COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE NUTRITIONAL AND ANTI-NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF A DEVELOPED DEPLOYABLE BABY FOOD AND OTHER COMMERCIAL BABY FORMULAS (6-24 MONTHS)

The aim of this study is to develop a cost effective, nutritious, homemade homogeneous blend of locally available food ingredients into a complementary baby food for 6-24 months of age that will be acceptable, deployable and prevent malnutrition in this age bracket. The nutritional and anti-nutritional values of the formulated foods were compared with imported baby food and two locally available baby formulas. Two baby food formulas were developed based on protein contents of available food commodities: DFA (Yellow corn 60%, Soya beans 20%, Groundnut 15% and Crayfish 5%) and DFB (Yellow corn 65%, Soya beans 15%, Groundnut 15% and Crayfish 5%). Standard procedures of the AOAC (2016) and other methods were used to determine proximate, phytochemicals and anti-nutrient properties of the foods. The mean± standard error of mean for moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat and carbohydrate contents of the DFA respectively are; (4.08±0.04), (2.27±0.14), (15.19±0.08), (0.95±0.04), (10.14±0.10) and (67.37±0.27) while for DFB they are; (4.09±0.19), (1.76±0.03), (15.96±0.20), (0.69±0.02), (14.50±0.2) and (62.99±0.03) respectively. The overall results indicated that the proximate parameters and energy contents of the developed homogeneous blends were similar, lower or higher than values in the control formula but all within the acceptable limits. Samples were also rated using a 9-point hedonic scale range from “like extremely” (9) to “dislike extremely” (1) for sensory evaluation. Conclusively, it is believed that complementary foods from locally available food commodities have great potential in providing nutrients aimed at combating the problem of malnutrition among infants and toddlers between the ages of 6 to 24 months.