Supplementary Value of a Processed Protein Food Based on a Blend of Coconut Meal, Groundnut Flour and Bengal Gram Flour to Poor Indian Diets Based on Different Cereals and Millets

The diets consumed by a majority of the population in India are mainly based on cereals like rice and wheat or millets like ragi (Eleucine coracana), jowar (Sorghum vulgare) or maize (Zea mays) and contain only small quantities of pulses, vegetables and fat and negligible amounts of milk and other animal foods. Such diets are deficient in vitamin A, riboflavin, calcium and proteins and do not promote optimum growth in children. The possibilities of using protein-rich foods of plant origin for the preparation of processed protein foods which can be used as effective supplements to the poor diets based on cereals or millets have received the attention of a number of workers.