FEEDING OF LACTIC ACID-FERMENTED HIGH NUTRIENT DENSITY WEANING FORMULA IN PEDIATRIC SETTINGS IN GHANA AND NIGERIA - ACCEPTANCE BY MOTHER AND INFANT AND PERFORMANCE DURING RECOVERY FROM ACUTE DIARRHEA

A period of acute diarrhoea in infants is often associated with anorex ia and weight loss. Catch-up growth is, therefore, necessary and this depends very much on the type of food, in terms of nutrient density, p rotein quality and digestibility, given to the child. Fermented (F) an d non-fermented (NF) maize-soybean porridges of increased nutrient den sity were formulated and compared with traditionally fermented maize-o nly porridge (P) for acceptability using mothers in peri-urban Ghana a s well as urban Nigeria as subjects. Subsequently, infants hospitalise d in paediatric wards for acute diarrhoea, from the same communities i n both countries, were assigned randomly to one or other of the three porridges. Infant subjects in all cases fell within the ages of 6-15 m onths. Complementary to regular breast-feeding infants could consume a s much porridge as they wanted and their total daily consumption was i nterpreted as an indication of acceptance. Although mothers in both th e environments of Ghana and Nigeria rated P as more acceptable than F and NE no significant difference was recorded in the quantitative inta ke by infants of the three formula groups. By adding enzyme-rich cerea l malt flour (at the 1-5% level by weight) as a viscosity-thinning age nt to F and NF porridges, it was possible to feed these porridges to i nfants at total solids concentration levels of 20-25% (wet basis) whic h is approximately double the solid matter content of the P porridge. Consequently, the daily nutrient intake by infants consuming F and NF porridges was considerably higher compared to the P porridge group. It is concluded that the concept of high nutrient density weaning foods is a feasible vehicle for an improvement of nutrient supply to infants .