EC Nutrition

Complementary feeding is the introduction of other foods (solid and liquids) when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to support the nutritional requirements for the infant. This study evaluated the nutritional and hematological quality of albino rat fed on complementary foods produced from acha, malted pigeon pea, grasshopper, and beetroot flours blends at varied ratios (100:0:0:0; 85:5:5:5;75:15:5:5; 80.10:5:5;75::15:5:5 and 70:5:20:5 respectively); Results shows that the incorporation of these ingredients significantly enhanced Wistar rats growth performance 11.40 to 13.94%, nitrogen retention 0.97 to 2.12%, biological value 37.09 to 78.07%, supported by superior protein and carbohydrate digestibility. The WBC 4.45 to 7.30 (×10⁹/L), RBC 5.80 to 6.75 (×10¹²/L), HB, PVC, MCV, MCH and MCHC of the blood of rat fed with produced complimentary food showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in all the samples. Biochemical indices TP, albumin, Na⁺, K⁺, TC mdl creatinine and urea values ranged 5.52 to 6.30 g/L, 3.07 to 3.45 g/L, 144.15 to 150.85 mEq/L, 4.41 to 5.55 mmol/L, 113.60 to 130.95 TCmdl, and 38.38 to 41.50 mg/dL, 0.58 to 0.65 mg/dL respectively with added malted pigeon pea. These findings suggest that the blends, particularly F3 and F6 (Acha75%+Malted Pigeon pea15%+Grasshopper5%+Betroot5% and Acha70%+Malted Pigeon pea5%+Grasshopper20%+Betroot5%) are nutritionally adequate, safe, and highly acceptable complementary foods with strong potential to address protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in infants. The study recommends further optimization, vitamin fortification, and strict hygienic processing to enhance the quality and scalability of these complementary foods.

 Keywords: Nutritional; Haematological Quality; Albino Rat; Complementary Food

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