| dc.description.abstract | Undernutrition impacts the lives of many young children in sub-Saharan Africa and is mainly attributed to low quality diets. The use of soybean as a rich source of protein in fortification of cereal-based complementary foods is currently costly and unsustainable thereby underscoring the need for alternative protein sources. This study evaluated the potential of crickets as a substitute for soybean in enriching complementary porridge, owing to their nutritional quality and environmental benefits. Four treatment flours labelled as; Control flour (CF), Cricket based flour1 (CBF1), Cricket based flour 2(CBF2) and Cricket based flour3 (CBF3) were formulated. Control flour, CF was a composite of maize, wheat and defatted soybean flours in the ratio of 2:1:1 respectively resembling a local formula. Flours CBF1, CBF2 and CBF3 were formulated in the same ratio but with substitution of soybean with cricket flour at 25 %, 50 % and 75 % respectively. The flours were analyzed for nutritional composition, in vitro protein digestibility and functional
properties using standard methods. Porridges developed from the flours were evaluated for sensory attributes on a nine-point hedonic rating scale by women of reproductive age. One-way analysis of variance was performed for each dependable variable and the means compared. A significant increase (p<0.00) was observed in the following nutrients from CF to CBF3; protein (17.58 ± 0.5 to 22.87 ± 0.45), (4.63 ± 0.18 to 9.06 ± 0.12), fats (9.87 ± 0.75 to 15.61 ± 0.3), Potassium (177.53 ± 0.09 to 196.97 ± 0.90), Sodium (82.22 ±0.73 to 119.05 ± 0.34), Magnesium (31.63 ± 0.38 to 46.07 ± 0.12) and Zinc (5.84 ± 0.79 to 9.44 ± 0.12). Similarly, the in vitro protein digestibility of the flours improved from 79.45± 0.21 to 88.67 ± 0.33 percent. However, a significant decrease (p<0.000) was observed in the following nutrients from CF to CBF3; carbohydrate (56.69 ±0.5 to 41.49±0.51), Calcium (87.58 ± 0.47 to 75.90 ± 0.52), Phosphorus (128.97 ±1.09 fibre to 118.42±1.13) and Iron (6.05 ± 0.14 to 3.12 ± 0.1). A significant decrease was observed in the viscosity of cold porridge (p=0.003) and warm porridge (p=0.005), bulk density (p<0.001), water
absorption capacity (p=0.006) and protein water solubility of the flours (p=0.003). The overall acceptability of the porridges was as follows CF (8.5 ± 0.72), CBF1 (7.08 ± 0.94), CBF2 (5.75 ± 1.53) and CBF3 (3.60 ± 1.95). Substitution of soybean with cricket flour improved the nutrient content, in vitro protein digestibility, bulk density of the flours and viscosity of porridges, but they made their porridges less acceptable. There is need to improve the sensory attributes of the cricket-based porridges to increase their acceptability without compromising their nutritional quality. | en_US |