Optimization of nutritional and sensory qualities of complementary foods prepared from sorghum, soybean, karkade and premix in Benishangul - Gumuz region, Ethiopia

Process Standardization of Functionally Enriched Millet-Based Nutri-Cereal Mix Using D-Optimal Design Approach for Enhancing Food and Nutritional Security

Millets are currently employed in a variety of ways, including direct consumption and usage in the manufacture of certain cuisines or snacks. The present investigation was aimed at optimizing functionally enriched millet-based nutri-cereal mix comprising chicken and vegetable for a nutrition-deficient population. A total of 16 experiments were carried out by using optimal (custom) design model of mixture design with 60% major ingredients, including malted sorghum flour (20-30%), malted green gram flour (15-25%), and boiled chicken powder (5-15%). To make 100% of the total nutri-cereal mixture, other ingredients such as malted pearl millet (10%), finger millet flour (10%), beetroot powder (2.5%), pumpkin powder (7.5%), skimmed milk powder (9.5%), and stevia powder (0.5%) were added. Numerical optimization was done using Design Expert software, version 13. The optimized ratio was 30% malted sorghum flour, 15% malted green gram flour, and 15% chicken powder. The predicted values of responses 5.101%, 3.616%, 1.963%, 11.165%, 28.005%, 50.149%, 330.282 kcal, and 0.373 were in accordance with experimental values 6.426%, 3.455%, 1.714%, 11.432%, 29.12%, 47.853%, 323.318 kcal, and 0.385 for moisture, ash, fat, fiber, protein, carbohydrates, energy, and water activity, respectively, with a small error percentage. The results of mineral content, phenolic content, and amino acid profiling revealed that the optimized Nutri-cereal mix have higher amounts of these components. The results also suggested that the optimized Nutri-cereal mix of these malted millet flours can potentially enhance the nutritional deficiency as well as improve food and nutritional security.

Evaluation of the quality and safety of commercial complementary foods: Implications for nutrient adequacy and conformance with national and international standards

Optimal nutrition in early childhood increases growth and development while preventing morbidity and mortality in later life. This study focused on the quality and safety of 32 commercially produced complementary foods collected from supermarkets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, and ash); and the mineral profile (calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, and magnesium) were determined using the AOAC method. The determination of antinutritional factors (Condensed tannin and oxalate) was done using a UV spectrophotometer. A rapid visco analyzer was used to measure the rheological property. The microbial load of commercially produced complimentary foods was identified using aerobic colony counts for mold and yeast. Labeling practice was evaluated using the WHO and Ethiopian standard tools. The results of proximate compositions were: protein (0.92-18.16 g/100g), fat (0.63-6.44 g/100g), crude fiber (1.04-13.2 g/100g), energy (410-337 kcal/100g), moisture (0.03-17 g/100g), and ash (0.60-4.67 g/100g). The protein and fat content of all the products is below international standards. Only three products met the standards for energy. Moisture and ash contents partially met the requirement, while all of the carbohydrate contents of the products fell under the specified standard. The lowest and highest mineral contents of the products were: Fe (1.38 to 15.10 mg/100g), Zn (0.64 to 6.78 mg/100g), Ca (30.55 to 364.45 mg/100g), Mg (1.2 to 34.2 mg/100g), and Mn (0.80 to 32 mg/100g). Based on these, 21.5% of the foods met the Fe standard, and 31.5% didn't meet the Zn standard. The Ca and Mg of all the products met the requirement. Except for one product, all met standards. The highest and lowest results for the tannin and oxalate content of the products were 49.20 to 90.09 mg/100g and 0.47 to 30.10 mg/100g, respectively and this shows that the products are below the permissible range for tannin and oxalate. The counts of yeast and mold were 0.00-2.95 log10 cfu/g and 0.00-2.91 log10 cfu/g, respectively. Only one product fell below the standard for yeast count, and none of the products showed a mold count that exceeded the standard. The final viscosity was 63.5-3476 RVU, and only 31.25% of the samples fell under the permissible peak viscosity range, of 83-250 RVU. Thus, regular monitoring of the raw material and processing trends and the inclusion of animal sources in the raw material are suggested for having well-enriched complementary foods. Regulatory bodies should also conduct frequent market surveillance to safeguard the health of the consumer.

Optimization of a formula to develop iron-dense novel composite complementary flour with a reduced phytate/minerals molar ratio from dabi teff-field pea-based blends using a D-optimal mixture design

Iron deficiency anemia is one of the major public health problems in children associated with the inadequate intake of bioavailable iron. Thus, this research was aimed at incorporating dabi teff, an underutilized/forgotten crop, into other pre-processed local food crops, viz., germinated maize, roasted barley, roasted field pea, dehulled oats, and linseed, to develop optimized iron-dense novel composite complementary flour with a reduced phytate/minerals molar ratio. Nutrisurvey software was employed to define ranges, and they were constrained at 20-35% dabi teff, 0-30% field pea, and 5-20% maize, while the remaining were kept constant at 25% barley, 15% oats, and 5% linseed. Eleven experimental runs were generated from the six mixture components using Stat-Ease Design Expert® software version 11, D-optimal. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry was used to determine micronutrients. 'Scheffe' regression was used to fit and test the model's adequacy, and numerical multi-response optimization was performed using the Design Expert® to identify the optimal points. Dabi teff had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) iron content at 86.5 mg/100 g, iron density at 24.53 mg/100 kcal, and calcium content at 123.59 mg/100 g. The new formulations had a significantly higher iron content (3.31-4.36 times), iron density (3.25-4.27 times), and calcium content (1.49-1.58 times), as compared to the control flour, and fulfilled FAO/WHO recommendations. The optimal formula was identified at 34.66% dabi teff, 25% barley, 15% oats, 15.34% field pea, 5% linseed, and 5% maize flour ratios, with response values at the overall optimization as 32.21 mg/100 g iron, 77.51 mg/100 g calcium, 2.59 mg/100 g zinc, 0.233 phytate/iron molar ratio (Ph:Fe), 0.067 phytate/calcium molar ratio (Ph:Ca), 3.43 phytate/zinc molar ratio (Ph:Zn), and 6.63 phytate by calcium to zinc molar ratio (Ph*Ca:Zn). Furthermore, it contained iron at a level that is 2.01 times higher than the standard and 4.44 times higher than the control, as well as an iron density of 8.47 mg/100 kcal, which was 4.39 times higher than that of the control. These findings showed that the optimized dabi teff-field pea based iron-dense novel composite complementary flour with enhanced bioavailability can be developed and used as a sustainable food-based strategy to combat iron deficiency anemia among children in less developed countries, such as Ethiopia.

Optimization of dabi teff-field pea based energy and protein dense novel complementary food with improved sensory acceptability using D-optimal mixture design

Protein-energy malnutrition is unacceptably high among children in developing countries due to inadequate required nutrients and poor quality of complementary foods characterized by low protein and energy density and often monotonous. Thus, this research was aimed at examining the potential of including dabi teff, the underutilized/forgotten crop into pre-processed local food crops viz., germinated maize, roasted barley, roasted field pea, dehulled oats and linseed to develop energy and protein-dense optimized novel complementary food with improved sensory acceptability. Nutrisurvey software was employed to define ranges and they were constrained at 20-35% dabi teff, 0-30% field pea and 5-20% maize, while the rest were set constant at 25% barley, 15% oats and 5% linseed. Eleven experimental runs were generated from the six mixture components using D-optimal mixture design, Stat-Ease Design Expert ® software version 11. A 5-point Hedonic scale was used to evaluate the sensory attributes. 'Scheffe' regression was used to fit and test model adequacy and numerical multi-response optimization was performed to identify optimal points using the Design expert. Field pea and linseed contained significantly higher (P < 0.05) protein at 20.95% and 20.57%. The newly formulated products contained significantly higher protein (1.4-1.6 times) and protein density (1.31-1.56 times) as compared to the control and fulfilled the recommended standard. The optimal was identified at 34.66% dabi teff, 25% barley, 15% oats, 15.34% field pea, 5% linseed and 5% maize flour ratios with response values at overall optimization to be 5.57% moisture, 15.74% protein, 5.09% fat, 2.26% ash, 2.88% fiber, 73.05% carbohydrate, 380.43 kcal/100 g energy and 4.12 sensory acceptability score and it contained an energy density of 1.27 kcal/g and protein density of 4.14 g/100kacl. These findings showed that optimized dabi teff-field pea based novel complementary food can be used as a sustainable food-based strategy to combat protein-energy malnutrition among children in developing countries.

Nutritional quality, functional property and acceptability of maize (Zea mays) based complementary foods enriched with defatted groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) and ginger (Zinger officinale Roscoe) powder in Wistar rats

Traditional complementary foods in Africa are cereal-based, low in nutrient-density; hence, causing severe-acute-malnutrition. This study was aimed to formulate and evaluate nutritional quality of complementary foods (CF) using locally available food materials. Yellow maize (raw, germinated & fermented), defatted groundnut (DGF) and ginger flour (GGF) were blended to obtain RDG (76.7% raw yellow maize, 20.8% DGF and 2.5% GGF), GDG (74.4% germinated yellow maize, 23.1% DGF, 2.5% GGF), and FDG (72.6% fermented yellow maize, 24.9% DGF, 2.5% GGF). Food samples were evaluated for nutritional qualities and sensory attributes using standard methods. Protein (g/100 g), energy value (kCal/100 g), total amino acids and essential amino acids (g/100 g protein) of formulated CF ranged from 19.38 to 28.58, 373.49 to 394.53, 87.33 to 91.89 and 36.17 to 37.63, respectively, and were comparable to control (17.07, 401.22, 94.47 & 35.35). Minerals were present in appreciable amount in the foods, while phytate/mineral (Ca, Fe, Zn) and oxalate/calcium molar ratios were lower than critical levels. Bulk density (1.4 - 1.6 g/mL), least gelation (4 - 6%), water absorption capacity (10.5 - 15.8%) and swelling capacity (0.5 - 1.2%) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in formulated CF than in control, except for bulk density. Biological value (78.44%) of FDG was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than GDG (78.4%) and RDG (75.87%), respectively, but lower than control (93.48%). Pack cell volume (22.50%), haemoglobin concentration (7.5 g/dL), red blood cell (3 ×  103 mm− 3), albumin (3.72 g/dL), total blood protein (5.62 g/dL) and globulin (1.9 g/dL) of rats fed on FDG were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than other diets, but comparable to that of control. Kidney (urea, 10.16 mg/dL; creatinine, 4.8 mg/dL) and liver function index (AST/ALT ratio, 0.38) of rats fed on FDG were lower than in those rats fed on RDG, GDG and control. For sensorial attributes, RDG was ranked best next by FDG in appearance, aroma, texture, taste and overall acceptability, but were significantly (p < 0.05) rated lower than control. Finally, the study established that FDG (72.6% fermented yellow maize, 24.9% defatted groundnut and 2.5% ginger) was the best in nutritional quality and growth performance in rats; hence, this CF may be suitable to mitigate expensive commercial infant formula in alleviating severe-acute-malnutrition in children.

Graphical abstract

Processing and optimisation of complementary food blends from roasted pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and soybean (Glycine max) using response surface modeling

Adequate nutrition is vital during infancy but the high cost of supplemented infant formulae has forced inhabitants of Central and West Africa to depend solely on low-nutrient gruels. Response Surface modelling was used to process a complementary food from roasted pearl millet and Soybean flour. A central composite design was adopted to study the effects of feed composition X1 (5.86-34.14%) and roasting temperature X2 (126-154 °C) on the micronutrients, functional, and sensory profiles of the different blends. The responses were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the independent factors. For the vitamins in mg/100 g, the thiamin, riboflavin, folate, and β-carotene content ranged from 0.17-0.33, 24-53.50, 1.32-2.29, and 7-22.98, respectively. For the minerals in mg/100 g, the zinc, calcium, potassium, and iron content ranged from 0.35-0.54, 39.5-62.75, 1.2-1.8, and 0.017-0.18, respectively. The viscosity, bulk density, swelling capacity, water absorption capacity, and pH ranged from 1577.5-942.5 cP, 0.74-0.79 g/cm3, 0.10-0.30 ml/g, 1.2-1.4 ml/g, and 4.70-5.70, respectively. The sensory scores were rated highly by the panelists. The optimum processing conditions with a desirability of 0.50 gave 29.28% and 130.39 °C feed composition and roasting temperature, respectively.

Protein Quality and Sensory Perception of Hamburgers Based on Quinoa, Lupin and Corn

The need for partial or total substitution of animal protein sources by vegetable sources of high protein quality with good sensory acceptance is a promising alternative. The objective was to develop a hamburger with vegetable protein using a mixture design based on quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), Peruvian Andean corn (Zea mays) and Andean lupine (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet). The design of these mixtures allowed obtaining eleven formulations, three of which were selected for complying with the amino acid intake for adults recommended by FAO. Then, a completely randomized design was applied to the selected samples plus a commercial product. Proximal composition was measured on a dry basis (protein, fat, carbohydrates, and ash), calculation of the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) and a sensory analysis was carried out using the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method with acceptability in 132 regular consumers of vegetarian products. Protein, fat, carbohydrate, and ash contents ranged from 18.5–24.5, 4.1–7.5, 65.4–72.1 and 2.8–5.9%, respectively. The use of Andean crops favored the protein content and the contribution of sulfur amino acids (SAA) and tryptophan from quinoa and lysine and threonine from lupin. The samples with Andean crops were described as easy to cut, soft, good, healthy, legume flavor, tasty and light brown, however the commercial sample was characterized as difficult to cut, hard, dark brown, uneven color, dry and grainy. The sample with 50% quinoa and 50% lupin was the most acceptable and reached a digestibility of 0.92. It complied with the lysine, threonine, and tryptophan intake, with the exception of SAA, according to the essential amino acid pattern proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Optimization of nutritional and sensory properties of fermented oat-based composite beverage

Oat (Avena sativa) is well-known for its nutritional value and health-promoting properties. There are only a few oat-based value-added products on the market in Ethiopia, and this study attempted to develop a new product that is both nutritionally enhanced and sensory acceptable, therefore, the objective of this study was to optimize the nutritional and sensory properties of a beverage made from oat, lupine (Lupinus albus), stinging nettle (Urtica simensis), and premix. D-optimal mixture experimental design was used to generate 11 runs applying the following constraints: 60–70% toasted oat, 10–25% roasted and soaked de-bittered white lupine, 5–15% boiled stinging nettle leaves, and 10% premix (flour of toasted black cardamom (2.8%), malted wheat (2.8%), pumpkin (2.6%), spiced chili peppers (1.1%), and table salt (0.7%). Statistical model evaluation and optimization were carried out using Minitab 19 software. The nutritional composition of the product was assessed, and results show that increasing the proportion of oat flour in the blend resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in fat, carbohydrate, gross energy, and mineral contents (Fe, Zn). An increase in lupine flour increased crude protein, crude fiber, gross energy, phytate, tannin, oxalate, and antinutrient to mineral molar ratios. In contrast increased in stinging nettle leaf powder increased the ash and beta-carotene contents. Sensory of 11 composite sample beverages and control (90% oat plus 10% premix) were also carried out by 50 untrained panelists. Consequently, eight responses were optimized: protein, fat, Fe, Zn, beta-carotene, taste, appearance, and overall acceptability. The optimal blending ratio obtained was 70% oats, 11.3% lupine, 8.7% stinging nettle flour, and 10.0% premix. The study's findings suggested that the optimal combination of these traditionally processed ingredients in a beverage can be considered a valuable food with the potential to improve diet quality.

Optimization of nutritional and functional qualities of local complementary foods of southern Ethiopia using a customized mixture design

Commercially produced complementary foods are inaccessible to rural households in Ethiopia. This study aimed to optimize the nutritional and functional properties of local complementary foods using flours of the following locally available crops: maize, red kidney bean, kocho, and pumpkin fruit. Ten formulations were generated using a customized mixture design. A five-point hedonic scale was used for the determination of organoleptic properties, and standard methods were used for the analyses of nutritional composition and functional properties. The flours were mixed in the range of 20%-30% for kocho, 10%-25% for pumpkin fruit, 10%-40% for red kidney bean, and 15%-30% for maize. Optimal nutritional and functional properties were obtained using 33.5% kocho, 22.5% maize, 17.5% pumpkin, and 26.5% red kidney bean. Optimal values for functional properties were 0.86 g/ml, 5.94 ml/g, 4.14 ml/g, 2.96 g/g, 5.0 ml/g, and 1225.3 cP for bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling capacity, swelling index, and viscosity, respectively. All formulations were within acceptable limits with scores ranging from 3.00 to 4.32 on a scale of 5. The inclusion of 25% pumpkin fruit flour and other ingredients between 20% and 30% increased the pro-vitamin A carotenoid and vitamin E contents of the composite flours. Aside from optimization, a higher concentration of limiting amino acids was achieved with 40% kidney beans and 15%-25% of the other ingredients. The mineral contents improved with increasing pumpkin, kidney bean, and kocho. To sum up, the nutrient quality, energy density, and functional quality of complementary foods can be optimized at a low cost using local ingredients.