Evaluation of Nutrient and Organoleptic Properties of Complementary Foods Formulated From Quality-Protein Maize, Orange-Flesh Sweet Potato, Soybean And Date Flour
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1023-5365Keywords:
Complementary foods, Design expert, Quality Protein Maize, Orange Flesh Sweet Potato, Soybean and Date flourAbstract
Adequate infant and young child nutrition are essential for optimal growth, cognitive development, and survival. In many low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, poor complementary feeding practices and reliance on nutrient-poor cereal-based diets contribute to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. This study formulated and evaluated three complementary food blends (QOSAD 1, QOSAD 2, and QOSAD 3) from Quality Protein Maize (QPM), Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), soybean, and date flour as affordable and nutrient-dense alternatives. Formulations were optimized using Design Expert software and data were analyzed for proximate composition, micronutrient content, antinutritional factors, amino acid profile, and sensory attributes using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0 software 2011 to test the level of significance (p<0.05), Turkey Test was used to separate the means where significant differences. The results showed significant synergistic effects among ingredients on energy and iron contents. Energy densities of the formulations exceeded the WHO minimum recommendation of 400 kcal/100 g, with QOSAD 2 recording the highest value (445.23 ± 3.57 kcal/100 g). Protein content ranged from 6.81% to 10.99%, while QOSAD 3 contained the highest iron (56.70 ± 0.10 mg/100 g), zinc (5.30 mg/100 g), and provitamin A carotenoid (1,059.20 µg/100 g) contents. Antinutritional factors were within safe limits. QOSAD 2 exhibited superior protein quality and recorded the highest scores for flavour, texture, and overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmed Saka, Auwalu Garba, Sani Ibrahim, Abdulkadir Muhammad
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