DEVELOPMENT OF DALI NI HORBO AS A NUTRITIOUS LOCAL FOOD ALTERNATIVE FOR TODDLERS AMONG MUSLIM WOMEN IN HUMBANG HASUNDUTAN REGENCY

Abstract

Nutritious local foods require processing innovations that are appropriate for young children, religious values, and household conditions. This participatory educational community engagement program aimed to develop Dali Ni Horbo, a traditional buffalo-milk-based local food, into sweet sticks, savory sticks, and cookies and to evaluate product acceptance among 40 Muslim women with children under five in Humbang Hasundutan Regency. The program included nutrition and halal-thayyib education, food-processing demonstrations, hygiene and sanitation education, observation of participant engagement, and hedonic evaluation of color, aroma, taste, and texture. All three products showed high levels of acceptance. Sweet sticks tended to receive the highest ratings for color, aroma, and taste, whereas cookies received the highest rating for texture. Participants also demonstrated active engagement through discussions, questions, and interest in trying similar food preparation at home. These findings indicate that Dali Ni Horbo diversification has potential as a caregiver-accepted local-food innovation and may support Muslim women’s practical engagement in household food management. In practical terms, this approach may contribute to improving the variety and quality of foods provided to young children and thereby support efforts to maintain adequate nutritional status, although its direct effects on child nutritional outcomes require further evaluation.