Biological evaluation for protein quality of supplementary foodsbased on popped cereals and legumes suitable for feeding rural mothers andchildren in India

Eight different formulations of supplementary foods (FS) based on poppedcereals (wheat, ragi, bajra and sorghum) and legumes (soy and bengalgram)were prepared. Four of the FS were produced with cereals, soy flour (SF)and bengalgram (BG) dhal and the other four were prepared with combinationsof cereals and SF. These blends were evaluated for food efficiency ratio(FER), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein utilization (NPU)using growing albino rats. Skim milk powder (SMP, standard reference protein)was used in the control diet. In general the FER (0.28 to 0.34), PER (2.7to 2.9) and NPU (62 to 68) results of the FS were not significantly (p>0.05)different among the FS groups or compared with FER (0.36), PER (3.0) and NPU(73.5) of the control SMP. It is evident from the results that all eight FSwere nutritionally and biologically as good as SMP with regard to proximatecomposition, PER and NPU.     

Banana (Musa sp. var. elakki bale) flower and pseudostem: dietary fiber and associated antioxidant capacity

Banana flower (BF) and pseudostem (PS) are byproducts of banana cultivation and are known to have health beneficial effects. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the dietary fiber composition and antioxidant effect of BF and PS. In the present study, BF and PS were found to be rich in dietary fiber (65.6 ± 1.32 and 28.8 ± 0.98%, respectively). Dietary fiber fractions were extracted and characterized in terms of sugar profile, and antioxidant activities were determined. BF and PS fractions were rich in sugars and showed wide diversity with respect to the nature of the sugars. Hemicellulose A fraction of BF showed high amounts of total polyphenols and total antioxidants, which were 121.8 ± 1.9 and 39.03 ± 0.118 μg/mg extract, respectively. HPLC analysis showed the presence of phenolic acids in hemicellulose A and B fractions of BF. These results indicate that BF and PS are rich sources of dietary fiber associated with polyphenols, which could promote health beneficial effects.     

Acceptability of supplementary foods based on popped cereals and legumes suitable for rural mothers and children

Eight types of supplementary foods based on popped cereals (wheat, ragi, bajra and sorghum) blended with legumes (soy and bengalgram) and fortified with essential vitamins and minerals were developed on a pilot plant scale. Four of the supplements were prepared with cereals, soy flour (SF) and bengal gram (BG) dhal and the other four were prepared with combinations of cereals and SF. These blends were mixed with jaggery (obtained by boiling juice out of sugarcane) syrup and pressed into compact form. One hundred gram portions of these foods provided 370 ± 20 kilocalories and 11 ± 1 g protein. Moisture, crude protein, total carbohydrates, total lipids, ash, dietary fiber and energy contents, of all the developed supplements were within the ranges prescribed by the Indian Standards Institute for processed weaning foods and could satisfactorily meet one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of these nutrients per day for preschool children. Organoleptic evaluation and feeding trials revealed that the foods were well accepted by rural mothers and children.