Improved Corn and Millet Based Weaning Foods: Formulation, Viscosity, and Nutritional and Microbial Quality

Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus during germination and drying of finger millet and kidney beans

“…Staphylococcus aureus and B. cereus are important micro‐organisms in this respect as they produce heat‐resistant toxins, which can even survive an autoclaving process (NACMCF, 1999). The presence of such toxins in complementary foods may partly explain the problem of weaning age children suffering from protein energy malnutrition while being weaned (Gimbi et al ., 1997).…”

“…Total aerobic plate counts increased considerably during germination of finger millet and kidney beans (Table 1). Similar findings were obtained by Gimbi et al . (1997) who studied the microbial quality of germinated millet flour.…”

“…In many countries of Africa, mothers use boiled porridge made from cereals, usually maize, sorghum or millet flour to wean their children (Kingamkono et al ., 1995). This feeding practice has contributed to the high incidence of protein energy malnutrition reported in many developing nations (Gimbi et al ., 1997). The quality of complementary foods is often low; they are bulky, low in energy and contain too small amounts of micronutrients given the low gastric capacity (30–40 mL kg −1 body weight) of infants (WHO, 1998).…”

“…To improve the nutritional quality of complementary foods, attempts have been made to promote production of mixtures of locally available cereals, legumes and oilseeds. Different techniques, including germination (Gimbi et al ., 1997) and lactic acid fermentation (Nout, 1992), have been utilized to improve the digestibility of nutrients and to lower the levels of antinutrients present in cereals and legumes. Because of their high nutritive value, germinated grains have become popular among health food consumers (Piernas & Guiraud, 1998).…”

Formulation of a drinkable peanut-based therapeutic food for malnourished children using plant sources

“…These are similar to findings by Chakravarthi and Kapoor (2003) who were able to increase the nutrient density of weaning gruels made from sorghum, green gram and wheat using microbial amylases to a 30% solid concentration and an energy density of 120 kcal/100 g. The final viscosities of the TFs were all within the recommended range of 1000 -3000 cP that is appropriate for feeding children (3 years of age. This range indicates a semiliquid consistency that is needed to prevent the child from chocking (Gimbi et al 1997;Griffith and Castell-Perez 1998).…”