Optimization of Blending Ratio of Emmer Wheat Flour, White Sesame Powder and Sweet Potato Leaves Powder to Produce Nutrient-Dense and Sensory Acceptable Gruel

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on optimizing the blending ratio of Emmer Wheat Flour (EWF), White Sesame Powder (WSP), and Sweet Potato Leaf Powder (SPLP) to improve the nutritional and sensory properties of gruel for children up to 2 years of age. Thirteen formulations were created with the help of D-optimal mixture design (Minitab Ver. 19.2), considering EWF (70–80%), WSP (10–20%), and SPLP (5–10%). The resulting gruel underwent analysis for proximate, mineral, functional, anti-nutritional, and sensory properties. Graphical optimization revealed that a blend of 71.30% EWF, 20% WSP, and 8.70% SPLP yielded nutrient-enriched gruel with high sensory acceptability (Desirability: 0.85). This optimized gruel contains essential nutrients, including fat (8.35%), protein (15.058%), fiber (8.27%), carbohydrates (62.073%), energy (425.91 kcal/100 g), and minerals (Fe: 9.17, Zn: 3.79, Ca: 393.027 mg/100 g). Overall, the study concludes that EWF, WSP, and SPLP-based gruel can effectively address protein-energy malnutrition and iron deficiency in infants.

Novelty Impact Statement

Preparation of gruel from the locally available and cost-effective materials are considered in this study. Preparation of the gruel from the emmer wheat, sesame powder and sweet potato leaves powder is not reported yet. The SPLP is rich in different nutrients, and they are the waste produced in the production system. So, using these locally available ingredients to alleviate malnutrition is very important.

KEYWORDS:

• Emmer wheat
• white sesame
• sweet potato leaves
• gruel
• complementary food
• numerical optimization, D-optimal mixture design

Acknowledgements

All the authors are grateful to the authorities of the research organization for providing the raw materials used in the study. Also, thankful to the authorities of Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia for providing facilities for conducting this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All the data generated in this study is present in this manuscript, there are no data sets with this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.