Abstrakt

Evaluation and demonstration of new food product of enset, Orange fleshed sweet potato and finger millet blends for alleviation of nutritional insecurity.

Assefa Cholo

 

Both protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient malnutrition are highly prevalent among infants and children in poor community settings in the developing world, especially the Sub-Saharan African countries. In this study, kocho, bulla, orange-fleshed sweet potato and finger millet were separately processed into their respective flours and blended in a percentage ratio, to prepare household-level. The experiment was done by preparing five formulations of composite flours using Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications at Mierab-Azerinet, Cheha, Enamor-Ener and Gumer districts during 2018-2019. The porridge prepared from blending of bulla, kocho, orange fleshed sweet potato and finger millet flour observed significantly highest value in proximate composition, mineral content and functional properties (p<0.05). Porridge prepared from KBP2 (50%, 30%, 10%, 10%) which means bulla, kocho, orange-fleshed sweet potato and finger millet flour products accepted by most panelists for sensory attributes and it was significantly different from the control. The proximate composition revealed that as the proportion of finger millet flour increased, the protein content of the porridge is increased. Protein-energy malnutrition which affects children in case of eating protein low food enset products, can be minimized by blending finger millet flour when porridge preparation. Vitamin A was increased when orange fleshed sweet potato level increased. The blending ratio increased calcium and magnesium increased and zinc content decreased. In conclusion, the developed enset-based complementary foods were found to be of satisfactory nutrient densities and thus can be recommended to be used by infants in low-income communities together with breast milk so as to minimize the adverse consequences of protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency complications.