State of the Nutritional Quality of Three Local Infant Flours Sold in Chad

The nutritional quality of infant flours used in dietary diversification as complementary foods for infants and young children is crucial. This study aims to assess the nutritional quality of local infant flours produced in N'Djamena. The methodology consisted of determining several biochemical parameters of 15 samples. Except for total carbohydrates, standard methods determined mean values for biochemical parameters, which ranged from 6.62±0.00 to 7.30±0.14% for moisture content; from 1.82±0.09% to 2.42±0.02 % for ash content; and from 9.98±0.18% to 11.06±0.03% for protein; from 9.70±0,61% to 16.04±0.24% for lipids, and from 63.22±0.07% to 71.29±0.48% for carbohydrates. For the energy values per 100g of flour, the average values were between 409.01±1.96 and 441.53±1.79 kcal. The aflatoxin concentrations varied between 2.78 ppb and 50.61 ppb. This study showed that the flours analyzed presented an appreciable nutritional quality. However, improving protein contents and controlling production processes to reduce aflatoxin concentrations are essential.