Effect of addition of processed bambara nut on the functional and sensory acceptability of millet‐based infant formula

Abstract

Fermentation and sprouting have been shown to increase nutrient bioavailability and modify the functional properties of foods. Application of these methods in the preparation of infant foods and complementing cereals with legumes will address nutrient density and viscosity problems associated with infant foods. Infant foods were formulated from blends of treated bambara nut and pearl millet. Functional properties, pasting properties, and sensory acceptability of the blends were studied. Millet and bambara nut were soaked separately in water and allowed to ferment for 48 hr at room temperature. While for sprouting, millet and bambara nut were soaked for 12 and 24 hr, respectively, at room temperature, and soaked seeds were separately sprouted for 48 hr. After fermentation and sprouting, the seeds were oven‐dried and then milled into a flour of 0.6 mm size. The flours were formulated to six (A, B, C, D, E, and F) complementary diets. The results show that sample E had the suitable water absorption capacity, while, for oil absorption capacity, various blends showed suitability except samples A and B. In terms of swelling capacity, sample F (6.52 ± 0.01%) was the suitable at 60°C. Treatment and blending significantly influenced trough, final viscosity, and pasting time. In sensory acceptability, sample B was adjudged the best. This study revealed that sample C was the best in respect to functional and pasting properties for infant food; however, sample B received the best general acceptability.

Managing the hard-to-cook (HTC) phenomenon in bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) processing for resource limited communities in Zimbabwe

“…Peak viscosity indicates the water-binding capacity of the starch whereby the gelatinized starch reaches its maximum viscosity during heating in water [327]. Currently, insignificant differences were observed, implying that different treatments did not influence peak viscosity.…”

“…viscous paste rather than a thick gel on cooking and cooling. Nutritionally, this means a high calorific density for a low volume [327]. The setback viscosity indicates the syneresis of starch upon the cooling of the cooked starch pastes [326].…”

Nutritional Quality, Functional Properties and Sensory Acceptability of an Orange - fleshed Sweet Potato - based Complementary Food

“…Bulk density is a measure of the heaviness of the flour [51]. Table 3 shows that SAB had the least value of bulk density amongst the formulated samples while GAD had the highest value of bulk density.…”

“…Okorie et al [53] report that bulk density depends on the particle size of the commodites used, smaller particle size food items being associated with lower bulk density and vice versa. James et al [51] report that lower bulk densities are considered best for a complementary food, as foods prepared from low density food items are easily digested by infants while retaining the nutrients.High bulk density reduces caloric and nutrient intake per feed of a child, which can result in growth faltering [52]. From the results in Table 3, all the three (3) formulations (GAD, SAB & PEA) had lower bulk densities and hence suggest their suitability as complementary food formulas for infants.…”

“…PEA which had 125 g of OFSP flour and 25 g each of anchovy, onion and tomato powder had the highest swelling power. GAD with100 g OFSP flour, 50 g of anchovy powder and 25 g each of onion and tomato powder had the least swelling power.The results in Table 3 show that the samples could swell up to about ten (10) times their original size and weight.It has also been asserted that a lower swelling capacity of complementary foods is advantageous in feeding infants, as it increases the nutrient density of the food, thereby enabling the child to consume more in order to meet his/her nutrient requirement [51]. On the other hand, complementary foods with high swelling capacity are not desirable because they may absorb more water and have less solid, resulting in a low nutrient-dense food [33].…”