In Ethiopia, commercially made complementary foods are not available and affordable for the majority of the poor. Complementary foods prepared traditionally from locally available raw materials (such as cereals) have high viscosity when reconstituted. This limits the total food intake by infants. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of germination on energy and nutrient density of sorghum-based complementary foods. Two varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) (L.) Moench) grains (varieties 76T1#23 and Meko) were collected, cleaned, soaked for 22 hours at room temperature (22±2 0 C); germinated for 48 hours at the soaking temperature; dried at 55 0 C for 24 hours, and milled into a fine homogeneous powder. Five complementary foods were formulated by using a blend of ungerminated to germinated sorghum flours in ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75, 0:100, respectively. Germination increased significantly (p<0.05) contents of crude protein from 12.25% and 10.44% to 12.65% and 10.87% for varieties 76T1#23 and Meko, respectively. Similarly, the respective contents of total phosphorus, iron, zinc and calcium (mg/100g) were significantly (p<0.05) increased from 208.42, 8.21, 1.86 and 17.09 to 223.26, 11.99, 2.01 and 25.93 for variety 76T1#23 and from 183. 04, 7.19, 1.78 and 20.99 to 192.91, 10.98, 1.89 and 29.62 for variety Meko. In contrast, germination decreased viscosity values (cP) (at five percent dry matter concentrations) from 2888.78 and 2988.43 to 1147.11 and 1148.20 for varieties 76T1#23 and Meko, respectively and at 15% dry matter concentrations from 8684.74 and 8791.98 to 2376.17 and 2416.24 for variety 76T1#23 and Meko, respectively. Blending of ungerminated with germinated sorghum flour also decreased viscosity values significantly. Panelists preferred gruels prepared from 100% ungerminated sorghum flour followed by gruels prepared from a blend of 75% ungerminated and 25% germinated sorghum flours. Gruels prepared from 100% germinated sorghum flour were least preferred. Hence, germination appeared to be a promising food processing method to improve energy and nutrient density and decrease viscosity values of complementary foods.

Many people living in developing countries depend on diets based on cereal staples. Such diets lack diversity, which may result in micronutrient deficiencies. A complementary food made from cereals is often low in mineral content and contains significant quantities of mineral absorption inhibitors like phytic acid and condensed tannins. Anti-nutritional factors are plant constituents, which play an important role in humans, reducing the digestibility of nutrients and the absorption of minerals.Infant malnutrition due to nutritionally inadequate diets is one of the major concerns in Ethiopia. Children in rural Ethiopia are especially prone to micronutrient deficiencies as they eat from the family dish, which is predominantly plant-based. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to investigate the effect of germination on bioavailability of minerals of sorghum-based complementary foods. Two varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grains (varieties 76T1#23 and Meko) were collected, cleaned, soaked for 22 hours at room temperature (22±2 0 C) and germinated for 36 and 48 hours at the soaking temperature. The germinated seeds were dried at 55 0 C for 24 hours and the ungerminated sorghum seeds were also dried at 55 0 C for 2 hours to facilitate milling. Both ungerminated and germinated sorghum grains weremilled into a homogeneous fine powder.Germination of sorghum grainsfor 36 and 48 hours decreased phytic acid levels (mg/100g) significantly (p<0.05) for variety 76T1#23 from 399.12 to 255.66 and 190.11, and from 464.94 to 293.18 and 203.76for variety Meko, respectively. During germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours, molar ratio of phytate: iron was decreased significantly (p<0.05) from 4.12 to 2.06 and 1.35 for variety 76T1#23, and from 5.49 to 2.35 and 1.58 for variety Meko, respectively. Similarly, germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours decreased significantly (p<0.05) phytate:zinc molar ratio of sorghum flour from 21.18 to 12.76 and 9.31 for variety 76T1#23; and from 25.72 to 15.54 and 10.64 for variety Meko, respectively. In contrast, germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours increased significantly (p<0.05) the contents of total phosphorus, non-phytate phosphorous, iron, zinc and calcium.Hence, germination appeared to be a promising food processing method to improve bioavailabilityof mineralsand to decrease phytate levels, and therefore to decrease deficiencies of minerals in infants.