Nutritional and Sensory Evaluation of Complementary Foods Developed From Staple Grains and Dried Dagaa Fish (Stolothrissa tanganicae).

Abstract

Plant-based complementary foods commonly consumed in South-Kivu are often deficient in protein and essential micronutrients, contributing to undernutrition among young children. This study developed fish-enriched complementary flours and evaluated their proximate composition, sensory quality, acceptability, and storability. Three composite flours were formulated: a control complementary flour (CCF, no fish) and two enriched formulations containing 40% (ECF1) and 20% (ECF2) dried dagaa. Proximate composition and mineral content were determined using AOAC methods, and the sensory acceptability of CCF and ECF1 was evaluated among 82 mother-child pairs using a 7-point hedonic scale. Nutrient composition differed significantly among formulations (p < 0.0001). ECF1 had the highest levels of protein (33.1 g/100 g), iron (11.5 mg/100 g), zinc (6.54 mg/100 g), and calcium (820.5 mg/100 g), whereas CCF had the highest carbohydrate (71.7 g/100 g) and energy (408 kcal/100 g) contents. Based on a 50 g dry flour serving as recommended by WFP, ECF1 provided the greatest estimated contribution to protein and mineral requirements for infants aged 6-12 months. Sensory evaluation showed that both mothers and children preferred CCF to ECF1 (p < 0.0001). Nevertheless, ECF1 achieved acceptable child acceptability (68.3% with an appreciation index ≥ 70%), and nearly two-thirds of mothers expressed willingness to offer the product despite its lower sensory scores. Both formulations remained microbiologically safe after 6 months of ambient storage. These findings demonstrate that dried dagaa substantially improves the nutrient density of cereal-based complementary foods while maintaining acceptable sensory properties and storage stability, supporting its potential as a sustainable food-based strategy to improve complementary feeding in resource-limited settings.