FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF AN ENHANCED IRON SUPPLEMENT BLENDS OF MILLET, SOYBEANS AND BAOBAB LEAF FOR IRON-DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT Essential mineral deficiencies are still prevalent in developing countries where many people consume monotonous predominantly cereal-based food. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of including tropical plants high in iron (baobab leaf) in pearl millet-based food with soybean and the management of iron deficiency anaemia. The samples: millet (M), soybean (SB), and baobab leaf (BL)were grouped as Formula 1(40% M: 40% SB: 20% BL), Formula 2 (20% M: 60% SB: 30% BL) Formula 3 (10% M: 30% SB: 60% BL), Formula 4 (20% M: 20% SB: 60% BL) and Formula 5 (40% M: 30% SB: 30% BL) while ferrous sulphate was used as a standard. The samples were assayed for vitamin and mineral element composition using standard methods. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. An increase and decrease pattern were observed in the mineral contents of the samples after processing. Among the formulas, Na was higher in Formula 1, Ca in Formula 2, while Fe was significantly (P≤0.05) higher in Formula 3 and 4. The iron content of Formulas 3 and 4 was higher than the RDA for adults, but very close to that of children, and lower than that of the control. A significant difference (P<0.05) was observed in the vitamin content of all the samples. Furthermore, formulas with higher percentages of millet and baobab leaves tend to have higher levels of vitamins A, B1, B12, and B3. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of creating a nutritious formula using baobab leaves, notably the inclusion of baobab leaves has significantly enhanced the iron content of the formula, offering a promising alternative for the management of iron deficiency anaemia. Keywords: Iron-rich formula; Nutritional Anaemia; Ferrous Sulphate; Proximate Composition