Acceptability of extrusion cooked cereal/legume weaning food supplements to Ghanaian mothers.

CEREALS as food; PREPARED cereals; INFANT weaning; HEALTH

Six cereal/legume mixtures were developed with the aid of computer-assisted optimization software from cereal and legume staples indigenous to the West African sub-region. The mixtures had 45–50% maize, 35–40% decorticated cowpeas and either blanched peanuts or decorticated soybeans as a source of lipid and complementary amino acids. Three processing schemes involving roasting, amylase digestion and extrusion cooking were employed. The proportion of ingredients in each cereal/legume blend was based on meeting the nutrient requirement of the 0.5–0.9-year-old infant and cost considerations. Nutrient composition of the blends (proximate, amino acid, mineral and vitamin composition) indicated that these formulations were adequate nutritionally as weaning supplements (Mensa-Wilmot et al , 2000a, 2000b). These formulations were evaluated by mothers of weanling children based on their preferences with respect to color, flavor, texture and willingness to purchase the product assessed. A total of 133 one-on-one interviews and 23 group discussions were conducted (involving 6–12 respondents) with selected Ghanaian women. The mothers found the convenience of a weaning food made from local staples that could be processed on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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