Co-fermentation improves the functional properties and nutritional quality of infant complementary food products

Abstract

Food-to-food fortification and fermentation are effective strategies to enhance the product functionality and nutrient density of infant complementary foods. However, their effectiveness hinges on a deep understanding of ingredient combinations. Our research focused on the physicochemical and techno-functional aspects of sorghum–baobab blends, comparing two processes: ‘co-ferment-cook’ and ‘ferment-cook-fortify’. The results show that both techniques improved the water absorption capacity by 17–20% and the water solubility index increased by over 100% while maintaining a comparable nutritional composition and energy density. The calculated energy density (2048.8–2345 kJ day⁻¹) was sufficient for both blends for infants 6–11 months old with an average breast milk intake. Viscosity, another crucial factor for complementary feeding, improved significantly (P < 0.05) after co-ferment-cook compared to ferment-cook-fortify reaching a value suitable for children older than 18 months. Starch digestibility increased with co-ferment-cook, while protein digestion increased with fortified non-fermented foods. In conclusion, our findings emphasize that combining fermentation and fortification processing steps is optimal for balancing the nutritional and techno-functional properties of sorghum porridges for infant complementary foods. Processing parameters must be optimized to reach the viscosity suitable for complementary feeding at the assigned soluble solid contents for the age group 6–24 months.