Potentials of extruded complementary meal from quality protein maize-soybean protein concentrate meal for the treatment of protein-energy malnutrition

The development of a complementary diet with high nutrient quality necessitated this study. Quality protein maize meal, soybean protein concentrate, and cassava starch were prepared and mixed in the proportions of 72%, 18.94% and 9.06% respectively. The mixture was extruded, milled and packaged. The proximate composition and mineral contents of the formulated meals were determined using standard methods. The extruded meal and a commercial control were fed to 10 children in the child welfare clinic of the Oyo State Hospital, Oyo for 8 weeks for nutritional rehabilitation. Anthropometric data on the subjects were taken every week. The blood samples were taken before and after the rehabilitation periods and assessed. The crude protein content was 21.00% (dry weight basis) in the extruded meal sample, while the gross food energy (GFE) content was 1741.26 kJ. The formulated meal met the minimum iron and zinc requirements. The children fed with the extruded meal gained an average weight of 2.50 kg over 8 weeks. The anthropometric variables of the children improved over the rehabilitation period. The packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), serum albumin (SA), and total protein (TP) of the blood samples of all the malnourished children rose above the minimum normal level after the treatment. The Hb ranged from 10.5-12.8 mg/100g with a similar trend for TP and SA. The extruded meal has the potential for use as an effective complementary diet capable of meeting the daily dietary requirements for children with protein energy malnutrition (PEM).