Influence of processing conditions on the nutritive value of Ogi-baba,a Nigerian fermented sorghum gruel

The effect of germination, cowpea fortification and fermentation on thechemical and amino acid composition of ogi-baba, a Nigerian fermented sorghum gruelwas investigated. The lowest protein value of 1.4% was obtained in the traditionally preparedsample, while samples prepared from germinated, fortified sorghum had 13%. The ash ranged from 0.9% to above 2%, while the fat was in the range of 1.2% to2.8%. Generally, fortification, in addition to germination, improved the chemicalcomposition of ogi-baba relative to the control sample. There was improvement in the amino acidprofile of all the ogi-baba samples compared to the unprocessed sorghum grains.Lysine, a limiting amino acid in sorghum, increased more than 50% in ogi-baba. However, samples prepared using germinated sorghum without the addition of cowpeas hada lower lysine content.     

Aerobic spore-forming bacteria and chemical composition of some Nigerian fermented soup condiments

A total of 97 strains of spore-forming Bacilluswere isolated from 45 samples of three Nigerian fermented condiments, obtained from retail markets located inSouthwestern Nigeria. The isolates were identified asB. subtilis (33%), B. pumilus (19%), B. licheniformis (22%), B. brevis (9%), B.megaterium (12%) and B. polymyxa (5%). Themicrobial load of the condiments showed that the averagecount of spore-formers was between 10⁷ to 10⁹cfu/g. The moisture contents of iru, ugba and ogiri were 57.18%, 46.32% and 42.34%, respectively,while the protein contents were 18.26%, 17.17% and 17.96%. The percentage fat was 29.88%, 40.25% and 44.14% for iru, ugba and ogiri. The ashcontent ranged from 5.8 to 6.1%; a 0.1% titratableacidity and pH values above 7.0 were obtained for the three condiments.     

Biochemical Changes and Aroma Development During the Spontaneous Fermentation of Cassava Fish into Lanhouin and Their Influence on Product Acceptability

Lanhouin, a fermented product from cassava fish (Pseudotolithus sp.), was produced by spontaneous fermentation with inherent risks of quality defects. In this respect, changes in moisture, protein, free fatty acids, total volatile nitrogen, and histamine were monitored during the fermentation period using Pearson's and AOAC methods. The aroma compounds were detected using the Likens-Nickerson extraction method and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The results showed that the moisture and protein contents decreased while free fatty acid (FFA) and total volatile nitrogen (TVN) increased during fermentation. In contrast, there was no linear relationship between the histamine content and fermentation time since the histamine values didn't increase continuously as fermentation progressed. A total of 94 compounds were detected in the fermenting fish over a period of 8 days, and 82 compounds were positively identified with a quality index higher than 70%. The compounds included 15 aliphatic hydrocarbons, 9 esters, 9 ketones, 9 amines, 7 aldehydes, 6 aromatic hydrocarbons, 7 acids, 6 thiazoles, 5 alcohols, 3 phenols, 2 amides, 2 furans, and 2 pyrroles.