EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF AN INFANT WEANING FORMULA FROM UNDERUTILIZED PROTEIN SOURCE

Abstract

Cereal/legume/tuber vegetable infant weaning diet was produced using in a 60:20:20 ratio.
The yellow maize was fermented for 72hours to produce Akamu. Standard methods were
used for the determination of pH, titratable acidity, chemical composition and in vitro protein
digestibility of the infant weaning diet. Fermentation was found to cause a reduction in pH
with time, in a pH drop from (5.76 to 3.5). The infant weaning diet had a moisture content of
(2.01±0.07%) and (frisocream®) had (2.0%). Result of the crude protein of the infant
weaning diet (16.9±0.03%) was slightly higher than Frisocream® (15.3%). The carbohydrate
of the infant weaning diet (82.3± 0.06%) was below the values of Frisocream® (445%). The
in vitro protein digestibility of the infant weaning diet significantly increased with time.
Therefore, the infant weaning diet had a moisture and protein content comparable to
frisocream.