| Abstrakt: |
Many researchers in Nigeria have worked extensively on how to improve the nutrient value of existing complementary foods, but silent on the microbial and safety of the product. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of processing method on antinutritional, microbial and sensory quality of maize-millet-soybean complementary food. Maize, millet, and soybean grains were processed using submerged fermentation, germination and roasting methods (120 ± 5 °C) combined. Four complementary food samples (including the control) were formulated and mixed in ratio 50:30:20 maize, millet, and soybean respectively, and analyzed for antinutritional factors, microbial quality, total aflatoxin, and sensory attributes. Results showed that combining fermentation or germination with roasting method significantly (p<0.05) reduced phytic acid and amylase inhibitor by 83% and 41%, respectively. Microbial and aflatoxin contents of the complementary food samples were significantly reduced compared to control sample. Fungal spp, Salmonella-Shigella, Cronobacter spp, and aflatoxin contamination were not detected in fermented and roasted sample. Fermented and roasted sample was significantly preferred (p<0.05) than other samples in terms of colour, texture, and overall acceptability. The study showed that combination of fermentation and roasting methods significantly reduced microbial loads and enhanced safety and sensory acceptability of complementary food produced from maize-millet-soybean for infants and young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
