Sensory Acceptability of Sorghum Peanut Blend (SPB) and Corn Soy Blend Plus (CSB+) By Young Children With Moderate Acute Malnutrition in Karamoja, Uganda

Sorghum peanut blend (SPB) and corn soy blend plus (CSB+) are highly nutritious supplementary food products. SPB is formulated using local food items while CSB+ is a traditional product donated by World Food Programme to malnourished children in Uganda. The acceptability of SPB and CSB+ among children and caretakers was studied in northeastern Uganda. A 5-point hedonic scale was used to evaluate the caretakers’ sensory preferences for the two supplementary diets. A four-day central tasting, two weeks home use trial, and exit interviews were carried out. Sensory attributes of both food supplements had a rank of > 4. Taste varied (P < 0.05) with the food type. CSB+ had a higher (P < 0.05) taste score than SPB. Other attributes were not statistically different. During central tasting, about 100% of the served porridge was consumed by the children. Feeding duration of 300 mL of porridge was 8.14 min for CSB+ and 8.24 min for SPB. Over the two weeks home use trial, 98.4% of SPB and 98.1% of CSB+ of the provided rations were consumed. The quantities of food consumed were above the recommended acceptability level of ≥ 75%. Reported allergic and intolerance cases were below the 10% threshold. Both food supplements were found to be acceptable to children.