COMPOSITION NUTRITIONNELLE DE QUELQUES FARINES INFANTILES ARTISANALES DU CAMEROUN [ NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF SELECTED CAMEROONIAN LOCAL BABY FLOURS ]

Children malnutrition remains a serious public health problem in general in Cameroon. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional compostion of selected Cameroonian local baby flours. Five varieties of Cameroonian local baby flours were collected in the production structure in Yaoundé. They were : flour 1 (maize, soybean, peanut, sugar) ; flour 2 (maize, soybean, sugar) ; flour 3 (maize, soybean, aroma milk, sugar) ; flour 4 (maize, soybean, wheat, rice, sugar) and flour 5 (maize, soybean, dried fish, sugar). Proximate contents (moisture, ash, lipids, proteins and crude fiber) were determined by standard Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methods. Mineral contents: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and phosphorous by colorimetry. Results revealed that contents of flour ranged between : moisture (7.19-8.21g/100g) ; ash (0.68-1.03g/100g) ; proteins (8.42-11.01 g/100g) ; fats (1.0-2.08 g/100g) ; crude fiber (2.01-2.83 g/100 g) ; energy (394.34- 402.37 Kcal/100g ) ; calcium (2.63- 15.92 mg/100g) ; magnesium (54.87-76.72 mg/100g) ; sodium (0.48-1.99 mg/100g) ; potassium (259.38- 318.81mg/100g) ; phosphorous (177.75-281.67 mg/100g) ; iron (2.01- 2.19 mg/100g) ; zinc (1.59-2.27 mg/100g ) ; manganese (0.54-0.64 mg/100g ) and copper (0.32-0.33 mg/100g). Smoked fish was found to increase signifantly protein and mineral contents of these flours.