Biochemical composition of infant weaning food fabricated from fermented blends of cereal and soybean

Infant weaning foods were produced from fermented blends of germinated and ungerminated cereal–soybean flour paste, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and L. plantarum ATCC 10776 as starter cultures. A shorter fermentation period of less than 24 h was obtained compared to the traditional 72–96 h. Protein content of the formulated blends increased with fermentation, ranging from 15.5% in F25B to 18.2% in F410B. This could be attributed to the breakdown of nutrients of the substrates especially soybean, by the starter organisms. The relative decrease in the calcium and phosphorus content of the fermented blends could have resulted from leaching during the steeping stage and subsequent loss from the discarded pomace of the grains which contained most of the minerals. Fermentation also provided optimal pH for the degradation of the phytate phosphorus constituents of the formulated blends. The observed increase in the riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, ascorbic acid and some of the amino acids of the fermented blends could be due to the metabolic activities of the fermenting microorganisms. Porridges made from all the formulated cereal-soybean blends were rated above average in terms of overall acceptability, but F15B had the highest preference rating. ©