The predominant lactic acid bacteria and yeasts involved in the spontaneous fermentation of millet during the production of the traditional porridge Hausa koko in Ghana.

Spontaneous fermentation of cereals like millet involves a diverse population of microbes from various sources, including raw materials, processing equipment, fermenting receptacles, and the environment. Here, we present data on the predominant microbial species and their succession at each stage of the Hausa koko production process from five regions of Ghana. The isolates were enumerated using selective media, purified, and phenotypically characterised.

Tilapia consumption patterns and consumer preferences: Predictors and perspectives of consumers in Ghana.

The objective of this study was to assess consumer behaviour towards tilapia and tilapia products and provide information linking production with consumption patterns and preferences as well as to predict factors that influence consumer preference, purchase behaviour, and willingness to patronize tilapia fillets using classification and regression trees. A total of 960 responses were obtained using convenient sampling. The findings of this survey indicate that tilapia is eaten mainly because of its taste.

Assessing aflatoxin safety awareness among grain and cereal sellers in greater Accra region of Ghana: A machine learning approach.

Studies have established high prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in grains and cereals produced in Ghana. Mitigation strategies have focused mainly on capacity building for farmers, agricultural extension officers, bulk distributors and processors to the detriment of the market women who act as the final link between consumers and producers. This study used supervised machine learning algorithms by means of Classification and Regression Trees (CART) to investigate aflatoxin knowledge and awareness of market women in Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Smoked Sardinella sp. in Ghana: Impact of an Improved Oven on Public Health Protection.

An improved fish smoking oven called FAO-Thiaroye Technique (FTT) has been introduced in Ghana and other countries in the Global South as a technical intervention for the high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in traditionally smoked fish produced in those regions. This study evaluated the extent to which the intervention reduces consumer exposure to PAHs (considering benzo(a)pyrene [BaP] as a marker) in smoked fish, using Ghana as a case. Smoked Sardinella sp.

Microbial Diversity and Metabolite Profile of Fermenting Millet in the Production of , a Ghanaian Fermented Cereal Porridge.

is an indigenous porridge processed from millet in Ghana. The process involves fermentation stages, giving the characteristic organoleptic properties of the product that is produced largely at a small-scale household level and sold as a street food. Like many other indigenous foods, quality control is problematic and depends on the skills of the processor.

sp. nov., isolated from a fermented cassava product.

A novel Gram-positive, catalase negative, rod-shaped strain, FI11369, was isolated from , a traditional West African fermented food derived from cassava. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the closest type strains were LMG 26013 (99.4 % similarity), NBRC 107333 (99.

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".

Reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in smoked fish in the Global South: a case study of an improved kiln in Ghana.

Background: Smoked fish is a major source of animal protein in developing countries. It is largely produced by hot-smoking on traditional kilns using fuelwood. This practice is associated with high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in products, with consequences for public health.

Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food from selected African countries - A meta-analysis.

Food safety information in the African region is insufficient and fragmented due to lack of surveillance, documentation and reporting, thereby resulting in inefficient utilization of resources, duplication of activities, and lack of synergy among the countries of the region. This paper reviews the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in seven African countries (Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda) from papers in regional or international journals published between January 2000 and December 2015. One hundred and sixteen publications that dealt with food microbiology were reviewed for general analysis, while 66 papers on contamination of pathogenic bacteria were used for meta-analysis of prevalence.

The microbiology of alkaline-fermentation of indigenous seeds used as food condiments in Africa and Asia.

Alkaline-fermented food condiments play an important role in the diets of many people in developing and a few developed countries. The rise in pH during production of these foods is due to the ability of the dominant microorganisms, Bacillus spp., to hydrolyze proteins into amino acids and ammonia.

Lactobacillus ghanensis sp. nov., a motile lactic acid bacterium isolated from Ghanaian cocoa fermentations.

Three Gram-positive, catalase-negative, motile, rod-shaped strains, designated L486, L489(T) and L499, were isolated from fermenting cocoa. These organisms produced DL-lactic acid from glucose without gas formation. Ammonia was not produced from arginine.

Screening of 42 Bacillus isolates for ability to ferment soybeans into dawadawa.

Forty-two cultures of Bacillus species isolated from soybean dawadawa were screened for their proteolytic activity on Skim Milk Agar, amylolytic activity on Starch Agar, and ability to grow on Soybean Agar. Distinct differences were observed between the cultures for all the criteria. Eleven isolates were selected for laboratory fermentation trials and each produced soybean dawadawa which was found acceptable by a taste panel.

The comparative ability of four isolates of Bacillus subtilis to ferment soybeans into dawadawa.

In an attempt to develop starter cultures for fermenting soybeans into the traditional West African condiment dawadawa, four isolates of Bacillus subtilis: 24BP(2), 72RP(17), 72BP(30), and FpdBP(2), which had been selected from 42 Bacillus cultures in a previous study by the current authors, were used separately to produce soy-dawadawa. The accompanying microbiological and biochemical changes, including enzymatic activities, as well as the organoleptic quality of the products were evaluated including that of a control sample which was fermented spontaneously. Significant differences existed in the ability of the four isolates to hydrolyse the soybean proteins, starch, and fat to produce dawadawa.

Effect of boiling and roasting on the fermentation of soybeans into dawadawa (soy-dawadawa).

Soybeans which had initially been dehulled by either boiling (boiled/dehulled) or roasting (roasted/dehulled) before peeling, were cooked and fermented into dawadawa, a traditional food condiment. The micropopulation, enzymatic activities, proximate composition, amino acid, and aroma profiles of the two types of soybean dawadawa were evaluated during fermentation. Only minor differences were found in the microbial profiles of the two types of soy-dawadawa.

The microflora of fermented nixtamalized corn.

Nixtamalization is a traditional process that improves the nutritional quality of corn. To provide a means of utilizing the nutritional benefits of nixtamalized corn and improve product acceptability, lactic acid fermentation was applied. The objective of the study was to study the microbial profile and establish the important lactobacilli of fermenting nixtamalized corn dough.

Souring and breakdown of cyanogenic glucosides during the processing of cassava into akyeke.

The population and composition of the lactic acid bacteria microbiota as well as the content of cyanogenic glucosides occurring at various stages of fermentation and subsequent processing of cassava roots into akyeke, a steamed sour cassava meal, were investigated. The number of lactic acid bacteria and percentage titratable acidity increased during 5 days of fermentation, but decreases were observed in the subsequent operations of 'washing' the dough with water followed by partial drying and steaming. In field and laboratory samples, Lactobacillus plantarum accounted for 59.

Genotyping of starter cultures of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus for fermentation of African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) to produce Soumbala.

Bacillus spp. are the predominant microorganisms in fermented African locust bean called Soumbala in Burkina Faso. Ten strains selected as potential starter cultures were characterised by PCR amplification of the16S-23S rDNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS-PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism of the ITS-PCR (ITS-PCR RFLP), pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequencing of the 968-1401 region of the 16S rDNA.

Microbial modification of the texture of grated cassava during fermentation into akyeke.

The traditional akyeke inoculum and fermenting akyeke, an indigenous cassava product, were investigated to identify microbial species responsible for the modification of cassava texture during fermentation. Both field and laboratory samples were examined and only some cultures isolated on Plate Count Agar and Malt Extract Agar were found to be capable of causing a softening of cassava tissue when plated directly on sterile cassava slices. The cassava tissue softening isolates on PCA were tentatively identified as Bacillus subtilis and isolates on MEA as Candida tropicalis and Zygosacchromyces florentinus.

Antimicrobial interactions of microbial species involved in the fermentation of cassava dough into agbelima with particular reference to the inhibitory effect of lactic acid bacteria on enteric pathogens.

Lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus species and yeasts are involved in the fermentation of cassava dough into agbelima. Microbial interactions within and between these groups of microorganisms were investigated in addition to the survival of five enteric pathogens inoculated into agbelima under various conditions. Nine out of 10 cultures of lactic acid bacteria isolated at the end of agbelima fermentation showed inhibitory effect against 10 cultures of lactic acid bacteria isolated at the start of fermentation.