Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of severe acute malnutrition among children (< 5 years) due to low energy-protein density of local complementary foods and poor feeding practices is a great concern in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. Hence, the aimed of this study was to formulate and evaluate the chemical composition, functional, antioxidant and organoleptic properties of low-cost complementary foods from locally accessible food material using household technologies. Using UNCEF guidelines, three complementary foods were formulated and their nutritional characteristics were compared with local complementary food (100% sorghum) and ready-to-using therapeutic food.ResultsProtein (g/100 g) and energy values (kcal./100 g) of formulated complementary foods varied from 16.16 to 16.93 and 418.08 to 474.13, respectively, and were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than OG (7.72; 378.71) (a 100% sorghum flour), but lower than P0 (539.8) (a read-to-eat therapeutic food). Mineral elements (mg/100 g) in the food samples were K (4175–6350.5), Ca (341.5–949), Fe (23.5–50.5) Zn (28–38.5), P (3855.6–4501), and Na (343.5–950.5), and were significantly lower than in P0, but higher in K, Fe and Zn than for OG. Sodium/Potassium and Calcium/Phosphorous molar ratios of the complementary foods ranged from 0.16 to 0.92 and 0.07 to 0.16 and were lower than P0 (0.64, 0.19) and OG (1.71, 0.2), respectively. Total essential amino acids (g/100 g protein) of the food samples varied from 23.53 to 25.94, and were comparable to OG (28.40) and P0 (32.74). Predicted biological value and essential amino acid index of P2 sample (53.53%, 59.85%) had the highest values, while P1 (46.0%, 52.94%) had the lowest, and these values were comparatively lower than P0 (67.53%, 72.69%), OG (55.91%, 62.03%), and recommended value (> 70%). Functional properties varied from 0.61 to 0.83, 124.2 to 176.2, 102.2 to 257.19, 0 to 1 and 164.7 to 373.3 for bulk density, oil absorption capacity, water absorption capacity, least gelation and swelling capacity, respectively. Antioxidant activity of formulated complementary foods ranged from 2.07 to 3.24%, 8.61 to 9.87 mg/g, 21.6 to 40.95% and 62.42 to 87.0% for DPPH, FRAP, Fe-chelation and OH-free radicals, respectively, and were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in OG and PO. Sample P1 was significantly (p < 0.05) rated highest in appearance, aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptability above P2 and P3.ConclusionThe formulated complementary foods had enough nutrient and energy values to meet the requirements for infants as recommended for complementary foods and for amelioration of severe acute malnutrition in children. Nutritional and sensory evaluation revealed that addition of full fat milk to the P1 sample significantly improved its nutrient composition and organoleptic quality and contributed to its high acceptance compared to other formulations. Therefore, this complementary food is potentially suitable for use as complementary food and diet to manage severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria and other developing countries. However, there is a need for biological evaluation.
Highlights
The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition among children (< 5 years) due to low energy-protein density of local complementary foods and poor feeding practices is a great concern in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive
The study showed that crude protein, fat, and energy values in Product 1 (P1) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in Product 2 (P2) and Product 3 (P3), respectively
This view could be ascribed to inclusion of full-fat milk in P1, which was substituted with soycake flour in P2 and P3
Summary
The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition among children (< 5 years) due to low energy-protein density of local complementary foods and poor feeding practices is a great concern in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. Cereals or starchy roots and tubers are used for the production of complementary foods (Gibson et al 1998a, b; Irenso et al 2021) They are usually prepared as thin gruels, and characterized with low essential nutrients (protein and micronutrients) and energy density (Gibson et al 1998a, b; Shiriki et al 2015). These inadequacies further exacerbated nutritional integrity of infants, when receive in low quantity per day couple with the limited numbers of frequency with which they are fed and responsiveness of the mother or caregiver to the needs of the child during feeding (Pelto et al 2003; Martin et al 2021). Scientific report has emphasized the use of local complementary foods formulated in the home rather than centrally produced fortified foods for those mothers with limited access to commercial complementary foods (Masanja et al 2021; Mekuria et al 2021; Rai 2021)
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