Asian Food Science Journal

Complementary foods are crucial for infants´ nutritional development and they play a vital role in bridging nutritional gaps during weaning after exclusive breastfeeding for six months. Numerous infants in developing countries particularly Nigeria, suffer from protein-energy malnutrition due to inadequate access to essential nutrients, including protein, fibre, iron, amino acids and calcium. This study was aimed at evaluating the proximate and functional properties of complementary foods made from malted sorghum, maize, and soybean blends.

Materials for this study were obtained from Wazo Market in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Southwestern part of Nigeria. Two kilograms each of sorghum, maize and soybeans were cleaned washed and soaked in water for 12 hours separately. The hydrated grains were then spread on a moist jute bag and allowed to germinate for four days, dried at 60°C in a cabinet dryer to achieve a moisture content of 10-12%. The dried, rootless grains were milled into flour, sieved, and packaged in an airtight container. The flours were subjected to proximate and some functional analyses. All analyses were done in triplicates, and the acquired data was subjected to analysis of variance using Statistical Package, SPSS version 20.0 (SPSS Inc.).

The results revealed significant variations in water absorption capacity which ranged from 25.20% to 28.60% this improves the textural ability of the complimentary food samples. The value of foaming capacity ranged from 1.95 to 2.95%. Foaming capacity gives indication of increase in volume upon introduction of air or gas into slurry of a given food, this shows that the samples will give a fluffy texture. The bulk density of the samples ranged from 0.54 to 0.59g/cm³. Low bulk density enhances flowability and ease of food packaging. Dispersibility of the flours ranged from 85.25 to 90.95%. Dispersibility ensures uniform mixing and blending which enhances product stability, shelf life and texture consistency. The moisture content of the flours ranged from 6.66% to 13.52%. Lower moisture content, is a desirable quality because it indicates a better shelf life due to reduced water activity. Protein content ranged from 22.4% to 24.7%, highlighting the importance of soybean as a protein source. Carbohydrate content was highest in Sample A (60.7%) and lowest in Sample B (54.9%). There were significant differences (p ) in carbohydrate content of all the samples.  Sensory evaluation showed that Sample A (60% sorghum, 20% maize, 20% soybean) was most preferred in terms of appearance (7.84), taste (7.28), aroma (7.48), and mouth feel (7.56) indicating its overall acceptability. A nutrient-rich complementary food has been developed by blending locally sourced food materials to enhance nutritional value with sensory satisfaction and potentially reducing the prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition.