Novel synbiotic fermented finger millet-based yoghurt-like beverage : Nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characterization

This study presents the nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characterization of a functional fermented African finger millet-based beverage, using a co-culture containing an exopolysaccharide-producer strain and a probiotic strain. First, the fermentation factors affecting the beverage were studied to ascertain required starter culture and cereal matrix which would support its production. Co-culturing Weissella confusa 2LABPT05 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v in finger millet showed the best fermentative performance. The fermented yoghurt-like beverage contained both strains above 108 CFU/mL and showed improved nutritional and physi-cochemical profiles, compared to the unfermented control: higher content in threonine, arginine, GABA and glutamine, increased protein digestibility, 25 % vs 64 %, a significant production of dextran, 0 % vs 16 %, and increased apparent viscosity, 12 mPa.s vs 35 mPa.s. The developed functional prototype is innovative, organo-leptically acceptable, with high nutritional quality, and promising potential for targeting international markets and different population groups from children to the elderly.Peer reviewe

Comparison of the microbial composition of African fermented foods using amplicon sequencing

Fermented foods play a major role in the diet of people in Africa, where a wide variety of raw materials are fermented. Understanding the microbial populations of these products would help in the design of specific starter cultures to produce standardized and safer foods. In this study, the bacterial diversity of African fermented foods produced from several raw materials (cereals, milk, cassava, honey, palm sap, and locust beans) under different conditions (household, small commercial producers or laboratory) in 8 African countries was analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing during the Workshop “Analysis of the Microbiomes of Naturally Fermented Foods Training Course”. Results show that lactobacilli were less abundant in fermentations performed under laboratory conditions compared to artisanal or commercial fermentations. Excluding the samples produced under laboratory conditions, lactobacilli is one of the dominant groups in all the remaining samples. Genera within the order Lactobacillales dominated dairy, cereal and cassava fermentations. Genera within the order Lactobacillales, and genera Zymomonas and Bacillus were predominant in alcoholic beverages, whereas Bacillus and Lactobacillus were the dominant genera in the locust bean sample. The genus Zymomonas was reported for the first time in dairy, cereal, cassava and locust bean fermentations

A review of baobab ( Adansonia digitata) products: Effect of processing techniques, medicinal properties and uses

A general literature review including the effect of processing techniques, medicinal value and uses of baobab tree is reported in this manuscript. Baobab tree has multi-purpose uses, as it produces food and non-food products such as medicines, fuel, timber, fodder. Every part of the baobab tree is reported to be useful. The seeds, leaves, roots, flowers, fruit pulp and bark of baobab are edible. Baobab leaves are used in the preparation of soup. Seeds are used as a thickening agent in soups, but they can be fermented and used as a flavouring agent or roasted and eaten as snacks. The pulp is either sucked or made into a drink and was found to be acidic. The acceptability and optimal utilization of baobab parts as nutrient source is limited by the presence of antinutrients such as protease inhibitors, tannins and phytates but the processing techniques may reduce or destroy the antinutrients present in it. Baobab leaves, bark, roots, pulp and seeds are used for multiple medicinal purposes in many parts of Africa and were found to show interesting medicinal properties including antioxidant, prebiotic-like activity, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic activity, anti-diarrhoea, anti-dysentery activity and excipient

Environmental heterogeneity of Staphylococcus species from alkaline fermented foods and associated toxins and antimicrobial resistance genetic elements

Different samples of three products including Bikalga and Soumbala from Burkina Faso (West Africa) and Ntoba Mbodi from Congo-Brazzaville (Central Africa) were evaluated. The bacteria (400) were phenotyped and genotypically characterized by Rep-PCR, PFGE, 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing and spa typing. Their PFGE profiles were compared with those of 12,000 isolates in the Center for Disease Control (CDC, USA) database. They were screened for the production of enterotoxins, susceptibility to 19 antimicrobials, presence of 12 staphylococcal toxin and 38 AMR genes and the ability to transfer erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes to Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2. Fifteen coagulase negative (CoNS) and positive (CoPS) species characterised by 25 Rep-PCR/PFGE clusters were identified: Staphylococcus arlettae, S. aureus, S. cohnii, S. epidermidis, S. gallinarum, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis, S. pasteuri, S. condimenti, S. piscifermentans, S. saprophyticus, S. sciuri, S. simulans, S. warneri and Macrococcus caseolyticus. Five species were specific to Soumbala, four to Bikalga and four to Ntoba Mbodi. Two clusters of S. gallinarum and three of S. sciuri were particular to Burkina Faso. The S. aureus isolates exhibited a spa type t355 and their PFGE profiles did not match any in the CDC database. Bacteria from the same cluster displayed similar AMR and toxin phenotypes and genotypes, whereas clusters peculiar to a product or a location generated distinct profiles. The toxin genes screened were not detected and the bacteria did not produce the staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C and D. AMR genes including blazA, cat501, dfr(A), dfr(G), mecA, mecA1, msr(A) and tet(K) were identified in CoNS and CoPS. Conjugation experiments produced JH2-2 isolates that acquired resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline, but no gene transfer was revealed by PCR. The investigation of the heterogeneity of Staphylococcus species from alkaline fermented foods, their relationship with clinical and environmental isolates and their safety in relation to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and toxin production is anticipated to contribute to determining the importance of staphylococci in alkaline fermented foods, especially in relation to the safety of the consumers

Développement de la technologie des fonds de sauces en utilisant les coproduits issus de la production du Kilishi

Le glutamate industriel (glutamate monosodique) représente à l’heure actuelle l’un des exhausteurs de goût les plus produits et consommés dans le monde. Cependant face à la menace de cet additif de synthèse sur la santé des consommateurs, des exhausteurs de goût d’origines naturelles sont de plus en plus recherchés dans notre alimentation. L’objectif de la présente étude est de produire des exhausteurs de goût d’origine naturelle à partir des coproduits issus de la production du Kilishi tels que les os, les parures de viande, des épices et ingrédients. Dans cette étude deux formulations de fonds de sauce concentrés de types Kilishi et deux formulations de fonds de sauce séchés ont été produits. Les qualités microbiologiques, nutritionnelles et sensorielles des fonds ont été évalués. Les résultats des analyses ont montré que les fonds de sauces concentrés de type Kilishi étaient de bonnes qualités nutritionnelles, microbiologiques, sensorielles, se conservaient bien à température ambiante et amélioreraient les goûts des saucisses. Par contre, les résultats des analyses microbiologiques ont montré que les fonds de sauces séchés n’étaient pas de bonne qualité microbiologique. La présente étude est une contribution à la diversification des exhausteurs de goût d’origine naturelle.   English title: Development of sauce base technology using co-products from the Kilishi production Industrial glutamate is currently one of the most widely produced and consumed flavor enhancers in the world. But faced with the threat of this synthetic additive on health of consumers, flavor enhancers of natural origin are increasingly sought after in our food. The aim of the present study was to produce non-synthetic broths used as flavor enhancers (sauces bases) from the co-products from Kilishi production such as bones, meat trimmings, spices and ingredients. In this study two formulations of concentrated sauce bases and dried sauces bases Kilishi -types were produced. The microbiological, nutritional and sensory qualities of different formulations of sauces bases were evaluated according to the respective standards methods. The results showed that the concentrated sauce bases of the Kilishi type were of good nutritional, microbiological and sensory qualities and kept well at room temperature. However, the results from microbiological analyzes showed that the dried sauce bases Kilishi- types were not of good microbiological quality. This study is a contribution to the diversification of natural flavor enhancers