Effectiveness of Providing High-Protein Snacks from Tempe on Weight Gain in Malnourished Children: A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i3.1022Keywords:
child malnutrition, high-protein, snack, tempe, weight gainAbstract
Malnutrition can lead to growth retardation. Untreated malnutrition can trigger weight faltering, which can lead to a 15-20 point decrease in IQ scores and impact a child's learning ability and cognitive function. Malnutrition in children is caused by diets that do not meet nutritional needs, particularly low-protein diets. This deficiency can potentially lead to an imbalance in the gut microbiota and interfere with optimal nutrient absorption. Therefore, innovations are needed in the form of practical, protein-rich snacks from tempe. This study aims to review the effectiveness of providing high-protein snacks from tempe on weight gain in malnourished children based on recent research findings. This study employed a literature review method by searching relevant articles online through Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases. The inclusion criteria were full-text articles, involving Children aged 1 to 12 years, published within the last five years (2020–2025), written in English or Indonesian, and relevant to the research topic. The literature search was conducted through several scientific databases using relevant keywords, resulting in 434 articles in the initial identification stage and five eligible articles were reviewed and analyzed to evaluate the impact of providing high-protein snacks from tempe on weight gain in malnourished children. Providing high-protein tempeh snacks has a significant effect on weight gain in malnourished children, with weight gain ranging from 0.2 kg to 0.5 kg. Providing high-protein snacks can increase the weight of children with malnutrition.
References
Ahnan-Winarno AD, Cordeiro L, Winarno FG, Gibbons J, Xiao H.(2021). Tempeh: a semicentennial review on its health benefits, fermentation, safety, processing, sustainability, and affordability. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 20:1717–67. https:// doi. org/ 10.
Almatsier, S. (2010). Prinsip Dasar Ilmu Gizi. PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Fujiana, F., Pondaag, V. T., Afra, A., Evy, F., & Fadly, D. (2021). Potensi pangan fermentasi tempe dalam mengatasi kejadian stunting di Indonesia. Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan, 15(2), 20–26.
Hadi, P., & Ayuningrum, I. (2021). Role of tempeh as a functional food for chronic disease prevention. Food Science and Nutrition, 9(4), 1535–1542. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2440.
Kamil RZ, Murdiati A, Juffrie M, Nakayama J, Rahayu ES (2021). Gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid profile between normal and moderate malnutrition children in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Microorganisms 9(127), 1–15. https://doi.org/10. 3390/microorganisms9010127
Kemenkes. (2020). Tabel komposisi Pangan Indonesia (TKPI). Jakarta: Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia.
Khan, D. S. A., Das, J. K., Zareen, S., Lassi, Z. S., Salman, A., Raashid, M., Dero, A. A., Khanzada, A., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2022). Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of School-Age Children and Early Adolescents: Systematic Review in a Developing Country and Lessons for the Global Perspective. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8(February). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.739447
Layman, D. K. (2024). Impacts of protein quantity and distribution on body composition. May, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1388986
Millward, D. J. (2021). Interactions between Growth of Muscle and Stature : Mechanisms Involved and Their Nutritional Sensitivity to Dietary Protein : The Protein-Stat Revisited. 1–63.
Mushollini, F., Salimo, H., & Sari, LRK (2023). Differences in Food Intake (Energy, Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate) in Wasting Children Due to Giving Purple Sweet Potato Cake and Tempeh Flour. Prosiding Muhammadiyah International Public Health and Medicine , 3 .
Narchi, H., Alblooshi, A., Altunaiji, M., Alali, N., Alshehhi, L., Alshehhi, H., Almazrouei, A., Alsuwaidi, A. R., & Souid, A. K. (2021). Prevalence of thinness and its effect on height velocity in schoolchildren. BMC Research Notes, 14(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05500-3
Nasibar, A., & Sari, D. K. (2022). Giving Cookies Made From Purple Sweet Potato And Tempeh To The Improvement Of Weight In Wasting Todlers. Journal of Nutrition and Health. Volume 2 No.1. https://doi.org/ 10.36086/jgk.v2i1.
Panwar, V., Singh, A., Bhatt, M., Tonk, R. K., Azizov, S., Raza, A. S., & Sengupta, S. (2023). Multifaceted role of mTOR ( mammalian target of rapamycin ) signaling pathway in human health and disease. July. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01608-z
Pilco CJ, Torres DN, Ramón R. Analysis of protein, fiber content and amino acid profiles in tempeh obtained by fermentation of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) with Rhizopus oligosporus. EurAsia Biosci. 2019;13:1195–9.
Purwandari, U., Hidayati, D., Rahman, A., Nurhidayah, E. S., & Purwantini, I. (2025). Exploring the profile of amino acids and ethnography study in the biodiversity of tempeh as fermented foods of Indonesia. Journal of Ethnic Foods. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-025-00285-3
Yulianto, Telisa I & Andini Putri Pertiwi. (2022). The Effectiveness of Giving Yellow Pumpkin Flour Biscuits and Tempeh Flour on Weight Changes in Undernourished Toddlers at the Punti Kayu Community Health Center, Palembang. Media Kesehatan Polytechnic of Public Health.
Rehman, S. U., Ali, R., Zhang, H., Zafar, M. H., & Wang, M. (2023). Research progress in the role and mechanism of Leucine in regulating animal growth and development. November, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1252089
Santoso, B. (2020). Tempeh processing and nutritional benefits of tempeh for health. Jakarta: Healthy Nutrition Publisher
Sigit, D., & Wahyuni, S. (2023). Improving the health and nutrition of children through tempe-based food interventions in Indonesia. Asian Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10(2), 75–82.
Simatupang, R., & Nainggolan, T. (2022). The Effectiveness Of Consumption Of Tempeh Nuggets On Weight Gain Of Undernourished Toddlers. 10(3), 2432–2437.
Sjarif. (2021). Guide for health workers: prevention of nutritional problems in the first 1000 days of life: early detection of malnutrition risk and guidance on proper feeding of infants and toddlers. Jakarta: Directorate of Nutrition and KIA, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Patent number: EC00202117595.
Suryani Kusumawati, I., Pujiani, Widodo, D., Irma, R., Pasaribu, D,.(2022) Early Childhood Nutritional Health. Medan : Kita Menulis Fondation
Imbransyah., & Mangkurat, U. L. (2022). Analysis of the Effect of Tempeh Nuggets on Children's Body Weight. Nerspedia, Volume 3, Nomor 2, 2021: 277-283
World Food Programme (WFP). (2024). Indonesia Country Brief: Global Hunger Index 2024. Rome: WFP. https://www.wfp.org/countries/indonesia
Winarti, P. A., Kristianto, Y., Setyobudi, S. I., & Palupi, F. D. (2024). Biscuit formulation as supplementary food for malnourished underfive children using tempeh flour. Media Gizi Kesmas, 13(1), 352–361.
Xiong, T., Wu, Y., Hu, J., Xu, S., Li, Y., Kong, B., Zhang, Z., Chen, L., Tang, Y., Yao, P., Xiong, J., & Li, Y. (2023). Associations between High Protein Intake, Linear Growth, and Stunting in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients, 15(22), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15224821
Yarmaliza, S. N. (2020). Tempeh broth as a specific intervention in preventing stunting. Journal of Health. Volume 11 Number 1 01, 1–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.35730/jk.v11i1.461
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.







