Functional properties of weaning food blends from selected sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) varieties and soybean (Glycine max)

Weaning food was produced from the blends of sorghum flour, malted sorghum flour and soybean flour. The physicochemical properties of the formulated weaning food were investigated. Flours from three sorghum varieties (local, improved and hybrid sorghum grains) were, respectively, combined with the sorghum malt and soybean flour at different graded levels. The water holding capacity of the weaning food blends ranged between 1.52 and 3.81 ml/g while the viscosity ranged between 14.32 and 33.61 centipoise at 10% (w/v) flour concentration. The least gelation concentration ranged between 8.02 and 20.21 g/ml. The inclusion of sorghum malt in the blends reduced both water holding capacity and viscosity but increased the least gelation concentration. Almost all the pasting variables, except breakdown viscosity, reduced with the inclusion of sorghum malt in the formulations. The range of values for the pasting factors of the weaning food blends include peak viscosity (130.2-532.1 RVU), trough (73.2-335.3 RVU), breakdown viscosity (28.3-97.4 RVU), final viscosity (160.2-826.2 RVU) and setback viscosity (64.1-516.0 RVU). The weaning food blends that could be regarded as appropriate formulation based on the exhibited physicochemical properties are Samsorg 17-(M10) which contained 63, 10 and 27% of raw sorghum flour (RSF), malted sorghum flour (MSF) and soybean flour (SBF), respectively; and Hybrid-(M5) which contained 66.5, 5 and 28.5% of raw sorghum flour (RSF), malted sorghum flour (MSF) and soybean flour (SBF), respectively. Both blends possessed relative low final viscosity, setback value and pasting temperature. Key words: Weaning food, malting, functional properties, viscosity, soybean.