Nutrient density of common African indigenous/local complementary porridge samples

Nutritional, functional, and microbial qualities of legume-based flour blends processed by SMEs in Zambia and Malawi compared to standard Corn-Soy Blend Plus (CSB +): a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Legumes enhance food security in developing countries, necessitating an understanding of their properties. This study examined the nutritional, functional, and microbial qualities of legume-based flour blends from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malawi and Zambia. SMEs were chosen for their key role in local food production, distribution, and complementary food supply.

METHOD

A total of 36 legume-based flour blend samples were collected using snowball sampling, consisting of 21 samples (7 sets of 3 similar samples) from SMEs in Zambia and 15 samples (5 sets of 3 similar samples) from SMEs in Malawi. Samples were analyzed for proximate composition, energy, iron, and zinc content. The nutritional contributions to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for children aged 1-3 years were assessed. Additionally, functional properties such as water-holding and oil-holding capacities were measured. Microbial analysis was performed, and the data were statistically analyzed to determine significance (p ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS

Our findings revealed substantial variability in the nutritional content of these flour blends. Protein content ranged from 9.4% to 41.5%, carbohydrates from 8.1% to 71.3%, crude fat from 2.3% to 26.8%, and crude fiber from 6.2% to 35.2%. Iron and zinc levels also varied significantly, from 2.9 to 21.9 mg/100 g and 2.2 to 5.2 mg/100 g, respectively. These inconsistencies highlight a lack of standardization in nutrient content for blends intended for infant feeding. When prepared as 96 g porridge servings for children aged 1-3 years, the blends provided notable contributions to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). However, their nutrient levels were generally lower compared to the standard Corn-Soy Blend Plus (CSB +). The flour blends also showed variations in physico-functional properties, and some had microbial loads exceeding 250 cfu/g, reflecting inadequate hygiene practices during processing.

CONCLUSION

To enhance their products, SMEs should ensure that their flour blends meet both nutritional and safety standards while striving to match or surpass the nutrient content of CSB + to remain competitive in the market.

Canned complementary porridges for infants and young children (6-23 months) based on African indigenous crops; nutritional content, consistency, sensory, and affordability compared to traditional porridges based on maize and finger millet

Child malnutrition is a major health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Complementary foods made from African indigenous and locally available raw materials are often low in protein and nutrients. It is, therefore, important to supply complementary foods that are nutritious and affordable, and with an acceptable consistency and taste. The objective of this study was to develop, on a pilot scale, food-to-food fortified, convenient, canned complementary porridges based on blends of African indigenous crops, i.e., orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) flour, and leguminous (i.e., cowpea, and Bambara groundnut) and cereal flours (i.e., teff, finger millet, maize, and amaranth), and milk powder. Plant-based, African complementary foods are often lacking in vitamin A, zinc, iron, and energy. Porridge with OFSP on a 32% dry weight (dw) basis achieved recommended levels of vitamin A (530 µg per 100 g dw). Satisfactory energy (431 Kcal per 100 g dw) was obtained by supplementation of vegetable oil. A nutritious, low-cost porridge (costing 0.15 € per 100 g can) that fulfills consistency constraints was obtained by including supplements of zinc and iron salts as ingredients. The solids content and thus protein/energy could be significantly increased using protein fractionated or germinated cowpea flours without compromising on viscosity. The sensory profile was characterised by more intense vegetable, leguminous, and malty flavours as compared to traditional reference porridges.

Co-fermentation improves the functional properties and nutritional quality of infant complementary food products

Food-to-food fortification and fermentation are effective strategies to enhance the product functionality and nutrient density of infant complementary foods. However, their effectiveness hinges on a deep understanding of ingredient combinations. Our research focused on the physicochemical and techno-functional aspects of sorghum-baobab blends, comparing two processes: 'co-ferment-cook' and 'ferment-cook-fortify'. The results show that both techniques improved the water absorption capacity by 17-20% and the water solubility index increased by over 100% while maintaining a comparable nutritional composition and energy density. The calculated energy density (2048.8-2345 kJ day-1) was sufficient for both blends for infants 6-11 months old with an average breast milk intake. Viscosity, another crucial factor for complementary feeding, improved significantly (P < 0.05) after co-ferment-cook compared to ferment-cook-fortify reaching a value suitable for children older than 18 months. Starch digestibility increased with co-ferment-cook, while protein digestion increased with fortified non-fermented foods. In conclusion, our findings emphasize that combining fermentation and fortification processing steps is optimal for balancing the nutritional and techno-functional properties of sorghum porridges for infant complementary foods. Processing parameters must be optimized to reach the viscosity suitable for complementary feeding at the assigned soluble solid contents for the age group 6-24 months.

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.

Cooking, Digestion, and In Vitro Colonic Fermentation of Nigerian Wholegrains Affect Phenolic Acid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Composition

Wholegrains contain both fibre and phenolic acids (PAs), and their gastrointestinal modifications are critical for their bioavailability and bioactivity. We evaluated the modifications on the PA profile and gut microbiota composition of selected Nigerian wholegrains, following cooking and gastrointestinal digestion. Red fonio, red millet, red sorghum, and white corn were cooked, digested, and fermented using an in vitro colonic model. A total of 26 PA derivatives were quantified in soluble and bound fractions using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis. DNA samples were analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to profile the microbiota composition. The results show that cooking and digestion significantly affected the levels of PAs in all grains (p ≤ 0.05) compared to raw grains. Colonic fermentation resulted in a peak of total soluble PAs at 4-6 h for red sorghum and white corn and at 24 h for red millet and red fonio. Enterobacteriaceae genera were the most abundant at 24 h in all grains studied. 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde correlated positively with the relative abundance of Dorea and the mucus-degrader bacteria Akkermansia (p ≤ 0.05), whereas hydroferulic acid and isoferulic acid levels correlated negatively with Oscillospira and Ruminococcus (p ≤ 0.05), respectively. Our data indicate that cooking, digestion, and colonic fermentation affect the release of bound PAs from wholegrains and, consequently, their metabolic conversion. Furthermore, PA fermentation in the gut is associated with potentially relevant changes in the microbiota. This in vitro study provides the basis for the design of an in vivo human intervention study that can confirm the trends herein observed but also assess the impact on health outcomes.

Nutrient density and oral processing properties of common commercial complementary porridge samples used in southern Africa: Effect on energy and protein intakes among children aged 6-24 months

Child malnutrition is an endemic public health problem in Africa. Infants are supposed to receive complementary foods from about 6 months onwards, as breastmilk alone no longer provide adequate nutrients. Commercially available complementary foods (CACFs) form an important part of baby foods in developing countries. However, systematic evidence on whether they really meet optimal quality specifications for infant feeding is limited. Some CACFs commonly used in Southern Africa and other parts of the world were investigated to establish if they meet optimal quality standards for protein and energy content, viscosity, and oral texture. For the energy content, most CACFs for 6-24-month-old children both in the dry and ready-to-eat forms (range: 372.0-1816.0 kJ/100 g), were below Codex Alimentarius guidelines. The protein density of all CACFs (0.48-1.3 g/100 kJ) conformed with Codex Alimentarius requirements, but some (33%) were below the minimum World Health Organization (World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe (2019a). Commercial foods for infants and young children in the WHO European region) target of 0.7 g/100 kJ. Most CACFs had high viscosity values even at high shear rate of 50 s-1 , and were too thick or thick, sticky, grainy, and slimy, which may limit nutrient intake in infants, potentially causing child malnutrition. There is a need to improve the oral viscosity and sensory texture of CACFs for better nutrient intake by infants.

Effect of Community Nutrition Rehabilitation Using a Multi-Ingredient Flour on the Weight Growth of Moderately Acute Malnourished Children in Benin

Childhood malnutrition remains a public health problem in Benin. This study aimed to assess the nutritional potential of complementary food resources to accelerate the weight growth of moderately malnourished children hosted in learning and nutritional rehabilitation centers (LNRs) in eight municipalities in Benin. A multi-ingredient infant flour (i.e., FARIFORTI), composed of 35% corn flour (Zea mays), 15% malted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), 30% soybean (Glycine max), 10% shelled and roasted peanuts (Arachis hypogeaea), 7% baobab pulp (Adansonia digitata), and 2% dried fried fish (Stolothrissa tanganyicae), was tested with 289 moderately malnourished children aged 6 to 59 months, selected in LNR sessions. Children were given the FARIFORTI flour porridge over 12 days (based on LNR protocol) in addition to other dishes based on local food resources. The weight and height of the children were measured at entry and at the end of the LNR sessions. The sensory evaluation indicated that the FARIFORTI flour was well-accepted by mothers (97%) and children (98%). The FARIFORTI porridge provided significantly higher intakes of carbohydrates and iron in children with weight gain compared to children without weight gain.

Sweetpotato-based infant foods produce porridge with lower viscosity and aflatoxin level than cereal-based complementary blends

The viscosity, protein, and total aflatoxins contents in orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) and cereal-based commercial complementary formulations and the effect of dilution on the protein content of the formulations were investigated. Standard procedures were used for the determination of these parameters. Over 80% of the formulations had a viscosity above the recommended consistency of 1000-3000 cP for feeding young children. The consistency of OFSP-legume porridge was significantly (2392.5 cP; p < 0.001) lower, about 1.7 and 3.4 times than cereal-only and cereal-legume blends, respectively. All the complementary flours, except the cereal-only, met the proposed protein requirement of 6 to 11 g per 100 g for feeding children aged 6 to 23 months on an as-is basis. However, the protein content in the porridges on an as-would-be-eaten basis was about 6% lower than the as-is basis value. About 38% of the complementary foods had total aflatoxin level above the acceptable limit of 10 ppb, mainly in blends containing peanuts, maize, or both. Adding more water to meet the required thickness of cereal-only and cereal-legume porridges diluted the protein content. More efforts are needed from regulatory bodies and all stakeholders to ensure complementary foods are safe in terms of mycotoxin levels, particularly those containing maize, peanut, or both as ingredients.