Abstract
BackgroundUndernutrition during childhood is a common disorder in the developing countries, however most research has focussed much on its treatment rather than its prevention.ObjectiveWe investigated the potential of using chickpeas in infant follow-on formula production against the requirements of WHO/FAO on complementary foods and EU regulations on follow-on formula.MethodsChickpeas were germinated for 72 hours followed by boiling, drying and dehulling in order to minimise associated anti-nutrition factors. Saccharifying enzymes were used to hydrolyse starch to maltose and the resulting flours were analysed for their protein content and amino acid profile.ResultsThe protein content (percentage) increased from 16.66 ± 0.35 and 20.24 ± 0.50 to 20.00 ± 0.15 and 21.98 ± 0.80 for the processed desi and kabuli cultivar compared to raw chickpeas, respectively (P < 0.05). There was insignificant change (P = 0.05) in amino acid profile following processing and the resulting flour was found to meet the amino acid requirements of WHO/FAO protein reference for 0–24 month’s children.ConclusionThe designed chickpea based infant follow-on formula meets the WHO/FAO requirements on complementary foods and also the EU regulations on follow-on formula with minimal addition of oils, minerals and vitamins. It uses chickpea as a common source of carbohydrate and protein hence making it more economical and affordable for the developing countries without compromising the nutrition quality.
Highlights
Childhood malnutrition caused by the consumption of low nutrient density of weaning foods is common in the developing countries [1]
We investigated the use of processed chickpea for producing infant follow on formula without compromising the nutrition quality
The results (Table 2) suggested that desi has less protein content compared to Kabuli in the studied cultivars
Summary
Childhood malnutrition caused by the consumption of low nutrient density of weaning foods is common in the developing countries [1]. The growth rate among children of developing and developed countries is not significantly different during the first 4–6 months of life, a period characterised by breastfeeding [2,3]. The growth rate falters in children in developing countries immediately after the introduction of weaning foods which are usually of poor nutritional value [1,2,3]. The use of novel follow on formulas, common in the developed world, to prevent early childhood malnutrition has not been tried in the developing world as research has focussed mainly on treatment rather than prevention [4]. The introduction of a cost effective novel infants follow on (weaning) formula using simple, affordable, and sustainable technologies will likely improve the overall children nutrition in the developing countries. Undernutrition during childhood is a common disorder in the developing countries, most research has focussed much on its treatment rather than its prevention
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