Production of Ready-to Serve Gluten Free Vegetables Based Infant Food

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this study was to develop aready-to-serve gluten free

vegetables based infant food product with high nutritional value, high physicochemical,

microbial and organoleptic characteristics in order to contribute in

solving the problem of children malnutrition in Sudan.

The results obtained in this study indicated that the developed vegetables

based infant food product was found with high levels of available carbohydrates

(68.32%), total sugars (12.75%) and protein (6.7%), but, with low levels of fiber

(1.74%) and fat (1.02%), on wet basis. Also, the developed product was found to

provide an adequate energy value (315.94 k.cal/100g) for infants and appreciable

amounts of calcium (213.89 mg), potassium (140.79 mg), sodium (70.98 mg),

phosphorus (49.89 mg), magnesium (28.02 mg) and vitamin-C (19.79 mg) per 100

gram food, on wet basis.

On the other hand, the total soluble solids (T.S.S %), hydrogen ions

concentration (pH) and viscosity of the end product were found to be 22.93%, 6.47

and 788.63 centipoise, respectively. Moreover, the results of the microbial analysis

revealed that, the product which was produced in this study as infant food was

found safe according to the Gulf and Codex international standards for infants

food. Finally, the product was highly accepted by the panelists (mothers) with

respect to its colour, taste, odour, flavour, consistency and overall quality.