Sorghum Malt-Based Weaning Food Formulations: Preparation, Functional Properties, and Nutritive Value

Abstract

The high-volume/high-viscosity character of many commercially available weaning foods is a major constraint in providing children with enough calorie density. An attempt was made to formulate low-cost, nutritive but bulk-reduced weaning foods using sorghum malt, green gram malt, and sesame flour. The formulations thus prepared were evaluated for functional properties such as particle size, water absorption, dispersibility hot-paste and cold-paste viscosities, colour, and nutritive value with respect to calories, vitamin C, minerals, and available lysine. The ingredients showed variation in particle size: green gram malt was finer than sorghum malt, and sesame flour was much coarser. The laboratory formulations had finer particle size than a commercial sample. Green gram malt had a higher water-absorption capacity and a lower percentage of dispersibility in water than sorghum malt. The experimental formulations had lower water-absorption capacities and higher percentages of dispersibility than the commercial sample. The viscosities of 10% and 15% gruel concentrations of the experimental formulations were much lower than those of the commercial sample. CSH-I sorghum malt was darker than the other ingredients. Sensory evaluation found the experimental preparations to have good acceptability. A weaning food containing 60% sorghum malt, 30% green gram malt, and 10% sesame flour was found to have satisfactory functional characteristics and nutritive value and is recommended.