Effect of Supplementation of Carrot Pomace and Soaked Chickpea Flour Based Developed Functional Food on Nutritional Status of Children

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is an important horticultural crop that is prized for both its economic and nutritional value on a global scale. The byproduct of carrot juice extraction, carrot pomace, contains abundance of nutrients primarily beta-carotene and vitamin C range from 9.9-11.6 mg/100g and 13.53-22.95 mg/100g respectively. Raw chickpeas are rich in protein (15–30%) and carbohydrates (60–70%). Processing fresh carrots into dried pomace significantly (p<0.05) increases dietary fiber (29.67-63.67%), ash (6.19-6.73%), calcium (29.67-63.67 mg/100g), iron (2.04-3.67mg/100g), zinc (3.00-3.22mg/100g), and magnesium (10.92-29.33 mg/100g). Soaking of chickpeas increases significantly (p<0.05) total dietary fiber (30.42-32.72%) and moisture (8.84-9.05%). With varying ratios of carrot pomace powder (2%, 4%, 6%) and soaked chickpea (20%, 30%, 40%), cookies and laddu were made. Laddu and cookies were organoleptically assessed. Laddu made with carrot pomace powder (4%) and chickpea flour (30%) was extremely satisfactory following organoleptic examination. Supplemental laddu showed significant (p<0.05) improvements in crude protein, fiber, total ash, carbs, energy, minerals, β-carotene, lysine, tryptophan, total dietary fiber, antioxidants, and bioactive components compared to control laddu. To study the positive improvement in nutritional status of children, total 30 subjects (3-5 years) were selected from slum areas of, Ludhiana. Selected children were treated as control group for period of one month and experimental group for period of three months. During experimental period significant (p<0.05) improvement was recorded in the daily intake of food, nutrients, anthropometric profile and prevalence of malnutrition of selected children. Significant (p<0.05) improvement was also noted in the serum albumin (3.19 to 4.37 g/dL). Thus, carrot pomace and chickpeas were recommended to supplement in bakery and traditional products to enhance their nutritional value.