ABSTRACT
Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world although the country is endowed with agricultural produce that could be properly utilised to prepare adequate food for children. Considering this, three weaning foods were formulated using locally available cereals and nutritious fruits such as wheat, soya flour, jackfruit and mango. Methods: Standard procedures of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and American Public Health Association (APHA) were used to determine the chemical composition and microbiological analysis. Organoleptic qualities were analysed by twenty adult panelists of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Bangladesh, using a 9-hedonic scale against a cereal based commercial brand as standard for proximate and sensory properties. Results: The moisture content of the developed weaning foods ranged from 2.78-3.59%, crude protein content 14.74-16.55%, fat 11.04-12.70%, ash 1.38-1.68%, crude fibre 1.04-1.52%, carbohydrate 65.83-71.09% and energy content from 445.80-465.48 kcal/100g of the foods. The formulated weaning foods A, B and C were significantly different (p<0.05) in moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate and energy contents from the commercial brand, D. According to rat bioassay method, the prepared weaning foods C and B had the highest Protein Efficiency Ratio and Feed Efficiency Ratio than the commercial brand, D. Total bacterial counts were nil for all weaning foods. Sensory analysis revealed acceptability of all the weaning foods and preference for weaning food C that compared favorably with the standard in all the quality attributes. Conclusion: The formulated weaning foods are inexpensive and nutritious, and its ingredients are locally available. These foods have the potential for improving malnutrition problems facing children in Bangladesh.