Formulation of Healthy Foods from Maize Grain, Pulse and Banana Fruit for Preventing Acute Malnutrition

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to formulate healthy foods from grain, pulse and fruit to track the problem of acute malnutrition. Maize, soybean and banana were used as sample ingredients. \nMethods: The study used maize grains, soybean, banana fruit and soya oil and sugar ingredients for the formulation of ready to use therapeutic foods. Three different food samples (HF1, HF2 and HF3) were formulated and the samples were then transferred into airtight plastic containers for further analyses. A CRD with two replications was used. Data was analyzed using ANOVA. \nResults: This study shows that there was statistical significance difference among the three products in terms of appearance and consistency. The study also showed that the protein content of the three products g/100 g met the proposed nutrient composition range for plumpy’ nut. Concerning, the energy, HF1 and HF2 had higher energy, which was 620 and 585, respectively compared to the plumpy’ nut (545) but the HF3 had lower energy. \nConclusion: This study concluded that the ingredients that were used in the formulation of the three products were rich energy, minerals and vitamins. Therefore, it is crucial to increase the shelf life of the new developed products through further research.