Improvement of Energy and Nutrients Density of Sorghum Based Weaning Food Using Germination
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Date
2009-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Weaning foods prepared commercially are not available and if available, unaffordable for the
poor in developing countries. Weaning foods prepared traditionally from locally available raw
materials such as cereal and/or legume flours have a high viscosity when reconstituted, which
limits the total food intake by the infants. Weaning foods from plant sources are also high in
antinutrients content which decreases nutrients bioavailability. The main objective of this study
was to investigate the possibilities of improving the energy and nutrients density of sorghumbased
weaning foods using germination.
Two varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) (L.) Moench) seeds (varieties 76T1#23 and Meko)
were collected for this study. Sorghum seeds were cleaned, soaked for 22 hours at room
temperature (22±20C) and germinated for 36 and 48 hours at the soaking temperature. The
germinated seeds were dried at 550C for 24 hours and milled into flour. The ungerminated
sorghum seeds were also dried at 550C for 2 hours and milled. Using ungerminated and
geminated sorghum flour and blend of the two in ratios of 85:15, 75:25, 50:50 and 75:25, eleven
weaning foods were formulated for each of the two sorghum varieties.
Germination of sorghum seeds increased significantly (P<0.05) the contents (%) of crude protein
from 12.25 to 12.65 and from 10.44 to 10.87; of total phosphorus (mg/100g)from 208.42 to
223.26 and from 183.04 to 193.56; non-phytate phosphorous from 95.95 to 169.69 and from
52.02 to 136.14; iron from 8.21 to 11.99 and 7.19 to 10.98; zinc from 1.86 to 2.01 and from 1.78
to 1.89; calcium from 17.09 to 25.93 and from 20.99 to 29.62 for varieties 76T1#23 and Meko,
respectively. In contrast, germination of sorghum grain decreased phytic acid levels (mg/100g)
from 399.12 to 190.11 and from 464.94 to 203.76 and (molar ratios) of phytate to iron from 4.12
VIII
to 1.35 and from 5.49 to 1.58; phytate to zinc from 21.18 to 9.31 and from 25.72 to 10.64; and
viscosity values (cP) at 13% dry matter concentration from 8689.74 to 2386.78 and from 8794.78
to 2415.19; at 5% dry matter concentration from 2893.78 to 1142.11 and from 2987.43 to 1149.2,
respectively. The sensory panelists preferred the gruel that contained 15% of germinated sorghum
flour for all the sensory attributes investigated; while gruels prepared from 100% germinated
sorghum flour was least preferred.
Hence, germination appeared to be a promising food processing method to improve the nutrients
and energy density and to decrease phytate levels and viscosity values of weaning food gruels
significantly and to increased food intake in infants.
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Keywords
Hence, Decrease phytate levels