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Traditionally prepared enset-based products like bulla are characterised by low protein and vitamin contents and are highly viscous; this causes protein-energy malnutrition especially in infants and young children. This paper aims to improve the nutritional and sensory qualities of enset-based food with pumpkin and amaranth.

Sixteen formulations of composite flour were generated using a D-optimal constrained mixture design with a range of 50-80 per cent bulla, 10-25 per cent pumpkin and 10-40 per cent amaranth flour. Nutritional and sensory qualities of the formulations were investigated using standard methods.

Ash, fat and protein contents increased from 1.1-2.8 g/100 g (p < 0.001), 1.7-3.9 g/100 g (p < 0.001) and 6.1-9.0 g/100 g (p < 0.001) respectively with the increased amaranth flour. Crude fibre content increased with increasing percentage of the amaranth and pumpkin flours. On the other hand, carbohydrate content increased from 78.2 to 84.3 per cent (p < 0.001) with an increase of bulla flour. A significant increase in Fe, Zn and Ca from 6.8-10.5 (p < 0.01), 1.5-3.0 (p = 0.022) and 1.8-148.5 mg/g (p < 0.001) respectively was achieved with an increase in amaranth ratio in flour. The total carotenoid content increased with increase in the percentage of pumpkin flour. The best sensory attributes of the developed product were around the centre point of the three ingredients.

The study showed that a product with good nutritional value and sensory acceptability could be prepared from enset-based ingredients and the optimal product was obtained by blending 57.8 per cent bulla, 18.9 per cent pumpkin and 23.3 per cent amaranth flour. The enriched flour can have application for snack food preparation.

This paper is a systemic review on enset plant’s role in Ethiopian people’s life as the source of food. This paper aims to summarize the traditional processing and preparation methods of enset-based foods and their nutritional composition.

Available scientific articles were collected and reviewed for enset plant evaluation, description, enset plant’s role in Ethiopian people’s food security, post harvesting and traditional processing of enset plants, microbiology of the fermented enset foods, different foods reported from enset, nutritional profile of the three food from enset base (kocho, bulla and amicho) and other non-food applications of enset plant.

Enset plant has a predominant role in people living in the southern part of Ethiopia. This plant is drought-tolerant and provides many non-food applications. Harvesting of the enset plant, preparing for fermentation and food preparations follow the traditional route by using the indigenous knowledge and practices. Limited studies have been reported on the microbiology of the enset fermentation, but various types of microbes have been reported. In case of nutritional composition, foods from enset are reported to contain high carbohydrate and minerals content, such as calcium, potassium and zinc, but limited protein content; they are also the best source of the essential amino acids such as lysine and leucine. Limited data are available on vitamins, anti-oxidant and fatty acids profiles of enset-based foods. The existing data indicate variations, and the reasons for variability are discussed in this paper.

Scientific reviews on enset food nutrition profile and related issues are scarce; this paper will compile information about enset plant-based foods for researchers for their future research.

Malnutrition is a serious public health problem, which occurs because of an inadequate supply of nutrients and therefore affects many children and women (especially pregnant and lactating women of low economic class) worldwide. There is a great need to develop cost-effective fortified food supplements to overcome this problem. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors that should be considered in the development of low-cost supplementary foods for breastfeeding women.

A wide variety of relevant publications were identified through search in electronic databases (ScienceDirect, PubMed, SciELO, Google Scholar, SpringerLink and ResearchGate) based on different keywords such as malnutrition, specific considerations, supplementary foods and breastfeeding women, which were published before 2020. After looking for adequate literature, 71 articles were examined, which provided an overview of these aspects.

Various food supplements and food products already available in the market are generally expensive and go beyond the purchasing power of lower- or middle-class families. Traditionally, efforts have been made to prepare such supplements at home, but the composition of these products varies based on the economic status of consumers. Therefore, the nutritional status is clearly compromised because of the low standard of living, which requires a great need to develop low-cost nutritious food products, accessible to all and that meet the appropriate nutritional, sensory and economic attributes without ignoring the regulatory guidelines.

This review is majorly focused on the specific considerations, alternative sources, ensuring nutritional and sensorial attributes and economic aspects for the development of supplementary low-cost food products for breastfeeding women with the goal of eliminating malnutrition.