Chemical Composition of Fortified, Ready-to-Use Maize-Bambara Groundnut Malt and Maize-Cowpea Malt Complementary Foods for Boosting Immunity in Infants Against Flu-Like Diseases

Maize-bambara groundnut malt and maize-cowpea malt complementary foods were fortified with a flour blend of edible termite and Hibiscus sabderiffa calyces, fermented and subjected to extrusion cooking. The fortified flour blends were evaluated for proximate composition, immune boosting micronutrients and chemical compounds known to be effective against flu-like viruses. The protein, carbohydrate, moisture, lipid, ash and crude fiber contents were 14.78 – 32.69, 48.05 – 70.47, 3.60 – 4.58, 3.33–12.00, 2.60–5.28, 1.17–1.80 percent respectively. The tannin, phytate and oxalate contents in mg/100g were 0.272-0.644; 0.193-0.938 and 1.114-1.575 respectively. The phenolic, flavonoid and alkaloid contents in µg/g were 2240.26 – 2907.85; 167.22–566.43 and 0.33–2.47 respectively. Calcium was at a level of 0.55-4.99 mg/g, iron (1.71-7.32 mg/g), zinc (0.71-1.82 mg/g), selenium (0.004-0.390 µg/g), vitamin A (1.15–2.99 µgRE/g) and vitamin D (0.003 to 0.010 µg/g). Of these chemicals, selenium and vitamin D have been reported to be immune boosters against flu-like diseases, but only the selenium content (0.21-0.39 µg/g) met the RDA for infants aged 6 – 24 months with the fortified and extruded maize-bambara groundnut malt having the highest selenium content. Keywords: Maize-cowpea malt, Maize-bambara grountnut malt, edible termite, Hibiscus sabdariffa, fortification, extrusion, immune boosting chemicals