Evaluation of the nutritional quality of complementary food formulated from locally available grains and Moringa stenopetala in southern Ethiopia

Moringa stenopetala is an indigenous multipurpose tree grown in the back yard and crop lands with nutritional and medicinal value. This study aimed to produce M. stenopetala leaf powder supplementation on the macro and micronutrient nutritive values of maize–soybean–chickpea and sorghums–soybean–chickpea food formulations for use as a complementary food for infants and young children. The dried leaves of M. stenopetala and grains were ground and sieved to appropriate particle size. Proportions of grain flour and M. stenopetala leaf powder admixed in the formulations were determined using Nutri-Survey-Linear-Programming Software. Fourteen formulations were made from unprocessed and processed grains supplemented with 5% and 10% M. stenopetala leaf powder. A preferred ratio was selected based on the nutritional value (energy and protein) and sensory evaluation while using two unfortified formulations as control. Food analysis was performed with standard methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Turkey test was conducted to investigate the mean difference of nutritional values and sensory evaluation among different formulations. The crude protein and ash contents of the diets increased significantly with M. stenopetala leaf fortification and energy content. There was a significant decrease in carbohydrate content in the formulation of 10 and 12 compared to the controls as the percentage level of M. stenopetala leaf powder supplementation increased. This could be due to substitution effect of M. stenopetala as evidenced by the nutritional composition of the individual ingredients. The fat content of the formulation 10 and 12 that were selected by sensory evaluation was relatively higher (10.6%) than the control blend (9.85%) but not statistically significant, which fulfills the recommended dietary allowance by FAO/WHO. The product development study showed that the addition of M. stenopetala leaf powder to locally available food ingredients such as sorghum/maize, soybean and chickpea enhances nutrient value, such as energy, ash, protein, potassium and fat contents. Therefore, blending M. stenopetala with locally available food crops could be an option to mitigate protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiency by improving traditionally used staple foods.