PurposeChildhood under‐nutrition remains a major health problem in resource‐poor settings like the rural areas in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to determine the types and nutrient adequacy of complementary foods used in a rural area.Design/methodology/approachThe most frequently used (52 percent) homemade complementary food (HCF) in the area was studied, employing questionnaire, standardization of recipe and chemical analysis to evaluate the complementary food and to suggest improvement.FindingsTwo varieties of local beans (white and brown) were used in the preparation of HCF in the study area. They were either peeled to remove the coat or unpeeled. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in the protein content of the HCF made from the two varieties. Using any of the beans unpeeled children between the ages of six and eight months meet their energy and protein requirement. The calcium, iron, and zinc contents of HCF from the two bean varieties were low.Originality/valueThis paper may be the first to evaluate HCF using mothers' method of preparation.

The purpose of the study was to determine the mineral and heavy metal composition of twenty standardized dishes commonly consumed in Nigeria. Twenty standardized dishes more frequently consumed were cooked in triplicate and their major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, P) and trace elements (Se, Mn, Pb, Cd) content were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry by standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2005). Dry weights varied from 18.33 ± 0.20 to 63.77 ± 0.30% fresh matter. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, and potassium contents expressed in mg/100 g ranged from 45.96 ± 0.33 to 421.94 ± 0.56, 20.56 ± 0.64 to 309.77 ± 2.89, 38.34 ± 0.81 to 270.32 ± 4.21, 0.01 ± 0.01 to 0.45 ± 0.01, and 413.17 ± 0.63 to 654.21 ± 4.87 mg/100 g, respectively. Their sodium, manganese, lead, and cadmium contents were between 16.86 ± 0.28 and 67.54 ± 2.10 mg/100 g, 0.03 ± 0.01 and 0.22 ± 0.02 mg/100 g, 0.03 ± 0.01 and 0.65 ± 0.05, and 0.01 ± 0.01 and 0.28 ± 0.01 mg/ 100 g, respectively. There were statistically significant (p £ 0.5) differences in the mean values of all the parameters determined. Most of these recipes could adequately contribute to dietary minerals intake in most of the recipes.

The purpose of the study was to determine the vitamin content of twenty standardized dishes commonly consumed in Nigeria. Representative samples of twenty Nigerian dishes were analyzed for fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E, and K) and water-soluble (vitamin C and B- complexes) vitamins. The foods analyzed included those based on cereals, starchy tubers and roots, legumes, and vegetables. The analysis was carried out using spectrophotometry. The results revealed the following concentrations (mg/100 g): vitamin C , undetectable to 2.692 mg/100 g; thiamine, 0.011-1.094 mg/100 g; riboflavin, 0.011-0.816 mg/100 g; pyridoxine, undetectable to 0.412 mg/100 g; niacin, 0.070-0.967 mg/100 g; pantothenic acid, 0.060-1.193 mg/100 g; biotin, undetectable to 2.092 mg/100 g; B12, 0.045-2.424 µg/100 g; folate, 7.822-101.764 µg/100 g; total vitamin A, undetectable to 121.444 µg RE/100 g; vitamin D, undetectable to 2.445 IU/100 g; vitamin E, undetectable to 2.627 IU/100 g; and vitamin K, 0.266-13.091 µg/100 g. The results suggest that these dishes are good sources of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins and will provide baseline data that will be valuable in complementing available food composition data, and in estimating dietary intake of vitamins in Nigeria.

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