Formulation and Assessment of Nutritious Infant Complementary Foods from Co-Fermented Maize, Millet and Pigeon Pea Blends

Infant complementary food introduces nutritious meal to augment for deficiency at early stage of growth. This study focuses on investigating proximate, physico-chemical, functional and anti-nutritional properties of the infant food formulation from blend of maize, millet and pigeon pea. The dried co-fermented maize-millet was milled into fine flour, mixed with fine powder obtained from processed pigeon pea. Different blends of the co-fermented cereals and pigeon pea powder formulation were prepared. The Proximate, nutritional, chemical, functional property, mineral content, anti-nutritional properties and sensory evaluation of the complementary food produced were evaluated. Energy values of the formulations were in the range of 353.76 – 358.86 kca/g, obtained from co-fermented maize-millet and pigeon pea blends. Sample MSE had the highest protein content of 15.60 + 0.95%. For functional properties, bulk density highest and lowest values were 0.70, 0.62 g/ml from MSE, MSA respectively, for swelling capacity; water absorption capacity and oil absorption capacity, the highest values were obtained from MSE, the lowest values were from MSA. For mineral composition, sample MSA had the highest value of calcium and zinc which were: 204.79 and 11.49 mg/100g + 0.02a while sample MSE had the highest value of iron; 4.96 in mg/100g respectively. The anti-nutritional composition shows that sample MSA had the lowest value of saponin, phytate and oxalate and sample MSE had the highest value of saponin, phytate and oxalate. Sensory evaluation indicated that MSA is mostly valued. These formulations are cheap source of infant food, formulation obtained in MSA and MSE are most preferred for use as weaning foods as selected by sensory evaluation.