DMMMSU-IF researchers reported that Formulation 2 was the most accepted by the panelists with a rating of “like very much,” Formulation 3 ranked second whilke F-1 was the least accepted.

The potential of a venture on making cookies out of milkfish bones is bright considering that the booming “boneless bangus” industry in La Union and neighboring Pangasinan produces great volume of scraps.

The Anjo’s Farm and Sandoval Farm, Pangasinan’s two major producers of boneless bangus, reported that an average of 2,000 pieces of milkfish are deboned everyday.

Health-wise, milkfish bone is a good source of calcium, a mineral needed by the body and protein for the development of worn-out tissues.

Studies have shown that many Filiinos are deficient in minerals, including calcium. Most aged women are prone to osteoporosis when their food intakes is deficit in calcium.

Cookies from fish bones, anyone! — Rudy A. Fernandez