Process Variables Combination of Roasted African Breadfruit Seed Flour and the Essential Amino Acids Needs of Infants and Children

Infants and growing children require eight Essential amino acids for healthy growth and wellbeing. The amino acids must be at optimum values in order to satisfy their metabolic requirements. Breadfruit (v.Decne) seed is a widely consumed legume in tropics and subtropical regions of the world. In Nigeria it is staple and an important source of dietary nutrients for adult, infants and children. The study aimed to identify the roasting conditions of temperature and time at 500g seed quantity that would yield the optimum contents of eight essential amino acids in flour incorporated into the diets of infants and growing children for the alleviation of malnutrition among children. Experimental roasting used the factorial design. The essential amino acids content of bread fruit seed flour of different treatment condition were determined using Technicon sequential multi-sample acid analysis. Results showed that both raw and processed flour contained amino-acids essential for infants and growing children. Analysis of amino acids showed retention of the eight essential amino acid for infant and children. Roasting temperature and roasting time had significant (p < 0.05) reductive effect on evaluated amino-acids. Summation of the evaluated amino acids showed average ranges of 22.56 to25.61 g/16gN,17.14 to 23.86g/16gN and 18.56 to 19.90 g/16gN respectively for flour samples of seeds roasted at 140°C,160°C,180°C at 35,40,45 mins. The low values of some essential amino-acids evaluated indicated the detrimental effect of higher temperature processing on African breadfruit seeds. Processing African breadfruit seeds into flour at 140 and 160°C would yield four of atleast 76.0% of the RDA for essential amino acids for humans. Results identified 140°C-40min-500g as the best process variables combination for adequate supply of essential amino acids in infant and children diets. Roasting severely depleted the content of tryptophan of the evaluated flour samples.The flour of breadfruit (v.Decne) seeds is a good source of amino acids supplement for infants and growing children. Which should be introduced to mothers in developing nations.