Supplementary and weaning foods for the Egyptian child.

Attempts were made to prepare 5 protein rich food mixtures to be used as supplementary and weaning foods for children from 6 months of age onwards. They contain vegetable and animal protein sources. They were prepared in a way to simplify their use. Potatoes, carrots and peas were the basal ingredient in each mixture. The protein content of the mixtures ranges from 16-20% with a chemical score not less than 50%. The mixtures contained most of the essential amino acids in optimal concentrations, except methionine and cystine which are slightly lower than the amounts recommended by FAO. The nutritive value of each mixture estimated by the slope ratio bioassay procedure was high. They are nutritionally superior to casein, used as a reference protein. They differ slightly when compared with each other.