Effect of some processing methods on the chemical and functional properties of complementary foods from millet-soybean flour blends

Abstract

The results obtained for the formulated custard products showed evidence of significant (P < 0.05) interaction of the basic raw materials used for the production. The functional properties of the samples varied significantly (P < 0.05) between the samples with the least gelation ranging from 2.00%–4.10%; water absorption ranged from 1.43%–2.80% while the bulk density ranged from 0.06%–0.93%. The P-value for lack-of-fit 0.956 indicates that it was not significant, invariably, the model equation is fitted. It was therefore observed that the independent variables had positive effect on the samples including the interaction effect. The commercial product was observed to absorb more water than the developed samples. The least gelation capacity of the commercial and untreated samples was comparably higher against the treated samples. The anti-nutritional factors of phytate and Saponin contents of the samples ranged from 1.94% to 3.00% and 3.50% to 5.30%, respectively. The untreated samples had the highest contents of both the Saponin and phytate content. The increased contents of the anti-nutritional factors could be attributed to the unprocessed nature of the sample. Furthermore, there were positive correlations of the independent variables on the products. Significant variations (P < 0.05) were also observed for the calcium contents of the custard samples with the calcium content ranging from 2.67 to 10.60 ppm, while the phosphorous content ranged from 304.00 to 491.80 ppm. These selected minerals have importance in the health of growing children. Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth, while the phosphorus is important for phosphorylation reactions in the body.

Keywords

• infant foods
• fortification
• gelation
• nutrition
• cereals