Blending Whey Powder with Haricot Bean Powder for Weaning Food Production

Abstract

Objectives: Produce weaning food by blending whey powder with haricot bean powder. Methods: The raw materials used were whey and haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), Roba 1 variety. Whey was filtered through ultra-filtration membrane. Permeate was stored and pre-heated at 55ºC for 40 min. Vacuum pump was used to concentrate the soluble solid to 60%. Finally, it was dried by means of a pressure-nozzle spray dryer. The bean seeds were weighed and soaked for 12 h at 25ºC. The pan was covered and kept in darkness to sprout. Seeds that sprouted within four days were dried, ground and stored. Whey and haricot bean powder were mixed in various mix ratios and analyzed for their physico-chemical and bacteriological quality. Results: The protein, iron and fat content of whey powder was 7.9%, 1.14% and 1.12% respectively and increased to 13.94%, 3.02% and 1.95% respectively through blending with haricot bean powder. The Ca, Mg and K contents of the blended product were within the recommended range. The microbiological results of all fortified products were within the acceptable limits. Conclusions: The nutritional content of a mix of whey: haricot bean powder in the ratio 80:20 was the best composition for fulfilling the nutritional requirements for young children. This study shows that there is a possibility of blending of whey powder with the high protein content of haricot bean powder, providing an option to develop low-cost weaning foods from pulses.