Bacterial contamination in traditional Gambian weaning foods

Abstract

Although emphasis on infant feeding is rightly being placed on breast-feeding, the need for safe weaning foods for the developing world must also receive its due attention. Traditional weaning foods used for young infants in a typical West African village can be as hazardous, bacteriologically, as commercial milk products, and providing a breast-fed child with supplements under the conditions which prevail in much of the developing world is potentially dangerous, whatever the source of the food.

PIP: This study focuses on weaning foods for young infants in a village in Gambia. These foods are potentially hazardous bacteriologically as are commercial milk products. Infants in the village of Keneba are traditionally breastfed for the first 18 months but supplemental weaning foods (initially watery cereal gruels) are introduced after 3 months. These foods were tested at regular intervals after cooking and during different seasons for 5 different bacteria. Water was also examined for the presence of certain bacteria. Results indicated that when intake of breastmilk fell, body weight fell below standard and gruels were increasingly used as supplements. Diarrhea became commonplace by 6 months. It was established that these gruels were heavily contaminated with potentially pathogenic microorganisms and investigations showed that the millet flour itself was contaminated as was the water used in cooking it. Even the feeding bowl displayed evidence of bacteria. Freshly prepared commercial baby milks were compared to the freshly prepared local gruel and were found similar. Clearly, traditional foods as well as imported foods are subject to marked bacterial contamination. The best advice would be to give babies only freshly prepared foods; this is difficult however considering the other demands on mothers' time. It is thus incumbent upon food scientists and nutritionists to develop better weaning foods which are quick and easy to prepare and which should either be of a liquid or semisolid consistency. Since these weaning foods are also nutritionally inadequate, supplements should be made to closely resemble breastmilk; breastmilk must be the reference standard for any substitute food intended for the young infant.