Guevara Nonviho¹, Gamèli Justin Gandeho^2,, Moufidath Arikè El Hadj Abd Razak¹, Maïco Camara², Mégnonhou Noumonvi³, Bernadin Jean Robert Klotoe¹, Amoussatou Sakirigui⁴

Malnutrition remains a public health issue in several countries around the world. The objective of this study was to formulate a porridge flour from locally available ingredients to promote nutritional recovery in malnourished children and elderly people. After determining an appropriate formula, the recovery flour was produced and its physicochemical, nutritional, microbiological, and organoleptic parameters were analyzed. It should be noted that MANIBA flour (corn-cowpea-baobab) was produced in 5 hours and 20 minutes from a formulation composed of 76.3% corn, 8.5% cowpea, 8.5% baobab pulp, and 6.8% sugar, with a production yield of 84%. Physicochemical and nutritional analyses revealed that 100 g of flour contains calcium (95.08 ± 0.13 mg), magnesium (204.05 ± 0.45 mg), iron (0.15 ± 0.00 mg), and zinc (0.11 ± 0.01 mg). In terms of nutritional substances, it contains protein (10.08 ± 0.21%), lipids (4.27 ± 0.24%), carbohydrates (70.27 ± 0.52%) and has an energy value of 648.76 ± 1.93 kcal/100 g. Microbiologically, MANIBA flour complies with the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. After sensory evaluation, MANIBA flour and its porridge were generally more appreciated and better accepted by consumers than other flours of the same category available on the Beninese market. These characteristics of MANIBA flour show that it can be validly included in the nutritional recovery diet of target populations.

Nutritional recovery, Infant flour, Energy value, Nutrition, Formulation