title: Development of banana-based weaning food mixes for infants and its nutritional quality evaluation.
abstract: Banana-based weaning food mixes were developed from the Nendran variety to study the nutritional quality of the mixes and feasibility of marketing on a commercial scale. Chemical composition viz., moisture, acid, pH, reducing and total sugars, protein and β-carotene of the developed banana-based weaning mixes were analysed. The trypsin inhibitor activity reduced during cooking, and the flatus compound could not be measured due to its very meagre gas production. The α-amylase activity and in vitro protein and carbohydrate digestibilities were also analysed. A feeding trial of the developed mixes was conducted in infants as a supplement to study the nutritional quality of the developed banana-based weaning food mixes. Results showed an increase in all the anthropometric measurements during the feeding period, and the developed mixes can be prepared on a commercial scale to prevent malnutrition and undernutrition during the rapid growing period of infants.
authors.forename: Pothiraj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chitra
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000032:analysis*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D028521:Musa / Q000737:chemistry*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D014886:Weaning