Development and characterization of complementary and snack foods from composite flours of roots, tubers and biofortified beans for improved nutrition in Malawi

Abstract

The study formulated cooked and instant porridges as a complementary food for baby weaning and cheula (strips) as snack food for school children to help fight malnutrition among children in Malawi. The products were formulated from cassava or orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes (OFSP) flours and supplemented with biofortified bean flour to enhance their nutrient profile. The controls were Nestle Cerelac and Gluco phala for instant porridges, Likun Phala for cooked porridges and 100% soybean flour for cheula. Analysis of the results revealed that the protein content of the controls was higher than the formulations. The highest protein content of formulations was found in OFSP cassava bean cheula (9.78%), while cassava bean cheula (3.64%) was the least. The commercial products had significantly (p < 0.05) higher iron and zinc contents than the test products. Among the formulated products, OFSP-based products had a higher iron and zinc content than cassava-based products. According to the sensory analysis results, the formulated porridges were inferior to the control products in all attributes evaluated. In contrast, the panelists preferred the formulated cheulas over the control. In conclusion, the nutrition and sensory properties of the formulations were relatively comparable to the control sample. Further product optimization is recommended to improve both the nutrient and sensory properties of the developed products.

Keywords

• Biofortified beans
• cassava
• cheula
• orange-fleshed sweetpotato and porridge
• malnutrition
• Agriculture and Food