The supplementary value of certain processed protein foods based on blends of groundnut, soya-bean, sesame, chick-pea (Cicer arietinum) flours and skim-milk powder to a maize--tapioca diet.

It is now generally recognized that the high incidence of kwashiorkor in children in India and certain other Asian countries, in Africa and in Latin America is the result of severe deficiency of protein in the diet (Trowell, Davies & Dean, 1954; Autret & BChar, 1954; Gopalan & Ramalingaswami, 1955; Brock & Autret, 1952). The diets consumed by children in these countries consist predominantly of cereals, roots and tubers; they contain only small amounts of legumes and negligible quantities of animal foods such as milk, fish, eggs and meat. The incidence of kwashiorkor is particularly high in regions where maize and tapioca are eaten (Trowel1 et al. 1954). In view of the scarcity of animal proteins, the possibility of using protein-rich foods of vegetable origin, such as legumes, oilseeds and oilseed meals, for the treatment and prevention of kwashiorkor has been investigated by some workers (Autret & van Veen, 1955; Subrahmanyan, Bhagavan & Swaminathan, 1958 ; Scrimshaw, 1959). The diets consumed by children suffering from kwashiorkor are deficient not only in proteins but also in other dietary essentials, such as vitamins and certain minerals including calcium and iron (Venkatachalam, Srikantiah & Gopalan, 1954; BChar, Arroyave, Flores & Scrimshaw, 1960; Flores, Flores & Meneses, 1957; Autret & BChar, 1954). Even though the primary objective in the treatment and prevention of kwashiorkor is to provide a supplementary source of protein, it is nevertheless desirable that the vegetable-protein mixtures should also be fortified with essential vitamins and minerals in which the poor dietaries are lacking. Since the quality of protein in the vegetable-protein foods is, in general, inferior to that of milk proteins, attempts should be made also to improve the quality of the proteins by blending suitably two or more vegetable proteins or by the addition of small amounts of skim-milk powder. This paper gives the results of studies of the effect of supplementing a maize-tapioca diet with certain processed protein foods (based on blends of groundnut, soya-bean, sesame and chick-pea (Cicer arietinum) flours and skim-milk powder) on the weight gain and the composition of blood, liver and carcass of albino rats.