Development of weaning food from sorghum supplemented with legumes and oil seeds

Designing sustainable weaning foods for developing countries: not only a matter of nutrients

Blended complementary foods from cereals and high-protein sources are used worldwide to cope with infants' malnutrition. However, the usefulness of the food matrix during traditional processes reaches suboptimal effectiveness due to cereal gelatinization and viscosity, which reduce consumption. The interplay between nutritional and physical qualities needed for weaning children presents further significant constraints. A combination of processing methods can improve and optimize the overall product quality. This paper investigated the nutritional, functional, and anti-nutritional factors of a complementary infant porridge made by combining fermented sorghum flour with germinated bottle gourd seed flour. Overall, the combination improved the functional and physical properties of the porridge suitable for children of 10 months and over. A serving of 100 g would contribute 115-145% and 23-31% of the recommended nutritional intake of protein and energy, respectively, for low breast milk energy between 6-24 months. The results demonstrate that a combination of strategies and technologies are needed to balance nutritional and physical quality.

Anchovy powder enrichment in brown rice-based instant cereal: a process optimization study using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

There is a need for expanding the utilization of small fish as they constitute an undervalued and important source of protein and micronutrients in many developing countries suffering from micronutrient deficiencies. One way to increase consumption and health benefits is to add nutrient-rich fish meal into staple food ingredients. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the processing of an instant rice-based cereal enriched with anchovy powder. The Box-Behnken design was used to study the effect of principal processing variables (drying temperature, drum rotation speed, and slurry solids concentration) on product water activity, color, bulk density, and water solubility index. Viscosity, consistency, and cohesiveness of the reconstitute cereal were also evaluated. Empirical models were developed to describe the relationship between independent and dependent variables and showed regression coefficients (R 2) ranging between 71% and 98%. Higher drying temperatures resulted in reduced water activity, darker product color, and lower consistency. While drum speed influenced (p < .05) product color and water-binding capacity, bulk density, and consistency of the reconstituted product was associated with slurry solids concentration. Optimal processing conditions obtained from the study were temperature of 130°C, drum speed of 9.3 rpm, and solids concentration of 20.5%. These conditions would be useful in the production of brown rice-based instant cereal enriched with anchovy powder with desired quality properties.

In vitro protein digestibility of finger millet complementary porridge as affected by compositing precooked cowpea with improved malted finger millet

Protein-energy malnutrition is one of the leading causes of death for children under-five in developing countries and Kenya is no exception. These children rely on starchy weaning foods such as finger millet (Eleusine coracana), which have poor protein digestibility. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), a locally available nutritious legume, could be an excellent complement to lysine-deficient millet diets. The present study thus aimed at innovatively improving protein digestibility of a baby weaning food, by evaluating the effect of malting on improved finger millet genotypes (U15, P224, KNE741, KNE629 and Snapping green) to enable selection of the best varieties with superior nutritional credential post process. Blending of selected finger millet with precooked cowpea flour followed the WHO recommended level at 10.32%, 21.26%, and 32.75% with 0% as control. Extractable phenols, condensed tannins, phytic acid, protein content, and protein digestibility were determined using recommended methods. Extractable phenol, condensed tannin, and phytate notably decreased by 44%, 47%, and 29% respectively after malting. Additionally, compositing with precooked cowpea increased protein content and protein digestibility in flour by about 6-39%. Cooking resulted in a 10% increase in protein digestibility in the complementary porridge. Malting of finger millet and compositing it with precooked cowpea has the potential to address PEM as it results in reduced anti-nutritional content with a concomitant improvement in protein digestibility of the baby weaning food.

Nutritional quality of grains of sorghum cultivar grown under different levels of micronutrients fertilization

A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different levels of micronutrients (0, 2, 4, and 8 g/5 kg soil) and a fixed amount (6 g/5 kg soil) of macronutrients fertilizer on the antinutrients content, protein content and digestibility, total and extractable macro- and micro-elements, amino acid content and score of grains of sorghum cultivar (Gadambalia) grown for two consecutive season. Protein content and essential amino acids composition of sorghum grains significantly (P⩽0.05) increased with micronutrients level for both seasons. Tannins and phytate contents dropped significantly (P⩽0.05) with a concomitant increase in protein digestibility, macro- and micro-elements extractability for both seasons and treatments. The content of macro- and micro-elements of the grains increased with micronutrients level during both seasons. The essential amino acids scores of the grains were significantly (P⩽0.05) increased for both seasons and treatments.

Development of an Improved Local-Ingredient-Based Complementary Food and Technology Transfer to Rural Housewives

Background

Food technology transfer to rural households, based on local ingredients, is a relevant and sustainable strategy to ensure better nutrition of young children.

Objective

To develop an improved mush based on local ingredients and evaluate the potential for transferring its technology to rural housewives.

Methods

We developed a flour-based food using Alicom software and performed laboratory trials to evaluate its actual nutritional quality. Then we recruited housewives from each of the 27 project villages and trained them in flour production and mush preparation twice daily, 6 days a week, for 26 weeks. Mush was sampled during the training session and at weeks 4, 12, and 22 and evaluated for actual flow distance and dry matter content, which served to estimate energy density and iron and zinc contents.

Results

The laboratory trials reported average energy densities of 103 kcal/100 g, iron contents of 2.6 mg/100 kcal, and zinc contents of 1.2 mg/100 kcal. The average ( ± SD) energy densities of the mush samples obtained during the training session and at weeks 4, 12, and 22 were 103.0 ± 5.6,103.3 ± 5.2,107.9 ± 11.5, and 101.3 ± 8.7 kcal/100 g, respectively. The average iron contents were 2.3 ± 0.5,2.3 ± 0.5,2.6 ± 0.3, and 1.8± 0.8 mg/ 100 kcal, respectively, and the average zinc contents were 1.6± 0.1, 1.6± 0.1,1.7 ± 0.1, and 1.6± 0.2 mg/100 kcal.

Conclusions

Developing a suitable complementary food from local ingredients and educating households in nutrition and use of local products are feasible. Such education should come with measures aimed at improving the accessibility of some ingredients to ensure feasibility and sustainability.