Formulation and Nutritional Assessment of Ready to Serve Supplementary Maternal Food

Poor nutrition during pregnancy and lactation periods put mothers and their growing children at a greater risk of disease, mental disorders, and death. Maternal nutrition during pregnancy influences the growth of the fetus and contributes to the development of a healthy baby. Consumption of a nutritionally balanced supplementary maternal food to meet the additional nutritional demand during pregnancy and lactation is a sustainable option for tackling the co-existence of undernutrition in pregnant women and children. The aim of this study was to formulate nutrient rich ready to serve supplementary maternal food from barely, teff, bean, sesame seeds, pumpkin seed, and groundnut. The proximate composition of formulations was determined using official method of AOAC. The results showed that treatment formulation SFF1 which is Barley=40%; Teff=15%; Bean=20%; Sesame=5%; Pumpkin Seed=15% and Groundnut=5% had the most desirable nutritional benefits among the formulated supplementary maternal food. The appearance and taste of the prepared supplementary drink was acceptable and was found to be nutritious to meet the required additional nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers. It is recommended to drink 500 ml of the supplementary drink per day to meet the daily Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in addition to the ordinary meals.