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The potential use of chickpeas in development of infant follow-on formula
Lovemore Nkhata Malunga, Shimrit Bar-El Dadon, Eli Zinal
1The School of Nutritional Sciences Plant Genetics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P,O, Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. ram.reifen@mail.huji.ac.il.
Background:
Undernutrition during childhood is a common disorder in the developing countries, however most research has focussed much on its treatment rather than its prevention.
Objective:
We investigated the potential of using chickpeas in infant follow-on formula production against the requirements of WHO/FAO on complementary foods and EU regulations on follow-on formula.
Methods:
Chickpeas were germinated for 72 hours followed by boiling, drying and dehulling in order to minimise associated anti-nutrition factors. Saccharifying enzymes were used to hydrolyse starch to maltose and the resulting flours were analysed for their protein content and amino acid profile.
Results:
The protein content (percentage) increased from 16.66 ± 0.35 and 20.24 ± 0.50 to 20.00 ± 0.15 and 21.98 ± 0.80 for the processed desi and kabuli cultivar compared to raw chickpeas, respectively (P < 0.05). There was insignificant change (P = 0.05) in amino acid profile following processing and the resulting flour was found to meet the amino acid requirements of WHO/FAO protein reference for 0-24 month's children.
Conclusion:
The designed chickpea based infant follow-on formula meets the WHO/FAO requirements on complementary foods and also the EU regulations on follow-on formula with minimal addition of oils, minerals and vitamins. It uses chickpea as a common source of carbohydrate and protein hence making it more economical and affordable for the developing countries without compromising the nutrition quality.
