Infant Porridge Research Articles

Assessment of Some of the Feeding Practices and Local Infant Flours' Consumption by 6 to 23 Months Children in the City of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background: From birth to 6 months, children must be exclusively breastfed, and from 6 months, food diversification starts to supplement breast milk. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate some of the feeding practices regarding children aged 6 to 23 months in the city of Ouagadougou. Methods: First, data were food consumption data as well as recalling meals over the past 24 hours were collected. Then, technological and labeling data regarding infant flours produced locally and sold in Ouagadougou were obtained. For analysis, data were entered into Sphinx V5 and IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software, and means were compared using XLSTAT 2016 software. Results: In total, 33 local infant flours were evaluated, and all the formulations contained cereals. Fruits and legumes (30.30%), milk (30.30%), and eggs (0,00%) were the least used materials. Instant type flours were rarely encountered (9.09%), and packaging in plastic bags was consumed the most (57.57%). Regarding labeling information, batch number (28%) and the method of preservation (32%) were the least identified. With respect to food consumption, 94.84% of the children were breastfed and 98.33% aged 6 to 8 months consumed solid foods. At least 85.28% of women considered the age of 6 months for introduction of solid foods. Concerning consumption of infant porridges, imported infant porridges were preferred the most (37.44%). Conclusion: Concerning local infant flour, some of them did not meet WHO guidelines. With regard to food practice indicators in Ouagadougou, some of them are relatively satisfactory; however, there is still a need to raise awareness regarding feeding practices.

Provision of low-aflatoxin local complementary porridge flour reduced urinary aflatoxin biomarker in children aged 6-18 months in rural Tanzania.

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of fungi that colonize staple food crops, such as maize and groundnut, frequently used in complementary feeding. In preparation for a large trial, this pilot study examined if provision of a low-aflatoxin infant porridge flour made from local maize and groundnuts reduced the prevalence of a urinary aflatoxin biomarker in infants. Thirty-six infants aged 6-18 months were included from four villages in Kongwa District, Tanzania. The study was conducted over 12 days with a three-day baseline period and a 10 days where low-AF porridge flour was provided. Porridge intake of infants was assessed using quantitative 24-h recalls by mothers. Household food ingredients used in infant porridge preparation and urine samples were collected on Days 1-3 (baseline) and 10-12 (follow-up). Aflatoxins were measured in household foods, and AFM1 was measured in urine. At baseline and follow-up, 78% and 97%, respectively, of the infants consumed porridge in the previous 24 h, with a median volume of 220 mL (interquartile range[IQR]: 201, 318) and 460 mL (IQR: 430, 563), respectively (p < 0.001). All 47 samples of homemade flour/ingredients were contaminated with AFs (0.3-723 ng/g). The overall prevalence of individuals with detectable urinary AFM1 was reduced by 81%, from 15/36 (42%) at baseline to 3/36 (8%) at follow-up (p = 0.003). Provision of low-aflatoxin porridge flour was acceptable to caregivers and their infants and successfully reduced the prevalence of detectable urinary AFM1 in infants, thus, confirming its potential to be tested in future large-scale health outcomes trial.

Socio-cultural influences on children’s feeding habits and feeding frequencies in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: a retrospective survey

BackgroundFrom 6 months of age, children need, in addition to breast milk, a complementary food whose nutritional composition meets their needs. However, low consumption of child-specific foods in favor of adult foods has been documented. Thus, the lack of adaptation of children to family feeding conditions has been the source of frequent malnutrition in some low-income countries. In Burkina Faso, little data is available on family-type food consumption by children. The objective was to describe the socio-cultural influences on feeding habits and food consumption frequencies of infants aged 6–23 months in Ouagadougou.MethodsThe study was conducted from March to June 2022 using a structured questionnaire. A reminder of the previous 24 h’ meals was used to assess 618 children's food consumption. Mother–child pairs were selected using the simple random sampling method, and data collection was done by the interview method. Sphinx V5, IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 and XLSTAT 2016 software were used to process data.ResultsInfluences between the consumption of certain foods and the mother’s social status were observed. The most consumed foods are simple porridges (67.48%), Tô/rice (65.70%), cookies and cakes (62.94%), juices and sweetened drinks (62.94%). Cowpeas (17.31%), improved porridge (13.92%) and eggs (6.63%) are the least consumed. The most meals frequency was three meals daily (33.98%), and children with the minimum daily meal frequency were 86.41%. Principal component analysis showed that the mother's social status influenced the consumption of imported infant flours, fish soups, fruits, juices and sweetened drinks, cookies and cakes, simple porridge, and tô/rice. Concerning the consumption of local infant porridges, 55.72% of the children who consumed them appreciated positively. However, for 57.75% of the parents, the lack of information limits the consumption rate of this type of flour.ConclusionHigh consumption of family-type meals was observed and was influenced by parental social status. In addition, the rate of acceptable meal frequencies was generally high.

Biochemical, nutrients, functional and sensory properties of Dockounou flours enhanced with soybean and Voandzou

In light of the current pandemic, there is an urgent need for high-quality nutrient-dense infant food in developing countries. This study aimed at the development of infant flours with high nutritional potential from senescent plantains. Thus, some enriched flours were created using senescent plantains in Dockounou technology production. Flours were analysed physicochemically, biochemically, nutritionally, functionally and organoleptically. Results showed an enhancement of protein, fat, iron, and zinc content in the flours as compared to the traditional (conventional) types. Higher concentrations of polyphenols 218.24 ±11.53 mg/100 g of dry matter and flavonoids 8.03 ±2.53 mg/100g of dry matter observed in the flours may be beneficial to consumers' bodies. The positive correlation between rheological properties and carbohydrate, protein, fat content and organoleptic characteristics suggests that enriched Dockounou flours can be used in infant porridges and other complementary foods. However, cassava and maize Dockounou showed the best characteristics for the dietary needs of children post weaning and could be used as infant flour.

Designing sustainable weaning foods for developing countries: not only a matter of nutrients.

Blended complementary foods from cereals and high-protein sources are used worldwide to cope with infants' malnutrition. However, the usefulness of the food matrix during traditional processes reaches suboptimal effectiveness due to cereal gelatinization and viscosity, which reduce consumption. The interplay between nutritional and physical qualities needed for weaning children presents further significant constraints. A combination of processing methods can improve and optimize the overall product quality. This paper investigated the nutritional, functional, and anti-nutritional factors of a complementary infant porridge made by combining fermented sorghum flour with germinated bottle gourd seed flour. Overall, the combination improved the functional and physical properties of the porridge suitable for children of 10 months and over. A serving of 100 g would contribute 115-145% and 23-31% of the recommended nutritional intake of protein and energy, respectively, for low breast milk energy between 6-24 months. The results demonstrate that a combination of strategies and technologies are needed to balance nutritional and physical quality.

Physico-chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Infant Porridges Produced from Infant Flours Containing Millet and Sorghum Malt

Women generally use traditional cereal flour porridges for weaning children, which are products rich in starch but low in protein. These porridges with a heavy, viscous, indigestible consistency are difficult for the child to digest, due to the starch which swells during cooking. To do this, this study was conducted with the aim of formulating twelve porridges of good nutritional value with the incorporation of millet and sorghum malt flours from four infant flours in order to increase the energy density of the porridges. The analysis of the physico-chemical, nutritional and microbiological parameters of the porridges was carried out using standard methods. From the results, it emerged that the best malt flour incorporation rates were 0.125% for 48h millet malt flour and 0.2% for 48h red sorghum malt flour with a viscosity of porridges between 90 and 120 mm/30s. The macronutrient parameters (Carbohydrates: 14,91±0,88% - 34,48±0,40 %/DM; Proteins: 34,59±0,54% - 44,90±0,84 %/DM, Fat: 26,34±0,18% - 39,50±0,57 %/DM) and the energy density (89.41±0.81kcal/100g to 124.54±0.57kcal/100g) were in accordance with the standards for processed cereal-based foods intended for infants and young children. The results of the total amino acids profile showed that Lysine presented the best content (0.166 to 0.285 mg/100g). For all the samples, the best values of macronutrient and energy density values were obtained with millet malt which presented a high diastatic power. It emerged from the microbiology results that all of the samples presented quite satisfactory levels of coliforms (Salmonella, yeasts and molds in accordance with the standards for processed cereal-based foods intended for infants and young children. At the end of the study, the results obtained showed that the use of millet and sorghum malts could be an alternative to improve the nutritional quality and increase the energy density of infant porridge.

Household production and energy content of infant flours for children aged 6 to 11 months in two rural settings in southern Benin

Background: Homemade complementary foods which are prepared from staples by the mothers or caregivers are mostly used in Africa including Benin. These foods are not adequately enriched and hygienic conditions are sometimes poor. Aims: The aim was to describe household production methods of infant flours and to estimate their macronutrient content in Benin. Methods: From August to October 2020, 20 mothers of children aged 6 to 11 months were selected in the municipalities of Covè and Djakotomey to examine the process of domestic production of infant flours and porridges. Data were collected using a touch screen questionnaire and the energy content of the flours produced by the mothers was calculated and evaluated using the FAO/INFOODS food composition table for West Africa. Results: The main process units for the production of the infant flours were milling:100%, sorting: cereals 60% and legumes: 33%, roasting: cereals 70%, and legumes: 91.7%. Mothers had poor hygienic practices regarding Material: 20%, Manipulator: 20%, and Milieu: 35% during the preparation of infant porridges. Four of the 20 formulas produced had an acceptable energy content, two had a standard fat content (10 - 25 g/100 g flour) and 12 had a standard protein content (15 g/100 g flour). Conclusions: This study showed that the main production methods of infant flours need to be improved. More, the overall energy content from these flours was lower than the recommended macronutrients contents by the standard FAO/WHO/UNICEF and the standards references. It is therefore important to maintain and strengthen nutritional interventions in order to improve the nutritional quality of homemade infant flours. Keywords: Infant flour, household production, nutrition, hygiene.

Characterization of technological properties of sorghum and millet malt produced under control condition in Burkina Faso

The aim of this study was to determine the technological properties of sorghum and millet malt produced under controlled conditions in Burkina Faso. Two types of steeping were carried out: steeping at normal pH (6.5) and at alkaline pH (8). Analyzes of the functional properties (diastatic power, alpha and beta amylase activity) of the samples of malts produced were carried out using Bernfeld modified methods. From the results, it appeared that the values of diastatic power, alpha and beta amylase and amylase activity increased significantly during the malting process (p˂0.001). The highest values for the diastatic power of the malts were obtained with millet malt (378.86 UPD and 336.45 UPD respectively for normal steeping and alkaline steeping). As for the diastatic power of sorghum malts, it varied from 79.14 UPD to 266.17 UPD. A negative correlation emerged between the diastatic power and the pH (R = -0.88), it also emerged that the diastatic power was much more correlated with the activity of alpha amylase (R = 0.99) than that of beta amylase (R = 0.6). Overall, the different types of malts exhibited satisfactory diastatic power and functional properties in accordance with standards for cereal malt production. These malts could therefore be used for the production of infant porridge in order to increase the energy density of porridge and also used in bread making to replace commercial enzymes often not appreciated by consumers.

Phenotypic variability and correlation estimates for traits of Burkina Faso’ sweet grain sorghum genotypes

Sweet grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a neglected crop mainly grown for its sweet grains in the pasty form. Although its taste is the main character of interest, knowledge of protein related content of the grain, especially when linked to its value for infant porridge appears equally important. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of crude protein content of pasty grains and to determine genetic correlations between morphological and biochemical traits among sweet grain of sorghum genotypes in Burkina Faso. Eight sweet grain sorghum cultivars (BTO2, BZI1, KBZ4, PBO5, PGO3, SBR7, SPI2, STO4) were evaluated through 13 morphological and two biochemical variables. Crude protein content of these genotypes was also compared with the composition of two controls of sweet stalk sorghum (ETS) and ordinary grain sorghum or common sorghum (EBS). The analysis of variance revealed variability within sweet grain sorghum accessions, mainly on the biochemical traits (crude protein and water content) and two morphological traits (peduncle and panicle lengths), which discriminated significantly in the thresholds of 1 and 5%, respectively. In addition, sweet grain sorghum had low crude protein content compared to other types of sorghum, except, two genotypes of sweet grain sorghum (BZI1 and STO4) which recorded higher protein content compared to the common sorghum. An important and negative correlation was noted between sowing-flowering cycle and protein content.

Potency of Modified Cassava Flour as Binder and Thickener in Formulation of Instant Infant Porridge using Fortificant of Natural Folic Acid

A dry mixing process in preparation instant and pour infant porridges fortified by natural folic acid of A and B, and added by modified cassava (mocav) flour as thickener and binder had been conducted. Fortificant of natural folic acid of A and B are a mixture of soy bean tempeh, nixtamalized yellow corn and fermented broccoli, and a mixture of mung bean tempeh, nixtamalized yellow corn, and fermented broccoli. This experiment aims to optimize by adding mocav flour and the best type of natural folic acid in preparing instant and pour infant porridges for complementary breastfeeding (CBF) and its characteristic on the whole composition, particularly folic acid, characteristic of folic acid monomer, volatile compounds, particle size, and particle size distribution on instant and pour infant porridges. The experiment were done on mocav flour with concentrations of 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30% (w/w of base formula of infant porridge) with fortificant of natural folic acid of A and B, and pouring to produce instant and pour infant porridges A and B. The result of experiment showed that based on folic acid, process optimization was achieved on fortificant A at mocav concentration 18% (w/w, based formula of porridge) and increase folic acid 532.26% (5.30-folds), dissolved protein 226.62% (2.27-folds), total sugars 120.44% (1.20-fold), however drop total solids 4.61% and reducing sugars 14.94% in instant infant porridge compared to each components concentration in base formula of infant porridge. In this condition, volatile compounds of instant infant porridge and pour infant porridge dominated by acetic acid and its derivatives (44.21%), and furan and its derivatives (29.812%).

Treatments and uses of Moringa oleifera seeds in human nutrition: A review.

This work reviews treatments and uses of Moringa oleifera seeds in human nutrition. Moringa oleifera seeds are considerable sources of proteins (mean 19%) and lipids (mean 31%). Previous reports presented the nutritional properties of the seeds and oil. Moringa seeds are sources of lipids, and their removal leads to Moringa seed flour with a high protein content which might play a role in food technology and human nutrition. Moringa oil has been tested in frying and was found to be more stable than groundnut oil; its incorporation in groundnut at level lower than 10% improved on the acceptability of chips. Several treatments like roasting, germination, and boiling have been applied to Moringa seeds to produce flour with improved nutritional properties. In particular, defatted Moringa flour has been applied in different formulations including cakes, cookies, burgers, infant porridges. Generally, the products deriving from the flour were more stable in conservation and well accepted for low substitution while high substitution increased the bitterness. Notwithstanding their high content in protein and oil, defatted M. oleifera seed flour and oil are still fairly investigated in order to envisage their integration in the food habits of people. The present wrote up reviews the treatments applied on M. oleifera seeds and applications of the defatted M. oleifera flour and oil in food systems for human nutrition.

Dilution of rice with other gluten free grains to lower inorganic arsenic in foods for young children in response to European Union regulations provides impetus to setting stricter standards.

There has been an increasing realisation that young infants are exposed to elevated concentrations of the carcinogen inorganic arsenic, relative to adults. This is because many infant food products are rice based, and rice is ~10-fold elevated in inorganic arsenic compared to most other foods. The European Commission (EC) has acted on this concern setting stricter standards for infants, 100 μg of inorganic arsenic per kg of food (100 μg/kg), as compared to adults (200 μg/kg), for rice based foods, a law that was brought into place in 1st January 2016. Here we investigate how this law has impacted on inorganic arsenic in baby food products in the UK market, and compare the findings to previous baby food surveys taken before and just after the law came into place. We find that for a wide range of UK infant products that the new regulations are being adhered to, with all samples surveyed, being under 100 μg/kg inorganic arsenic. The prevalence of pure rice products had decreased in the UK, and there appears to be careful sourcing of the rice used in these products to ensure conformity with regulations. There has been an increased presence of mixed cereal products, with rice and maize as the main ingredient, appearing on the UK market, with varying rice contents for infant porridges, cakes and mueslis, with the latter being a relatively innovative product for infant foods. There was a highly significant correlation (P<0.0001) between rice content and inorganic arsenic concentration across all infant foods. When UK infant rice cakes, breakfast cereals and porridges were compare to their general, i.e. not labelled specifically for being for infant consumption, equivalent it was found that the adult foods generally exceeded the 100 μg/kg inorganic arsenic standard for infant foods. Thus, infants should not be given rice products not specifically labelled as being for them if a lower inorganic arsenic diet is to be maintained.

Nutrient composition of premixed and packaged complementary foods for sale in low- and middle-income countries: Lack of standards threatens infant growth.

Premixed flours for infant porridge are increasingly produced and sold in developing countries to complement continued breastfeeding. Such complementary food (CF) products have known efficacy against malnutrition in children from 6 to 24months of age, but ingredient ratios and production processes may vary. This study provides the first systematic measurement of their actual nutrient composition. We purchased samples of 108 premixed CF products in 22 low- and middle-income countries, and commissioned blind laboratory measurement of each product's macronutrients and micronutrients. We compared measured contents to nutrient claims on their packaging and to CF standards from the Codex Alimentarius, the Super Cereal Plus product used in nutrition assistance programs, and the Lutter and Dewey (2003) recommendations, as well as our own modeled nutrient requirements for a healthy breastfed child. Actual densities are significantly different from nutrient claims for protein (p=.013) and fat (p=.000). Only 15% of samples met two of the three benchmarks for fat, 32% met the most stringent protein standard, while only 22% met them for iron, and 21% for zinc. The median healthy child consuming breast milk plus enough of these solid foods to meet energy needs would experience deficits of zinc at 6months, iron at 6 and 9months, and dietary fat from 12months of age. In summary, premixed CF products can provide adequate nutrient density but usually do not, revealing the need and opportunity for independent monitoring and quality assurance to help grain millers making premixed foods maintain uniform ingredient ratios and production practices.

COMMERCIAL BABY PORRIDGES IN NUTRITION OF INFANTS

The article covers the issue of the most important product among additional food for infants — baby porridges. It includes historical data on usage of various cereal crops in human nutrition. A special significance of porridges in culture of food and traditions of Russian population is highlighted. The authors give information about nutritional value and chemical composition of different cereals — buckwheat, rice, pearl-barley, millet, oats etc. A special attention is given to differences in concentrations of nutrients and micronutrients manufactured by different ways from the same kind of cereal. The necessity to feed infants with commercial baby porridges is based in the article. There are also represented characteristics of various commercial porridges for nutrition of infants: hypoallergenic, glutenfree and containing gluten, enriched with pre- and probiotics. The article also contains data on nutritional value of milk and milk-free porridges. The authors raised a discussion on possibility and standards of usage of different additional components, such as sugar, maltodextrin, honey, vanillin, vegetable oils in production of infant porridges. The selection of certain type of porridges as additional food for healthy and infants with different diseases and digestive disorders is based.

Chicken thigh, chicken liver, and iron-fortified wheat flour increase iron uptake in an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model

The objective of this study was to test meat and fortified-food combinations to identify those that optimize iron uptake in an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model, a proxy for iron bioavailability. Four experiments tested combinations of meats such as chicken (blood, spleen, liver, thigh), beef (cube steak), and fish (whole-fish meal) with iron-fortified foods (rice cereal, maize-soy flour, wheat flour). Chicken liver, thigh, spleen, blood, or fish meal increased the Caco-2 cell iron uptake from these combined with rice cereal (P< .05). Chicken liver, thigh, blood, and beef increased the Caco-2 cell iron uptake from these combined with wheat flour (P< .05). Chicken liver and thigh were tested further. Compared with the liver or thigh alone, adding fortified foods to these meats did not increase the Caco-2 cell iron uptake (P >or= .05). Adding either meat to the 3 fortified foods increased the Caco-2 cell iron uptake of the fortified foods (P< .05). Chicken liver, chicken thigh, and wheat flour were selected for an infant porridge because the combinations with the highest Caco-2 cell iron uptake were chicken thigh + wheat flour, chicken liver + wheat flour, and chicken liver + maize-soy flour, and wheat flour was the least expensive fortified food sold in the target population. Per unit of iron, the chicken thigh + wheat flour and chicken liver + wheat flour combinations resulted in the highest bioavailable iron. In the proportion of 3:1 fortified food:meat examined, meat increases the bioavailability of iron-fortified foods, but iron-fortified foods do not enhance total iron bioavailability when added to meat.

Breast Milk Intake Is Not Reduced More by the Introduction of Energy Dense Complementary Food than by Typical Infant Porridge

The effect of different energy densities of complementary foods on breast milk consumption is not well understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that provision of fortified spread (FS), a micronutrient fortified, energy-dense (22 kJ/g), ready-to-use food, to Malawian infants would not decrease their breast milk intake more than a traditional corn + soy blended flour (CSB). Forty-four healthy 6-mo-old infant and mother pairs were enrolled in a prospective, parallel group, investigator-blinded, randomized controlled complementary feeding trial. Infants were randomized to receive 25 g/d of FS, 50 g/d of FS, or 72 g/d of CSB. The primary outcome was the difference in breast milk intake after 1 mo of complementary feeding as measured by the dose-to-mother deuterium oxide dilution technique. Outcomes were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. A total of 41 mother-infant pairs completed the study. At enrollment, 88% of the infants had received corn porridge. At baseline, the infants consumed 129 ± 18 g·kg body wt−1·d−1 (mean ± SD) of breast milk. After 1 mo of complementary feeding with 25 g/d FS, 50 g/d FS, or 72 g/d CSB, their breast milk consumption was 115 ± 18 g·kg body wt−1·d−1, a significant reduction; however, the effects of the complementary foods did not differ from one another (F-value model = 4.33, P = 0.0008 for effect of time and P = 0.69 for effect of type of food). The results suggest that complementary feeding of Malawian infants with FS has the same effect on their breast milk intake as complementary feeding with traditional CSB porridge.

Acceptability and Safety of Novel Infant Porridges Containing Lyophilized Meat Powder and Iron-Fortified Wheat Flour

Lyophilized meat powder with iron-fortified wheat flour can be used to produce an infant porridge with bioavailable iron, but its acceptability and safety are unknown. To evaluate the acceptability and safety of porridges containing lyophilized meat powder and iron-fortified wheat flour. Peruvian mothers' input was used to develop porridges without (no meat) and with meat powder (low or high chicken liver, low or high chicken thigh). Acceptability was determined by maternal hedonic scoring, 9-day infant intake, and videotape analysis of how well infants liked each porridge. Dry and cooked porridges and meat ingredients were tested for microorganisms; meats were tested for pesticides. Mothers gave higher acceptability scores to the no-meat porridge, followed in order by low and high quantities of meat powder (e.g., mean +/- SD "taste"scores were 4.5 +/- 0.9 for the no-meat, 3.7 +/- 1.1 for the low-liver, and 3.3 +/- 1.1 for the high-liver porridges, p = .0001). Infants' porridge intake did not differ: 61.4 +/- 47.1 g of no-meat, 62.1 +/- 44.9 g of low-thigh, and 67.5 +/- 42.0 g of low-liver (p = .7), as supported by the video analysis. Microbiologic safety was acceptable except for marginally acceptable molds and yeasts in dry ingredients. No pesticide residues were detected. Despite mothers' clear preference for no-meat porridges, infants consumed equal amounts of porridges with and without meat. Thus, if mothers can be convinced to feed the meat-containing porridges to the infants despite their own preferences, the infants will consume these porridges. The mold and yeast content of the porridge ingredients must be reduced.

Potential for improving nutritional adequacy of complementary foods for Ethiopian infants by malting corn and adding fish powder

This study tested viscosity effects of malting corn and adding indigenous fish powder to infant porridge. For malting, 24 h soaked corn was germinated for 96 h and solar dried. Fish were cleaned, washed with potable water, soaked in 5% lemon juice and rinsed in salt solution before solar drying. After processing with a hand mill, the fish flour was further sieved to remove tiny bones. For fortified porridges corn and fish powder were combined in a 5:1 mix. Malted corn (MC) powder produced much thinner porridge than unmalted corn (UMC) and enabled more malted dry matter to be used with an acceptable consistency for infant feeding. Using MC, 42.5% of the final cooked weight came from dry matter versus only 15.5% with UMC. Energy density of UMC porridge was calculated to be 0.6 kcal/g while that of MC porridge was 1.5 kcal/g and protein content of MC porridge was increased by 162%. Energy density of the fish-fortified MC porridge was calculated to increase by 153% while protein density increased by 218%. For 6–8 months old infants (with medium breast milk intake) needing 356 kcal/d from complementary food, the porridge required was reduced from 648g to 244g as a result of using MC or to 233 g when fish-fortified MC flour was used. Fortification of infant porridges with fish holds promise but further food safety testing will be required. Based on our results germinating corn should be encouraged for preparation of complementary foods. Germinating corn will decrease water absorbing capacity of the food and thus provide needed nutrients within the gastric capacity of an infant.

Development of meat‐containing infant porridges to address iron deficiency

Development of meat‐containing infant porridges to address iron deficiency

Effects of germination on the activities of amylases and phenolic enzymes in sorghum varieties grouped according to food end‐use properties

AbstractFifty sorghum varieties were screened to determine the effects of germination on levels of starch, α‐amylase, β‐amylase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Germination decreased starch content, with amylose being more degraded than amylopectin. In germinated grain, α‐amylase activity increased several‐fold in all varieties, whereas β‐amylase activity did not increase uniformly and even decreased in some varieties. Activity of the key enzyme in phenolic biosynthesis, PAL, was detected in only half of the varieties before germination but in all of them after germination. PPO was not activated in germinated sorghum grains, whereas POX activity increased up to tenfold in some varieties. Zymography revealed that germination induced de novo synthesis of several POX isoenzymes, among which an anionic POX isoenzyme (pI 3.1) was ubiquitously present. Amylase and phenolic enzyme activities could be correlated with grain and plant agronomic characteristics. The use of sorghum varieties for local dishes such as ‘tô’, ‘dolo’, couscous and thin porridge could be correlated with amylase and phenolic enzyme activities and the contents of their substrates. The biochemical constituents determined are useful markers for selection of varieties for food utilisation with special emphasis on infant porridges. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry