Proper nutrition is key to healthy growth and development among infants. Malnutrition among infants in sub-Saharan Africa persists due to high costs of commercial formulas and limited breastfeeding. This study eveloped an affordable fortified soymeal-based infant formula supplemented with probiotics and evaluated its nutritional adequacy, microbial safety, and sensory acceptability. Formulations were fortified with Bifidobacterium breve Bb-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (50×10⁶ CFU/g). Proximate composition, microbial safety, probiotic viability, and sensory evaluation were performed following AOAC (2020) and ISO standards. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (p<0.05). The developed formula achieved macronutrient equivalence with commercial formulas, retained high probiotic viability over 28 days, met microbial safety standards, and demonstrated strong sensory acceptability. The study has contributed to showing that fortified soymeal-based formula offers a cost-effective alternative for combating infant malnutrition while meeting WHO safety and nutritional standards.
Ezeumeh et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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