Introduction: To combat malnutrition and its related consequences during the early stages of life, appropriate complementary feeding is essential. Moreover, developing complementary foods that address the gaps between the daily energy and nutrient requirements of infants and young children and the amount obtained from breastfeeding should be designed. Materials and Methods: The objective of this study was to develop nutrient-dense ready-to-cook cereal mixes for 12-23 months children.A market survey wasconducted to gain information regarding locally available foods. Five nutrient-dense ready-to-cook cereal mixes were prepared using different food groups like cereals, millets, pulses, fruits, vegetables, nuts and oilseeds. Recipes were evaluated for nutrient composition, adequacy, dietary diversity as well as shelf life. Forty semi-trained panelists using ten-point composite rating scale and a seven-point hedonic scale conducted organoleptic evaluation. Results: Nutrient composition analysis revealed that RTCs met more than 80% requirement for iron, fiber and calcium and almost 100% for energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates for breastfed children however, for non-breastfed children except fat and calcium all other nutrient requirements were adequately met.The overall acceptability of RTCs ranged from 5.7 to 6.83.Shelf life studies showed that there was no rancidity during 3 months of storage. A manual and videos on complementary feeding, as well as instructions on how to use RTC mixes, were developed. Conclusion: Thus, the nutrient-denseready-to-cook cereal mixes developed can be useful to bridge the gaps between energy and nutrient requirements.
