Rheological Properties and Sugar Profile of a Maize-Based Complementary Food for Ugandan Children 12 to 23 Months of Age

Abstract

In this study, the rheological properties and sugar profiles of a maize-based (maize flour, sweet potato leaf and root flour) complementary food for 12 to 23 month-old Ugandan children were evaluated. Two foods were formulated. Treatment 1 (T1) was made of 70% maize meal, 15% sweet potato root flour and 15% sweet potato leaf flour, while Treatment 2 (T2) consisted of 70% maize meal, 20% sweetpotato root flour and 10% sweetpotato leaf flour. Both formulations had equal amounts of sugar, oil and added water. The viscosity of the complementary foods was determined at 45oC by two different methods (rheometer and line spread test). The viscosity decreased with increasing temperature for all the samples. The viscosity at 45°C for the Control, T1 and T2 were 1.35, 1.96 and 0.86 Pa, respectively. There were significantly (P <0.05) different line spread measurements among the samples; however, the control sample flowed the greatest distance. The highest level of sugarswas found in T2 (5.1±2.7 g/100g) versus the control, which had the least amount of total sugar (2.9±1.6 g/100g). Supplementation of a maize-based complementary food with sweetpotato root and sweet potato leaf flours improves the viscosity and sugar profile.