Formulation of complementary food developed from the blend of orange: Fleshed sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas L.) and soybean (Glycine Max L) flours for household utilization

The study evaluated the functional, mineral, proximate and sensory properties of complementary foods formulated from the composite flour of orange flesh sweet potato ((Ipomoea Batatas L.) and soybean (Glycine max) and using Custard (commercial complementary) as the control. Four samples were formulated. Sample A was the control, sample B (90% OFSP/10% soybean), sample C (70% OFSP/30% soybean), sample D (60%OFSP/40% soybean), sample E (50% OFSP/50% soybean). Samples were subjected to chemical and instrumental analysis according to the standard method, while a 9-point hedonic scale was used for the sensory evaluation. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 26. The difference was considered statistically significant at (P<0.05). The proximate results show that, control has the highest moisture content than the other samples (84.11-71.71), Ash ranged from (0.25%-1.49), Fat ranged from (0.31-3.84), Protein ranged from (2.20-4.37), Crude fibre ranged from (1.50-2.70), Carbohydrates ranged from (9.54-20.22). The functional properties results revealed that, bulk density ranged from (0.43-0.50), solubility ranged from (4.64-13.36), oil absorption ranged from (1.59-2.00), Water absorption capacity ranged from (1.80-2.12) and swelling power ranged from (4.59-7.33). The mineral content results showed that, calcium ranged from (19.20-42.23mg), iron ranged from (0.00-1.28mg), zinc ranged from (0.00-0.08mg) and potassium ranged from (4.96-7.08mg). The sensory evaluation results revealed that sample A is the most acceptable in terms of flavor (8.15), colour (8.35), texture (8.00) and sample E is the most acceptable in terms of taste (8.45) and overall acceptability (8.15). There was no significant difference (p<0.05) between samples. In conclusion, the study showed that the use of OFSP and soybean improved the nutrient content of the complementary food formulated. The study recommended that, complementary food developed from these blends, could serve as a cost-effective, nutritionally adequate option for improving infant nutrition and combating protein-energy malnutrition in resource-limited society.