Nutritional evaluation, with emphasis on protein quality, of maize‐based complementary foods enriched with soya bean and cowpea tempe

Abstract

SummaryTempe was prepared from dehulled, cooked soya beans and cowpea by using Rhizopus oligosporus fermentation. Four complementary foods, containing 50–80% maize flour or ‘ogi’ flour, were prepared from blends of maize flour, ‘ogi’ flour and tempe flour with or without the addition of melon seed flour. The complementary foods were much higher in protein (18.6–19.7%) and fat (8.2–9.4%) than ‘ogi’ and, except for lower ash contents, were comparable in proximate composition with typical commercial complementary foods produced by food multinationals in Nigeria. There were no significant differences in food efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio, net protein retention, packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells, total serum protein and weights of liver, pancreas, kidney and adrenal gland of rats fed the maize‐based complementary foods enriched with soya bean and cowpea tempe relative to those fed a casein diet.