Nutrient content and survival of selected pathogenic bacteria in kenkey used as a weaning food in Ghana.

Kenkey is a cooked, fermented white maize food of the people of the southern half of Ghana. There are three types of kenkey viz: Ga, Fanti-Brown and Fanti-White. Kenkey is widely used as a weaning pap by a lot of low income families. In mashing it into the weaning pap, mothers use their bare hands. This and the use of untreated water, especially in rural communities, introduce the risk of microbial contamination. Kenkey's nutritional contribution to the weanling and the survival of selected pathogenic bacteria in kenkey's milieu were investigated in this study. Crude Protein (CP) was determined by the Kjedahl method. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine levels of minerals. Escherichia coli (1955 and 101,685), Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus populations in kenkey milieu of pH 4 were monitored over a period of time. Our results suggested that, nutritionally, Ga kenkey is the best of the three types of kenkey. A weanling of 9 kg body weight is maximally offered 450 g of kenkey a day. This weight of kenkey offers the following levels of nutrients on as-it-is or wet basis: CP, 13.13 g and dry matter (DM), 141.14 g. Minerals levels were P, 266.22 mg; Ca, 14.1 mg; K, 451.94 mg; Na, 1301.15 mg; Mg, 260 mg; Fe, 8.65 mg; Zn, 3.91 mg; Cu, 0.23 mg; Mn, 1.15 mg; Co, 0.6 mg; and Cr, 0.36 mg. These values did not satisfy the recommended daily dietary allowances (RDAs) for weaning. The populations of our test pathogenic bacteria were reduced by 1-3 logs in 30 min in Ga kenkey milieu of pH 4. In using kenkey for weaning purposes, therefore, breastfeeding and selected nutrient supplementation are necessary to avert malnutrition. Since the extent of microbial reduction on exposure to a lethal agent also depends on the initial microbial load, mothers should wash their hands very well to reduce microbial loads before using them to mash kenkey. They should also use treated water and heat the kenkey pap before serving.