Nutritional and functional enhancement of maize flour with defatted cottonseed for complementary infant foods

This study explored the nutritional quality, functional characteristics, and anti-nutritional factors of maize–defatted cottonseed composite flours as potential complementary infant foods. Maize flour was combined with defatted cottonseed flour at ratios of 100% maize (MC1), 90:10 (MC2), 80:20 (MC3), 70:30 (MC4), 60:40 (MC5), and 50:50 (MC6). The composite flours were analyzed for proximate composition, functional properties (bulk density, water, oil absorption, swelling capacity, and gelation), and anti-nutritional factors (tannin, phytate, and gossypol). Multivariate analyses was employed to assess the samples’ similarities and compositional drivers. Our findings revealed that increasing cottonseed substitution significantly enhanced the nutritional profile, with protein rising from 13.25% in MC1 to 16.79% in MC6, and energy density peaking at 471.12 kcal in MC4. Carbohydrate content decreased correspondingly. Functionally, cottonseed enrichment reduced bulk density while improving water absorption, oil absorption, swelling capacity, and gelation efficiency. MC4 exhibited the minimum least gelation concentration (5%), indicating optimal gel-forming ability. Anti-nutritional factors increased with higher cottonseed levels, particularly in MC4–MC6. Multivariate analyses showed MC1–MC3 clustered as carbohydrate-rich samples, MC5 was characterized by high fiber, while MC4 and MC6 were distinguished by superior protein and energy profiles. Maize–defatted cottonseed composite flours, particularly at moderate substitution levels (20–30%), represent a viable and economically sustainable strategy for improving the nutritional quality of cereal-based complementary foods and mitigating protein–energy malnutrition in infants.