Malnutrition appears in weaning age and is usually due to weaning food which is of low nutritional value. This problem led us to investigate the study of the physicochemical and functional properties of cassava flours and corn flours, and the fluidification of the gruels made from these flours by germinated yellow corn and sweet white potato flours. To do this, the approximate chemical composition, physical and functional properties, and ability of amylase‐rich flours to digest the starch in order to reduce consistency were evaluated. From these analyses, it emerges that the chemical composition, and physical and functional properties are influenced by the nature and the treatment undergone by the flours. It appears that the amylase‐rich flours that we used at a concentration of 1%–3% during the preparation of the gruels significantly reduced their consistencies. Given their strong liquefying power, this reduction was more marked with germinated corn flour where 1% permits to obtain desired consistency with 21.50 g of DM of bitter cassava flour, thereby multiplying the energy density and nutritional value of this flour by 5.18. It also appears that the action of flours rich in amylases was depending on the concentration, the nature of the flour, its composition, and the treatment undergone. In view of all these results, we can therefore consider the formulation of a weaning food with the consistency, and energy and nutritional value necessary for the proper growth of children.
This work aimed to study the physicochemical, nutritional, and antioxidant characteristics of the pulp and seeds of the jackfruit collected in the East Cameroon region to reduce the malnutrition problems encountered in the said region. To achieve this work, we first administered a survey. We observed that 50 people from Bertoua knew the fruit among the 200 people surveyed. After that, the physicochemical characteristics and nutritional value of Artocarpus heterophyllus pulp and seeds from Bertoua were evaluated. Finally, the antioxidant compounds (total phenolic and flavonoid contents) and the antioxidant activities were evaluated through the DPPH free radical scavenging capacity, the ability to reduce ferric ions, and the hydroxyl radical scavenging ability using the aqueous, ethanolic, and hydro‐ethanolic extracts of these samples (pulp and seeds). Results (means ± standard deviation) were obtained in triplicate and analyzed statistically by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 probability level. The results revealed that the jackfruit pulp has a water content (89.85% ± 0.49) significantly higher than that of seeds (60.075% ± 0.12). The pH of jackfruit pulp (5 ± 0) is significantly lower than that of seeds (6 ± 0). Jackfruit pulp had a carbohydrate content (54.39% ± 0.47) significantly higher than that of seeds (49.01% ± 0.43). The protein content of jackfruit pulp (18.35% ± 0.04) is lower than that of the seeds (21.66% ± 0.31). For mineral content, the maximum contents of K (848 mg/100 g ± 10.34) and Na (69.53 mg/100 g ± 0) were identified in the jackfruit pulp while those of Ca (132 mg/100 g ± 9.42), Mg (43.73 mg/100 g ± 9.12), and P (101.51 mg/100 g ± 4.02) were found in the seeds. However, all extracts possessed both antioxidant compounds (phenols and flavonoids) and antioxidant activities. In conclusion, the jackfruit appears to be a fruit that can improve the nutritional status of the populations of eastern Cameroon.