Author(s): Requirements of the nutrition during weaning food

Abstract:
Current Weaning recommendations are based on nutritional need, physiologic maturation, and the behavioural and development aspects of infant feeding. Inadequate energy and protein intake and deficiencies of iron, zinc, and vitamin A and vitamin D are the most commonly observed nutrient deficiencies during infancy and weaning recommendations have focused on their prevention. Although breast milk is adequate to meet the energy and nutrient requirements of an infant up to four to six months of age, thereafter it is insufficient to sustain normal growth and needs to be supplemented with other foods, such as weaning foods. However, the capacity of a weaning diet to meet the protein and energy requirements of infants depends on its nutritional quality as well as its dietary bulk. The high-volume/high-viscosity character of many commercially available weaning foods is a major constraint in providing children with enough calorie density. An attempt was made to formulate low-cost, nutritive but bulk-reduced weaning foods using sorghum malt, green gram malt, and sesame flour. The formulations thus prepared were evaluated for functional properties such as particle size, water absorption, dispensability hot-paste and cold-paste viscosities, colour, and nutritive value with respect to calories, vitamin C, minerals, and available lysine. A weaning food containing 60% sorghum malt, 30% green gram malt, and 10% sesame flour was found to have satisfactory functional characteristics and nutritive value and is recommended.