OPTIMIZATION OF WEANING FOOD USING LOCALLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS

Abstract

Maize, rice, soybean, and moringa leaf powder were selected to formulate a nutrient-dense weaning food using locally available ingredients. Raw materials were processed through sorting, soaking, drying, roasting, grinding, mixing, and sieving to enhance digestibility and reduce antinutritional factors. Linear programming via Excel Solver was applied to optimize ingredient proportions based on nutrient constraints and the addition of maize was carried out for amino acid profile balance. The optimized formulation was analyzed for proximate composition, energy value, and selected micronutrients (iron, calcium, vitamin C). Sensory evaluation was conducted using the McNemar test, and shelf-life was estimated by modeling vitamin C degradation under accelerated storage (45 °C) in LDPE and glass packaging using first-order kinetics. The optimized weaning food met WHO nutrient recommendations and national standards, with adequate protein, energy, and micronutrient content. Sensory evaluation showed good acceptability (p < 0.05). Shelf-life modeling revealed that glass packaging extended vitamin C retention significantly compared to LDPE (estimated shelf life: 281.40 vs.172.20 days). The study confirms that nutrient-dense weaning foods can be developed from simple, affordable ingredients using basic processing and mathematical optimization. This approach offers a practical solution to improve complementary feeding and reduce infant malnutrition in resource-limited settings.