Physicochemical, functional, and color properties of composite flour from peanut, chickpea, maize, and orange-fleshed sweet potato

This study evaluated the physicochemical and color properties of composite flour made from peanut (P), chickpea (C), maize (M), and orange flesh sweet potato (OFSP). The color attributes (L*, a*, b*, c*, h°) varied significantly among samples, with L* (lightness) values ranging from 53.31 to 61.54. The moisture, ash, fat, fiber, protein, and carbohydrate content ranged from 6.75 to 7.79 %, 2.62 to 2.86 %, 15.62 to 33.80 %, 2.06 to 4.91 %, 9.05 to 14.60 %, and 39.54 to 63.75 %, respectively. The functinl properties, including bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, and water solubility index, ranged from 1.02 to 2.02 g/mL, 2.32 to 3.18 g/g, 1.95 to 2.96 g/g, and 11.73 to 13.42 %, respectively and antinutrient content showed tannin, phytate, and oxalate contents ranging from 1.75 to 2.39 mg/g, 0.29 to 0.67 mg/g, and 8.80 to 11.48 mg/g, respectively. The protein content in the composite flour decreased as the proportion of orange flesh sweet potato flour increased. However, the provitamin A content increased, which is important for targeting vitamin A deficiency. These findings demonstrate the potential of these composite flours for developing home-based therapeutic foods to combat moderate acute malnutrition in children under five years, and future research will conduct sensory evaluation.