Nutritional Formulation and Sensory Acceptability of Fortified Nutrimix Porridge from Indigenous Rice Varieties for Preschool Children

Malnutrition among preschool children (3–6 years) remains a major public health problem in India due to inadequate intake of energy and essential micronutrients, while rice, the primary staple food, loses significant nutrients during milling. This study aimed to formulate a fortified rice-based nutrimix using traditional Indian rice varieties and to evaluate its sensory acceptability for potential use in supplementary nutrition programs. Fortified nutrimix flours were developed using Rakthashali, Njavara, Matta, and Pokkali rice varieties combined with pearl millet, banana, soybean flours, and an FSSAI-approved fortified rice premix. A Completely Randomized Design with 20 treatments was adopted, and porridges were subjected to sensory tests by 20 judges using a nine-point hedonic scale. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed for colour, taste, texture, flavour, and overall acceptability. The most acceptable formulations were T4 (Rakthashali), T1 (Njavara), T3 (Matta), and T5 (Pokkali), with moderate rice inclusion improving sensory quality. Njavara and Rakthashali nutrimixes showed superior overall acceptability, indicating that fortified rice-based nutrimixes are acceptable, nutritionally promising, and suitable for integration into Integrated Child Development Service and similar nutrition programs.