Abstract
To improve the child nutrition, complementary foods were formulated using the following components: Lactococcus lactis sp. (Lc. lactis sp.) strain, 20% red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), 60% mung bean (Vigna radiate), 10% irish potato (Solanum tuberosum), and 10% ripe fresh papaya (Carica papaya) fruits. The formulation compounds were mixed and then inoculated by different concentrations of the bacterial strain 0 CFU mL-1 (control diet); 1×106 CFU mL-1 (Diet 1) and 2×106 CFU mL-1 (Diet 2). The effects of bacteria concentrations on pH, final viable cell counts, titratable acidity, Water Holding Capacity (WHC), antioxidant activity, viscosity and proximate composition were investigated. Results showed that diet 2 had the lower pH (4.50), highest final viable cell counts (3.9 × 109 CFU mL-1). Bacteria culture increased the WHC and viscosity of diets. The free radical scavenging activity was significantly (pLc. lactis sp. strain improved the nutritional value of fermented foods 1 and 2. Diet 2 showed the best results in term of nutritional values, mineral contents and may be recommended as complementary food for children.
Highlights
Malnutrition is a significant underlying factor in children mortality accounting for approximately 50% of death among under-five children
The decrease in pH observed in inoculated diets was due to lactic acid fermentation, during the fermentation process, there is a production of organic acids which will decrease the pH
Wang et al [26] reported that fermentation increased the phenolic and flavonoid contents during the fermentation by 2 food-grade bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus plantarum) of 4 cereals. These results suggest that the fermentation process enables cerealbased food with enhanced antioxidant capacities to contribute to the health and nutritional improvements in consumers [26]
Summary
Malnutrition is a significant underlying factor in children mortality accounting for approximately 50% of death among under-five children. About 25% of children are moderately or severely malnourished (underweight and/or stunted) [1]. In Cameroon, 32% of children under the age of five are stunted, 16% are underweight and 7% are wasted. 45% with aged of fifteen, and above are overweight or obese, and 11% of children are born with low birth weight [2,3]; at least 45,000 children die annually due to malnutrition [4]. Malnutrition mostly results from the quality of the complementary food given to children, because it is often nutritionally unbalanced. Several authors reported that in many developing countries, the complement foods given to children were made either only with tubers or only with cereals which could quickly affect the health of children. The primary approach to this is the development of functional food, which has considerably gained consumer’s interest over the last decade
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