SWEETPOTATO-BASED COMPLEMENTARY FOOD WOULD BE LESS INHIBITORY ON MINERAL ABSORPTION THAN A MAIZE-BASED INFANT FOOD ASSESSED BY COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The availability of micronutrients from sweetpotato-based complementary foods (CFs): oven-toasted and roller-dried ComFa, and from a maize-based infant food, enriched Weanimix, was compared using phytate/mineral molar ratios, polyphenols and b-carotene levels. The phytate/calcium, iron and zinc molar ratios of approximately 0.17, 1 and 15 predict better absorption of calcium, iron and zinc respectively. Generally, the sweetpotato-based CFs had at least half the phytate/mineral ratios of enriched Weanimix. The phytate/iron ratio in both the sweetpotato- and the maize-based CFs was greater than 1. Only the ComFa formulations had phytate/zinc ratio lower than 15. The level of polyphenol (iron inhibitor) was similar for the formulations. Only the sweetpotato-based CFs contained measurable levels of b-carotene, a possible iron enhancer. The lower phytate/mineral ratios and the b-carotene level of the sweetpotato-based CFs suggest that calcium, iron and zinc absorption could be better from them than from the maize-based infant food.