Abstract
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Malnutrition is one of the foremost causes of death among children below 5years in developing countries. Development of nutrient-dense food formulations using locally available crops has been proposed as a means to combat this menace. This study optimized the extrusion process for the production of a nutritious amaranth-based porridge flour. Least cost formulations containing grain amaranth, groundnut, iron-rich beans, pumpkin, orange-fleshed sweet potato, carrot, and maize were developed and evaluated by a sensory panel (n=30) for acceptability using the 9-point hedonic scale. Extrusion process of the most acceptable porridge flour was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). Barrel temperature (130-170 degrees C) and feed moisture content (14%-20%) were the independent variables which significantly (p<.05) affected in vitro protein digestibility, vitamin A retention, total polyphenol, phytic content, and iron and zinc extractabilities. Optimization of the extrusion process improved the nutritional quality of the instant flour.