No abstract

The effect of weaning diets formulated locally were assessed on weanling wistar rats and compared with a commercial brand to ascertain its use as weaning diets for infants in resource-poor nations. The raw ingredients were processed using local methods into different diets and fed to weanling rats weighing between 45-60 g. Thirty weanling wistar rats were divided into six groups of five animals each and were allowed access to food and water ad-libitum for 28 days following standard procedures. Results of the antinutritive components of the diets revealed that phytate recorded the least amount of 0.29±0.00 mg/110g while oxalate was highest (18.12±0.07) in diet formulated majorly with plant materials. Organ weights of the experimental animals showed that animals fed the locally formulated diets compared favourably with the commercial diet while the least weights observed in animals fed protein-free diets. The Biochemical and hematological assessment of the serum of experimental animals did not show any marked difference in all the experimental groups. From the result, it can be deduced that the locally formulated diets did not pose any adverse health effect on rats and therefore is safe for use as infant diets.