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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.
Mekonnen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.