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Abstract
Preparation of homemade weaning food is a common practice in our country. It has been observed that, due to economic constraints many of the children below the age of 5 years are deprived of adequate nutritional supplements which have led to infant deaths. The reported 50% death rate has led to the budding of Niti Aayog National Nutrition strategies. Protein Energy Malnutrition can be due to many factor and lead to stunting and reduced cognitive skills of children. Contributing to this initiative taken up by the Government of India, under Women and Child Health care system with respect to providing sufficient nutritional supplements, an attempt was made to prepare weaning food which is affordable for common man and that which gives sufficient nutrients to meet the nutritional needs of children. The work plan includes malting of Pearl millet seeds and barley seeds. The two malted seeds were made into flour which is then combined with Soya bean flour in various percentages. Resulting preparations were analyzed for third nutritional parameters. Mixing malted pearl millet flour, malted barley flour and soya bean flour in the percentages 50, 25 and 25 was observed to have adequate protein (28%), carbohydrate (67%) and mineral concentrations (Ca and Fe in 108 and 18.6ppm respectively). This formulation would be adequate to meet the developing needs of infants.