<hr>Nutritional quality and sensory properties of complementary food from taro flour, steamed- lupine protein isolate powder, extra -virgin olive oil and butternut squash flour

Background: Malnutrition remains a significant public health issue in the world population, especially in southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: The current research study intended to develop TLBO complementary food for babies from six to twenty-four months of age using Taro Flour, Steamed-Lupine protein isolate Powder, Extra-virgin Olive Oil, and Butternut Squash Flour.Methods: Using approved official procedures, both the nutritional and sensorial attributes of the TLBO have been compared to those of a commercially available CIF.Results: The protein (28.52 g/100 g), fat (9.97 g/100 g), carbohydrate (58.52 g/100 g), and energy (438.12 kcal/ 100 g) levels of the TLBO fulfilled the Codex standards (1991). The TLBO complementary food's essential amino acid content was higher than the amino acid profile recommended by FAO/W HO/UNU (2002) reference protein for infants aged 0.5 to 1 and 1 to 2 years. TLBO and CIF provided 92.50 and 57.6% of the recommended lysine level for infants with (1-2 yrs.) respectively. Sulfur amino acids remained the first LAA in TLBO complementary food formula. The monounsaturated fatty acid content of TLBO complementary food was higher (76.54%) than that of commercial complementary food CIF (23.9%). SFA content of the commercialized complementary food CIF, on the other hand, was higher (51.1%) than in the TLBO (16.24%). Atherogenic and thrombogenic indices were lower (0.15 and 1.22) in TLBO than those of CIF (1.56 and 1.58). The outcomes of the sensory assessment revealed that there was no statistically significant variation in the level of overall acceptability between TLBO and CIF.