Acceptability of extrusion cooked cereal/legume weaning food supplements to Ghanaian mothers.
Six cereal/legume mixtures were developed with the aid of computer-assisted optimization software from cereal and legume staples indigenous to the West African sub-region. The mixtures had 45-50% maize, 35-40% decorticated cowpeas and either blanched peanuts or decorticated soybeans as a source of lipid and complementary amino acids. Three processing schemes involving roasting, amylase digestion and extrusion cooking were employed. The proportion of ingredients in each cereal/legume blend was based on meeting the nutrient requirement of the 0.5-0.9-year-old infant and cost considerations. Nutrient composition of the blends (proximate, amino acid, mineral and vitamin composition) indicated that these formulations were adequate nutritionally as weaning supplements (Mensa-Wilmot et al, 2000a,2000b). These formulations were evaluated by mothers of weanling children based on their preferences with respect to color, flavor, texture and willingness to purchase the product assessed. A total of 133 one-on-one interviews and 23 group discussions were conducted (involving 6-12 respondents) with selected Ghanaian women. The mothers found the convenience of a weaning food made from local staples that could be processed on village/market scale very attractive.
Mensa-Wilmot
Y
Y
Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement-Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Agricultural Experiment Station, Griffin, GA 30223-1797, USA.
Phillips
R D
RD
Sefa-Dedeh
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D002523:Edible Grain; D007887:Fabaceae; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005511:Food Handling; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012984:Software; D014886:Weaning