Assessment of Biological Effectiveness of Infant Flours on the Iron Status and Speed of Recovery of MAM Children Admitted to HNDA Hospital at N'Djamena (Chad)

Previous study was designed in two steps: flours formulation, improvement to traditional manufacturing processes and fortify five infant flours produced locally in Chad in vitamin A and zinc, iron and vitamin C. This study aimed to assess biological effectiveness of four improved and enriched experimental flours produced with local products on the iron status and speed of recovery in weight, height and MUAC of MAM children aged 6 to 59 months admitted at the Supplementary Nutrition Unit (UNS) of Notre Dame of Apostles Hospital (HNDA) at N'Djamena. The results of this study, which included 416 children, showed that moderately malnourished children under experimental flours enriched with dried <i>Moringa </i>leaf powder took a maximum of three weeks to recover from malnutrition. The <i>Pennisetum typhoides</i> flour with <i>Moringa</i> gave the best results, with 96% of children recovering after a duration of recovery of 17.5 days. Children under red sorghum flour from Bongor without <i>Moringa</i> showed the highest daily weight gain in the study, at 8 g/kg-body weight per day. The same flour with <i>Moringa</i> showed the highest hemoglobin gain of 13.5 g/dl. Children under maize flour without <i>Moringa</i> took the longest to recover in the study, an average of 32.7 days. In conclusion, <i>Pennisetum typhoides</i> and red sorghum flours with <i>Moringa</i> can make a valid contribution to reducing the prevalence of malnutrition in children.