African Journal of Food Science Research

African Journal of Food Science Research ISSN 2375-0723 Vol. 6 (2), pp. 255-262, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A study of the nutritional composition of complementary foods micronutrients improved cassava varieties

O.  O. Onabanjo^{1, 2}*, C. R. B. Oguntona ¹, Bussie Maziya-Dixon², I. O. Olayiwola¹, E. B. Oguntona³ and A. G. O. Dixon²

¹Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria,

²International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria,

³Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 24 August, 2017

Abstract

Complementary foods were formulated and their nutritional composition analyzed from three yellow and one white cassava varieties. The composites were analyzed for proximate, mineral, fatty acids and amino acids. The mean values for the proximate composition of the diets are moisture (41.4 g kg^-1) wet weight, ash (47.4 g kg^-1), crude protein (145.8 g kg ^-1), crude fat (106.7 g kg^-1), crude fiber (21.1 g kg^-1), total carbohydrate (633.5 g kg^-1), and energy (409.2 kcal) . The diets supplied adequate amounts of most minerals, except iron (about 65% of the standard). The composites contained all the essential amino acids with adequate chemical score for most amino acids. The complementary diets contained moderate to high proportions of -linolenic acids (18:3n3) and a high proportion of linoleic acid (18:2n6), which resulted in a high total n-6/total n-3 ratio and a high linoleic/ -linolenic acids ratio. Micronutrient improved cassava varieties can be effectively used to formulate complementary food as acceptable micronutrients supplement.

Key words: micronutrient-improved, cassava, complementary foods, children.