Bello A.A.^1,, Gernah D.I.¹, Ariahu C.C.¹, Ikya J.K¹

Complementary foods for infants in developing countries are mainly cereals, thus meeting all their nutrient needs is difficult due to micronutrient deficiency. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of complementary foods from blends of malted and non-malted sorghum, soybean and Moringa oleifera seed flours. Four samples each of malted and non-malted sorghum and soybean based foods were formulated by material balance to obtain 16g protein/100g food by adding to each formulated food sample; 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% Moringa oleifera seed flour respectively. The food formulations were analyzed for physico-chemical and sensory properties using standard methods. Results showed that malting and addition of Moringa oleifera significantly (P< 0.05) improved the properties of the complementary foods. Viscosity, bulk density and swelling index decreased while water absorption capacity and reconstitution index increased. There were reductions in moisture content, crude fat, crude fibre, carbohydrate and energy contents but increases in crude ash and crude protein contents. All the micronutrients increased in malted food formulations. The pH, peroxide value and total volatile bases were lower in malted food formulations. Appearance, aroma, taste and overall acceptability increased except the food formulation that had 15% Moringa oleifera seed flour addition. The most acceptable food formulation was the one that had 10% Moringa oleifera seed flour addition. In conclusion, this study showed the possibility of producing complementary foods from cheap raw materials using simple malting technology which can also meet the nutrient needs of infants and children and thus its production should be encouraged.

malted sorghum, non-malted sorghum, soybean, Moringa oleifera seed, complementary food, food formulation, infants, children