Indigenous knowledge associated with the production of starters culture used to produce Beninese opaque sorghum beers

Objective: The present study aims to document the indigenous Knowledge associated with the production of starters culture to be used for opaque sorghum beers manufacturing in BeninMethodology and results: A quantitative survey was carried out in the central and the northern regions of Benin. A total of ninety (90) processors of traditional beers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire.The collected information was related to the processing method of the starters’ production, its shelf life as well as sociodemographic data on the producers. Five types of starters were identified during this investigation.Apart from the beer itself which can be used as starter, we can distinguish kpètè-kpètè; the fermentation calabash, the bag and the belt of  fermentation. Among them, the fermentation calabash was mostly used by74% (67/90) of beer producers followed by kpètè-kpètè 21% (19/90). In some cases, these starters were used in association with each other to speed up the fermentation process. All the producers were women with anaverage age of 38 years old. Among those women, about 73% (66/90) produce and sell the beer as principal activity. According to 56% (51/90) of the producers, the quality of the manufactured beer depends on the qualityof the starter used. Many other factors such as the sorghum variety, the brewing technique can also affect the beer quality. It is reported by 70% (63/90) of producers that the storage duration reduces the fermentativeability of kpètè-kpètè. Some health-related properties such as the  treatment of diarrhoea have been attributed to kpètè-kpètè by 73% (66/90) of the producers interviewed.Conclusion and application of results: the fermentation calabash is the most used starter by traditional beer producers because of the quality of the derived beer. The kpètè-kpètè comes in the second position butpossesses the advantage of being used by people to cure humans and animals diseases. Further investigations are needed to identify the  functional microorganisms involved in the kpètè-kpètè to better understanding its health-related attributes.Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge, tchoukoutou, kpètè-kpètè, fermentation, Benin

Use of response surface methodology to optimize the drying conditions of a bioactive ingredient derived from the African opaque sorghum beer

The present work aims to optimize the heat drying conditions of a bioactive feed ingredient derived from the African opaque sorghum beer. The bioactive ingredient was dried at various temperatures 35 to 50°C and times 5 to 24 h. The effects of the drying conditions on the dry matter, water activity, pH, titratable acidity, bacteriocin, ethanol, lactic acid, yeasts, lactic acid bacteria contents and antimicrobial activity against indicator pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27844, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Salmonella typhi R 30951401, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 35657, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 700728 and Candida albicans MHMR) were studied. Results showed that the temperature was the main factor that affects the bioactivity indicators of the ingredient. The optimal conditions ensuring the best functionality of the ingredient were as follows: Temperature 42°C and drying duration, 24 h. At this optimum condition, water activity (0.49) was low enough to warrant adequate shelf life to the ingredient.Keywords: Bioactive ingredient, drying, optimization, response surface methodolog

Could overweight and obese children improve their motor performance with a qualitative physical activity approach?

To verify the effects of two 5-months physical activity (PA) interventions on motor performance of 53 overweight/ obese children of a traditional PA, coordinative PA, or control group (no PA intervention). Pre-and-post intervention tests assessed student’s fitness (pacer, curl-up, push-up, trunk lift, sit and reach tests) and motor coordination abilities by means of the Körperkoordinationstestfür Kinder (KTK).Our results showed that children who participated in our study improved four of the nine tests proposedafter the school PA interventions. However, no differential changes on coordinative development were observed. Results of our study demonstrated that overweight and obese children could benefit of a well-structured PA intervention with a regular participation improving their poor physical performance. Moreover, our study demonstrated the effectiveness of a qualitative approach in a school-based PA intervention to improve motor performance of overweight and obese children