Management of Moderate Acute Malnourished Under-Five Children in Ekiti South Senatorial District of Ekiti State Using Maize-Peanut and Maize-Soybean Blends

Abstract

Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) has been threatening the life and health of majority of global <5 years old children in sub-Saharan Africa, which is reduced by promoting affordable, readily available but locally grown supplementary food. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate and evaluate the effect of locally grown maize-peanut and -soybean supplementary food on the anthropometric parameters of <5 MAM children in Ekiti South Senatorial District of Ekiti State. Maize-Peanut {MPN} (149.4 g) and Maize-Soybean {MSB} (147.4 g) composite flours were produced and re-constituted to slurry. Proximate composition, minerals, vitamins, anti-nutritional and phytochemical composition, aflatoxin and microbiological assays and sensory properties were determined using standard analytical methods. The descriptive study involved four-stage sampling methods where children were randomly divided into four treatment groups comprising 18 each including Plumpy sup (control), maize-peanut blend (MPN), maize-soybean blend (MSB) and Nutrition Education (NE). Feeding trials (1 sachet per day, 149.4g for MPN and 147. 4g for MSB) and nutrition education were implemented for 12 weeks. Anthropometric parameters including body weight, height and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) were assessed fortnightly. The proximate composition showed that the crude protein and carbohydrate contents of MSB (7.59 and 88.31%) were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the MPN (7.19 and 87.63%) but with lower fat (3.81; 4.79%), respectively. The amino acid profile of both gruels was rich in hydrophobic and essential ones such as, valine, isoleucine, leucine and phenylalanine. The mineral contents (calcium, iron, zinc, iodine) for MSB and MPN gruels are 14.15±0.00, 11.81±0.00 mg; 5.54±0.00, 4.84±0.00 mg; 3.98±0.00, 3.13±0.00 mg; and 297.33±1.16, 293.00±2.00 µg, respectively. The vitamin B1, B3, B9, A and K contents of MSB and MPN gruels are 2.30±0.02, 2.22±0.03 mg; 0.08 ±0.02, 0.06 ±0.03 mg; 300.00±26.46, 150.00±1 7.32 mg; 1.24±0.05, 1.13±0.04 RE; and 0.86±0.02, 1.98±0.02 µg, respectively. The MSB and MPN gruels contained very low antinutritional (tannin, saponin, oxalate and alkaloid) contents (<1 mg/ 100 g) as well as low amount (0.04-0.05 mg/100 g) of Aflatoxin (AFB1 AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2) contents. The gruels showed a low population of yeast (1.4-4.2 x 108 cfu/g) and moulds (1.2-2.3 x 108 cfu/g) with the MSB gruel having higher consumer acceptability than the MPN and plumpy sup, respectively. The age, MUAC and weight-height z-score at enlistment and end line of the children fed with plumpy sup, MSB, MPN and NE were 14, 19 months; 11.21, 18.90 cm; 13.41, 15.67 and 18.53, 15.52, respectively. A 100% recovery from MAM was recorded for the children from plumpy sup, MSB, and MPN groups but 0.0% for NE group. Following complete MAM relief with the use of locally produced supplementary foods from both MSB and MPN, it is recommended that management of moderate acute malnutrition should be given necessary priority in primary health care in Nigeria and government should support mass production of local supplemntary foods.