FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HOME-MADE WEANING DIETS BASED ON TRADITIONAL WEANING PRACTICES IN ONDO STATE

Abstract

One thousand four hundred and eight (1408) mothers whose children ranged between 4 and 36 months were recruited from well-baby clinics, immunization centers and the local communities from five local government areas of Ondo State to participate in the study. In addition, fifty (50) resource persons were interviewed in the five local government areas on traditional weaning practices and pattern. Socio-economic data that included principal occupation of mothers and fathers, age of mothers, educational attainment and sanitary data were collected and analyzed. Survey of available traditional weaning foods as well as existing weaning trend were also collected and analyzed. Samples of commonly consumed traditional weaning foods in the study area were collected and analyzed for moisture, combustible energy, fat and protein. Based on the survey findings, twelve weaning diets were formulated and prepared from maize meal, rice, cassava, mature unripe plantain, cowpeas (common beans); groundnuts, soya beans, amaranthus leaves and palm oil. Each of the formulated weaning mixture contained a staple of either maize meal, rice, cassava flour or plantain and protein supplement of amaranthus leaves and either of cowpeas, soyabeans or groundnuts. Palm oil was added to all the mixtures as additional source of concentrated energy as well as to influence the viscosity of the mixtures while enhancing the palatability as well as providing – B carotene to the diets.

The weaning mixtures were formulated to provide adequate level of energy and other selected nutrients based on the principles of multi-mixes using least cost statistical approach to determine the quantities and proportion of the component ingredients in the mixtures that would meet the requirements of young children. The compounded weaning diets were subjected to proximate analysis and eight of them to bioassay using weanling rats as well as to sensory evaluation and consistency/viscosity measurements. The result obtained from this study revealed that the mean ages of the mothers were similar, twenty-six years, for all the five local government areas (LGA). The two principal occupations of the mother were petty trading and farming both accounting for the Job description of 56% of the mothers by local government area except in Ikere local government where food vending was highly important next to trading. 71% of all the mothers in all the five local governments had at least primary school education. 80% of all mothers depended on other sources of water for domestic use apart from pipe borne water in all the five local government areas. The socio-economic parameter of the mothers were similar and all belonged to low income rural households. All the 1408 children were breastfed for varying lengths of time from birth to thirty-six =months and 81% of them were still on breast at 9 months of age. It was observed that breastfeeding was the preferred and normal way of child feeding in the areas studied. The mean age of completion of weaning differed along local government areas but 85% of all the children had been weaned completely at the age of 19 months. Maize gruel was the traditional semi-solid food first introduced to children in all the 5 local government areas while gruels of cassava and plantain were subsequently introduced to children in three of the 5 local government areas. Seventy-three (73%) percent of the mothers had introduced semi-solid foods to their children by 6 months. Hospitals personnel and parents/in-laws were the most important group of people that Influenced mothers on child feeding in all the 5 local government areas. Fruits were the first foods generally offered to infants at the mean age of 4.93 months followed by gruels at the mean age of 6.5 months. Sugar and artificial sweetners were observed used for infant feeding as early as the mean age of 4.5 months. The use of oils for infant feeding was delayed till about the mean age of 7.71 months. Proximate composition of selected samples of weaning gruels commonly consumed by the children showed that the moisture content ranged from 83% in maize pap to 90.2% in cassava gruel, protein content ranged between 0.15% in cassava gruel and 1.39% In maize pap. fat content ranged from 0.05% In cassava gruel to 0.63% in maize gruel and the combustible energy ranged from 36 kca1/100 gm in cassava gruel to 64 kcal/ 100 gm in maize pap all on wet ready to consume basis. The proximate composition of the formulated and prepared weaning mixtures showed that the moisture content ranged between 75% in RGA0 (rice, groundnut, amaranthus and oil) and 81.1% in RSA0 (rice, soybeans, amaranthus and oil), the combustible energy ranged from 99 kcal/100 gm in MSA0 (maize meal, poyabeans, amaranthus and oil) to 101 kca1/100 gm in MCAO (maize meal, cowpea, amaranthus and oil) while the protein content ranged from 2.51% in RSAO to 3.54% IN CCAO (cassava, cowpea, amaranthus and oil) and the fat content ranged between 3.1% in RCAO (rice, cowpea, amaranthus and oil) to 6.86% in PGAO (plantain, groundnut, amaranthus arid oil). All the above were on 100gm edible portion. The protein quality of the selected weaning mixtures formulated showed that the corrected protein efficiency ratio (C - PER) values ranged between 2.11 in CGAO (cassava, groundnut, amaranthus and oil mixture) and 2.40 In RGAO (rice, groundnut, amaranthus and palm oil mixture). Their net protein ratio (NPR) values ranged from 3.32 in CGAO to 3.65 in RGAO while the net protein utilization (NPU) values ranged from 71.96 in PGAO (plantain, groundnut, amaranthus and palm oil mixture) to 86.24 in RGAO. The true digestibility values ranged from 81.37 in PGAO to 90.18 in RGAO while biological values of the proteins in the mixtures ranged from 81.66 in CCAO to 90.56 in RGAO. All the protein quality parameters measured were statistically significantly different for the various weaning mixtures assessed except for the NPR (P<0.05). The protein quality of all the mixtures formulated, prepared and bioassay fall within acceptable range recommended by the protein advisory group (PAG) of the United Nations, on weaning mixtures. Sensory evaluation results of the eight selected weaning mixtures showed that there were significant differences in the appearance/colour, taste and consistency of the mixtures (P<O.O5). base on the results of protein quality attributes the best diet was RGA0 followed by MGAO (maize, groundnut amaranthus and palm oil Mixtures) and PSAO. Thus, depending on available local foods, any of the three diets could be recommended as suitable for proper growth and development of the weaning child in Nigeria.