Knowledge, attitude and usage patterns of fermented and germinated complementary foods in Nigeria

Abstract

A detailed general information questionnaire was used to elicit informationfrom 400 households in two urban and two rural communities each in Anambraand Enugu states in Nigeria. The results showed that over 85% of the samplepopulation in both states were familiar with fermentation as a food processing method. Only 1.01% was familiar with germination as a processingstep in traditional food preparation. Preference (15–54%), cost (4–16%),mother's advice (2–14%) and medical advice (4–5%) in the 4 locationslargely influenced choice of foods. The amount of money spent on complementary foods in surveyed families ranged from less than N 100 (US$1.11) to more than N 400 (US$>4.44) per month. Fermented complementary foods were mostly homemade though some mothers used a variety of commercial complementary foods in addition.In general, 86.5–95% of the mothers interviewed had used fermented foods;13.5% had neither used nor germinated foods. The food most frequently fermented was corn (71.82–86.69%). The period of fermentation varied fromless than 1 day to over 3 days and fermented foods were introduced toinfants from 4–6 months after birth mainly as a cultural practice. Otherreasons for the use of fermented foods varied from improving taste, helpingthe child grow, removing toxins to improving nutrient contents of foods.Fermented foods were stored in buckets covered with water or in a refrigerator. Improved technology in the production of fermented complementary foods will reduce the tedious work involved in processing andimprove quality of foods consumed by children.