Proximate Composition, Functional and Sensory Characteristics of Complementary Instant Flours from Yellow Maize (Zea mays), Soya Bean (Glycine max) and Baobab Pulp (Adansonia digitata) Blends

Abstract

This study aimed to formulate an instant complementary flour from yellow maize, soya bean, and baobab pulp. To achieve this, maize was germinated and cooked, and soya beans soaked and roasted. The three food materials were ground, and their proximate composition was determined. The instant complementary flours were formulated following the World Food Program specifications. Gruels were prepared from these flours and a sensory analysis was carried out. The selected gruel was analyzed for viscosity, water absorption capacity (WAC), solubility index (SI), particle size, and energy value and density. Sprouted yellow maize, soaked/roasted soybeans, and baobab pulp are good sources of carbohydrates, protein, and iron respectively. Amongst the eleven complementary flours formulated, F2 (80.5 % yellow maize, 17.2% soya bean, 2.3% baobab pulp), was the most accepted with 71.32% carbohydrate, 12.75% protein, 7.83% lipid, 6.26 mg/100g DM iron. Functional properties indicate that it's suitable for the preparation of an energy-dense gruel suitable for complementary, with an energy density of 111.49 Kcal/100ml. Thus, the pretreated yellow maize and soya bean are good ingredients for the formulation of complementary food when combined with baobab pulp.