Evaluation of the mineral content, anti-nutritional factors and functional properties of the complementary food produced from some food using rice, carrot, and soybeans flour blends as case study

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Abstract

Evaluation of the mineral content, anti-nutritional factors and functional properties of the complementary food produced from some food using rice, carrot, and soybeans flour blends as case study.

The study was embarked on, to evaluate the mineral content, anti-nutritional factors and functional properties of the complementary food produced from some food, using Rice, Carrot and soybeans flour blends as case study. The food samples were prepared and processed to evaluate the mineral contents. The locally available foods formulated in the right proportions can provide nutrients needed by infants at low cost. The formulated complementary food was discovered to be high in macro and micro minerals needed by infants for proper growth and development. The minerals are also generally higher in the samples than that of the control sample except for zinc and iron. Nevertheless, it is still suitable for adoption as a complementary food. The functional properties are also suitable for an ideal complementary food. The anti-nutrients in the food were discovered to be in the safe levels thereby lowering the risk of toxicity. The formulations can be used as complementary food in place of traditional complementary foods that are usually thin and less nutrient dense, this would in turn help to combat the issue of undernutrition in children.