Formulation and Optimization of Complementary Food Based on Its Nutritional and Antinutritional Analysis

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Infant nutrition is critical for development.
• Complementary foods require optimal nutrient profiles and low antinutrients.
• Developing cost-effective and nutrient-dense complementary foods is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formulate and optimize a nutritious complementary food using a blend of oat, yellow maize, chickpea, avocado pulp powder, and sugarcane jaggery.
• To enhance the nutritional quality and reduce antinutrient levels in infant food formulations.
• To determine the optimal ratio of ingredients for a balanced and safe complementary food.

Main Methods:

• Mixture design methodology was employed using Minitab v.19 software.
• Ingredient proportions were optimized with a constant 10% jaggery content.
• Nutritional and antinutritional analyses were conducted on the formulated composite foods.
• Overlaid contour design was used to select the best-optimized formulation based on multiple parameters.

Main Results:

• The formulated composite foods exhibited improved proximate composition, mineral, and vitamin content.
• Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in most attributes across different formulations.
• Antinutrient levels were reduced in the optimized complementary food.
• The optimal formulation comprised oat (40g), chickpea (25.81g), yellow maize (13.78g), avocado powder (10.4g), and jaggery (10g).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully developed a nutritious complementary food with an optimized ingredient ratio.
• The proposed formulation can contribute to meeting the nutritional needs of children and vulnerable communities.
• This optimized complementary food offers a promising solution for improving infant and community nutrition.