Optimization of traditional processing of <i>Selroti</i>, a popular cerealbased <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">fermented food</span>

Abstract

43-47Selroti is a popular fermented rice food in the Himalayas. Pure culture strains of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, previously isolated from naturally fermented selroti batters, were tested singly or in combination for their ability to ferment rice flour to produce selroti. Sensory evaluations were carried out in order to choose the best culture combinations. Selroti batters produced using a mixture of pure culture strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides BS1:B1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae BA1:Y2 at 28o C for 4 h had organoleptically scored the highest acceptability. This was also correlated by decrease and increase in pH and acidity of the fermenting batters, respectively from 0 h to 4 h. The consumers’ preference trial showed that selroti batter prepared by a mixture of Leuc. mesenteroides BS1:B1 and S. cerevisiae BA1:Y2 was more acceptable than selroti batters prepared by conventional method. Selroti prepared by using a consortium of starter cultures had advantages over the traditional method