DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEMENTARY FOOD FROM MALTED MAIZE, SORGHUM AND SOYBEAN

ABSTRACT Complementary feeding is a critical aspect of infant nutrition, particularly in developing countries,where the prevalence of undernourishment and micro-nutrient deficiencies is alarmingly high. With 45% of deaths in children under five attributed to malnutrition-related illnesses, there is an urgent need to develop nutrient-rich complementary foods.This study aims to formulate a complementary food blend using locally sourced maize, sorghum, and soybean flours, enhancingthe densities of essential micro-nutrients such as vitamin A, calcium, zinc, and iron. The materials for this study which included raw maize, sorghum, and soybean were purchased from Waso market in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. Themalting processwas employed in this project. It involves soaking grains in water, allowing them to germinate, and then drying the flours were combined in the ratios of 60:20:20,50:30:20, 40:40:20 and 30:50:20 to create different complementary food blends.Proximate, vitamin, mineral composition analysis was conducted to determine the nutritional content, while sensory evaluation wasperformed to assess the appearance, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability of the food samples.Statistical analysis was utilized to evaluate the significance of differences in nutrient composition among the various formulations. The chemical composition of the flour mixes revealed that the value of protein ranged from 15.81% to 18.69% with sample C having the lowest protein, moisture ranged from 0.74% to 0.88%, ash ranged from 2.10% to 2.33%, fat ranged from 5.0% to 6.33 %, crude fiber ranged from 1.13% to 1.57 % and carbohydrate ranged from 70.78% to 71.86 % The vitamin content showed that vitamin B1 ranged from 0.86 % to 0.93 % with 60% sorghum, 20% maize and 20% soybean having the highest value, vitamin B2 ranged from 0.34% to 0.37% with sample A(60:20:20) and sample B (50:30;20) having the highest value, vitamin B3 ranged from 0.44% to 0.47 % with sample A(60:20:20) and sample B (50:30;20) having the highest value and vitamin C ranged from 0.34% to 0.49 % with sample D (30:50:20) having the highest value The mineral composition of the flour ranged from 1.36% to 1.53% for iron, 1.36% to 1.53 % for calcium and 151% to 169.86 for magnesium. Additionally, sensory evaluation showed favorable acceptability ratings across the samples, suggesting that the formulated complementary foods could be both nutritious and palatable for infants and young children. This study underscores the importance of food-based approachesin combating malnutrition and promoting health in vulnerable populations highlighting the potential of these locally sourced ingredients to meet nutritional requirements.