Effectiveness and Suitability of Oyster Mushroom in Improving the Nutritional Value of Maize Flour Used in Complementary Foods
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Date
2021-03-16
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Hindawi
Abstract
Complementary foods based on habitual cereals such as maize have been linked with the promotion of undernutrition in young
children. Blending the starchy-rich maize with nutritious-rich indigenous food such as oyster mushroom could improve the
nutritional composition of complementary foods. This study investigated the effectiveness and suitability of oyster mushrooms
in improving the nutritional value of maize flour commonly used as a bulk ingredient in complementary foods. Flour made of
well-cleaned and sun-dried oyster mushroom was blended with maize flour at 0% (control), 30%, 40%, and 50%. Proximate
composition, mineral density, and sensory evaluation were determined using standard procedures. Significant improvement in
the nutritional quality of formulated flour blends with all proportions of mushroom flour was obtained . Blending maize flour
with 30%, 40%, or 50% oyster mushroom flour improved the protein content of formulated flour blends from 8.63% to 18.20%,
8.63% to 20.37% and 8.63% to 22.75%, respectively. The increase in ash and fiber content ranged between 82.52% to 84.16% and
50.69% to 58.35%, respectively. Mineral content of formulated flour blends was improved from 62.89% to 64.72% (iron), 7.63%
to 22.69% (zinc), 77.48% to 78.02% (calcium), and 67.55% to 67.64% (potassium). Sensory scores of porridges prepared from
formulated flour blends showed good acceptance for the colour, flavour, and aroma of the porridges from three formulated flour
blends. Overall, this study recommends blending oyster mushroom with maize flour to improve the nutritional content of
formulated flour blend for young children who rely on maize porridge as their complementary food.
Description
This Journal Article was published by Hindawi in 2021