Assessing the need for baby food production in the Lebanese market and the manufacturing & testing of a new product

Abstract

Providing infants and young children with food that is highly nutritious is essential for their growth and development. It is also crucial to maintain high quality, safe meals that contain a great variety of ready-to-eat options which are both convenient for the parents and the baby. The purpose of this study is to learn the current demand in the Lebanese market on ready-to-eat baby food by interviewing a sample of 150 mothers or mothers-to-be living in Lebanon on baby food patterns. In addition, seven locally made and organic baby food prototypes will be manufactured using different recipes while following all the food safety laws and regulations; followed by microbiological and laboratory testing of the end product. Prototypes will be either be blanched, nonblanched, sterilized, pasteurized at different times, blended or homogenized based on the recipe being followed. Several samples of each recipe were made in order to test for all the necessary requirements twice for accuracy. The results indicated that the samples were within the allowed limits of the microbiological parameters tested (total aerobic plate count, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, anaeropic sulphite reducing bacteria and Salmonella spp.). Also, once tested, the water activity of the samples ranged between 86 – 92.1%, indicating a high water activity; while the pH recorded pre-canning did not all satisfy the cut-off below 4.6. Lebanon does not have a local brand of baby food and relies on the imported international brands that have become too expensive in light of the economic crisis. Developing a ready-to-eat Lebanese baby food brand both helps use the local crops and ingredients, while providing a reliable stock of prepared meals for infants.