The long wait is over! Tubig Talino is now available in Nasugbu, Batangas. The Riverside Multipurpose Cooperative (RMPC) prepared for the production of Iodine-rich Drinking Water (Tubig Talino) through a technology transfer training held at their water purification facility in Brgy. Bulihan, Nasugbu, Batangas, on September 6th and 7th.
The implementation of the Tubig Talino technology for RMPC is part of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Batangas’ Grants-in-Aid Community-based project. The project aims to transfer the Tubig Talino technology as the cooperative’s new business venture, which will contribute to the government’s program to control iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in the country. A licensing agreement between DOST-FNRI and RMPC was established prior to the training to formalize the adoption of Tubig Talino.
Tubig Talino, developed by the DOST Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), is purified ordinary potable water mixed with Water Plus Iodine (I2), which can be consumed to improve the iodine intake of Filipinos, resulting in better health. According to FNRI, 5 ml of Water Plus I2 can make 20 liters of Tubig Talino, meeting 33% of the body’s daily iodine requirement.
Like ordinary water, Tubig Talino has no adverse taste and a stable shelf life of six months and two weeks. According to DOST-FNRI, sufficient consumption of iodine from water helps absorb essential micronutrients, speeding up brain development among children and preventing iodine deficiency disorders in adults. The body’s thyroid gland also uses iodine to produce thyroid hormones that help control growth, repair damaged cells, and support a healthy metabolism. A Tubig Talino efficacy study conducted by DOST-FNRI demonstrated that it could help improve students’ academic performance.
During the technology transfer training, production workers of RMPC were trained on the iodine premix preparation and the chemical analysis titration method to determine the amount of iodine required for an iodine premix. The amount of premix needed for preparing iodine-rich drinking water was also discussed with the production workers involved. Mr. John Lester G. Ramirez and Ms. Filipiniana Baes-Bragas of DOST-FNRI served as resource speakers during the training.#