Formulation and sensory evaluation of nutrient-dense complementary food mixes for infants and young children aligned with national nutritional standards in India: A D-optimal mixture design approach

Background and objectives In India, national nutrition programmes emphasise age-appropriate, nutrient-dense complementary foods for young children. This study aimed to optimise nutrient-dense complementary foods for children aged 6–35 months using locally sourced ingredients and a mixture design approach, in alignment with the Nutrition Norms of the Poshan 2.0 Program under Schedule II of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA 2013), revised in 2023. Methods D-optimal mixture design is an advanced statistical design of experiments method used to determine the ideal proportions of ingredients in a mixture, where components sum to 100%. We used this design to optimise the proportions of cereals, pulses, milk powder, nuts, seeds, and oil to maximise iron, calcium, and zinc content while minimising phytate-to-mineral molar ratios. The optimised complementary base mix was standardised into three variants: one with reduced refined sugar and two without added refined sugar (one savoury-based mix and one dates powder-based mix). Mineral and phytic acid contents were analysed using standard analytical methods. Sensory evaluation was conducted using a nine- point hedonic scale with a semi-trained institutional panel. Results All optimised formulations met revised NFSA, 2013 nutrient standards for energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and key essential micronutrients, while reducing phytate-to-mineral molar ratios within practical formulation limits. Sensory evaluation showed good overall acceptability for all variants, with a mean score above 7.0. The savoury-based mix achieved the highest overall acceptability, followed by the reduced refined sugar-based mix and the dates powder-based mix. Interpretation and conclusions The findings demonstrate that a systematic formulation approach can be used to develop nutrient-dense, complementary food mixes with reduced or no added refined sugar using locally available ingredients without compromising micronutrient adequacy and sensory acceptability, supporting their potential relevance for public nutrition programmes.