ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the quality of complementary foods produced from flour blends of soybean, malted and unmalted finger millet. Soybean and finger millet were processed into flour and used in the formulation of seven ratios of complementary foods; 40:30:30, 40:0:60, 40:60:0. 40:40:20, 40:20:40, 40:50:10, 40:10:50) with soybean (SBF), malted finger millet (MFM) and unmalted finger millet (UFM) respectively. Cerelac served as control. Each formulated food was fed to ten infant white albino wistar rats. Analysis was carried out to compare the nutritional composition of the formulated foods as well as the performance of the rats fed with the foods The proximate composition ranged from 5.18 to 7.62% moisture, 16.08 to 22.41% crude protein, 8.15 to 8.72% fat, 2.19 to 3.72% crude fibre, 1.37 to 3.42% ash, 55.03 to 66.56% carbohydrate. The caloric value ranged from 383.2 to 408.03%. Vitamins B1, B3, B9 and C ranged from 0.23 mg/100g to 0.77 mg/100g, 3.62 mg/100 to 5.03 mg/100g, 19.48 mg/100g to 126.80 mg/100g, 3.37 mg/100g to 39.96mg/100g respectively. The calcium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc ranged from 100.92 mg/100g to 448.71 mg/100g, 162.77 mg/100g to 339.97 mg/100g, 5.84 mg/100g to 11.96 mg/100g, 1.81 mg/100g to 34.94mg/100g respectively. The result of the amino acid profile of the complementary formulations revealed some essential amino acids present. The result also revealed that glutamic acid was predominant in all the formulated complementary foods, Pyrolysine was the least predominant. Protein efficiency ranged from 1.84 to 4.32% while the final weight of the rats ranged from 58.33g to 75.66g for rats fed with the formulated diets. The vital organs weighed 4.11g to 4.60g, 0.75g to 0.86g, 0.47g to 0.78g, 0.79g to 1.11g and 0.39g to 0.47 g for relative liver weight, relative paired liver weight, relative spleen weight, relative lungs weight and relative heart weight respectively. The haemoglobin concentration (Hb), percentage packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell count (RBC) and total white cell count (TWC) ranged from 15.00 -18.00%, 34.00 – 43.00%, 5.44 – 6,8810⁶/mm³and 7.00 -11.4010³/mm³. Total protein values in serum for rats fed with the different formulated foods SBF: MFM: UMF were 6.10 g/dL for (40: 60: 0) food followed by (40: 50:10) (5.54 g/dL),  (40:40:20) (5.17 g/dL), (40:30:30) (5.14 g/dL), (40:20:40) (4.98 g/dL),(40:10:50) (4.94 g/dL), and (40:0:60) (4.81 g/dL).It can be deduced from this study that complimentary foods possessing vital nutrients and of health benefits can be produced from the formulated soybean/malted and unmalted milltet comparable with the control (cerelac). These complimentary foods will help in preventing protein energy malnutrition and the raw materials are available for easy assessment to those who cannot afford to buy cerelac.