Infant malnutrition is a public health issue observed in children from the age of 6 months, period of food diversification. The objective of this study was to characterize the infant flours intended for children from 6 to 24 months on the Ivorian market and to identify the profiles of the populations using them in order to improve a new type of flour manufacturing. Then, a cross-sectional investigation was conducted among 300 households with young children in the center of Cote d'Ivoire. This survey should point out the different types of complementary foods percentages used in households and the ones who use these foods which have an impact on child malnutrition; this in order to highlight the social and economic factors which influence the practices of use, preferences and choices of complementary foods of the populations that use them. The results indicate that 76 % of the households surveyed use industrial infant flours, 22 % traditional flours and 2 % make a combination of both industrial and traditional flours. The overall populations find imported manufactured flours too expensive with a preference rate of 41.5 %, 26 % for traditional flours and 32.5 % for products made up of the two previous ones. As for the practice of using complementary foods by households: 18 % practice it early, 54 % at the recommended age (6 months) and 28 % use them late. a preference for traditional flours by households is observed because of their accessibility (affordable prices). Also, to better the nutritional and economic qualities of these traditional flours would be a good strategy to fight against child malnutrition in Africa.

Infant malnutrition remains a major health problem in West Africa, particularly among children aged 6 months, the crucial period for dietary diversification. Faced with the predominance of imported industrial flours, which are often expensive, local populations are turning to traditional flours. To improve the nutritional quality of these flours, food fortification, recommended by bodies such as the FAO and the WFP, is commonly used. In this study, the mixture design method was used to formulate an affordable complementary flour, enriched in iron, zinc and vitamin C, from under-exploited local plant resources such as Anacardium occidentale kernel fragments and Parkia biglobosa pulp. An augmented centred mixing design with constraints was used to formulate, model and optimise the iron, zinc and vitamin C content of the infant supplement flour. Modelling of the iron content revealed a synergistically interacting cubic model with a desirability of 0.97, and an average iron content of 14.13 mg/100 g. Zinc content was estimated at 5.78 mg/100 g and modelled by a significant quadratic model. The vitamin C content was better represented by a linear model with a synergistic interaction, with a desirability of 0.97 and an average content of 117.6 mg/100 g, well above the standard of 30 mg/100 g. In conclusion, the optimisation has maximised the iron, zinc and vitamin C content of the formulation, offering an improved nutritional solution for combating infant malnutrition.