Micro-Population of Microorganisms Involved in "akamu" Production Using Sorghum and Maize Production Using

Student: Chinaza Jessica Okafor (Project, 2025)
Department of Microbiology
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra State

Abstract

The Aim of this study is to determine the microbial load, isolate and identify microorganisms associated with indiginous fermentation of the different maize varieties. Traditional method of preparation was used to produce ogi using yellow (YM) variety and sorghum.The maize grains were steeped for 72 h, wet milled, sieved and fermented for 48 h separately at 30±2°C by the maize natural microflora. The number and type of microorganisms per mL of the fermenting substrates were estimated daily for the period of the fermentation. The isolated microorganisms were characterized using conventional methods. Molds isolated from the fermenting maize varieties were Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., Mucor mucedo, Rhizopus stolonifer and a yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The bacteria that were isolated were Corynebacterium sp., Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Clostridium bifermentans and Staphylococcus aureus. During the secondary fermentation, the microorganisms had been reduced to Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum and yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lactobacillus sp. And Saccharomyces cerevisiae were responsible for the quality characteristics of ogi. QPM had a reduced number and type of microorganisms compared to other two varieties.

Keywords
Akamu Ogi Pap Sorghum Maize Fermentation Microorganisms Lactic acid bacteria Yeasts Microbial population Traditional fermented food Nutritional quality Food microbiology Starter culture African fermented cereal
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