TWO-STEP FERMENTATION TECHNIQUE USING SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE AND LACTOBACILLUS BULGARICUS TO ENHANCE THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF MALTED AND UNMALTED MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) MEALS

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of two-step fermentation technique on the nutritional enhancement of malted and unmalted maize meals using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Maize meals were fermented with single cultures of S. cerevisiae or L. bulgaricus for 10 days at 25 °C. In a two-step fermentation process, maize meal was first fermented with S. cerevisiae for 5 days, followed by L. bulgaricus for an additional 5 days at 25 °C. Results from composite analyses showed (i) a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in protein contents of malted and unmalted maize meals fermented with single cultures of fermenters and two-step fermentation, and (ii) two-step fermentation enriched protein contents in malt ed maize meals by 83.40% compared to 48.20 % in unmalted maize. Malted and unmalted maize meals showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in ash and fiber contents but recorded a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in fat and carbohydrate contents. This study underscored the effectiveness of the combined malting and two-step fermentation process with S. cerevisiae and L. bulgaricus as a viable biotechnological approach to enriching the protein contents and enhancing the nutritional value of maize meals. The adoption of combined nixtamalization and two-step fermentation as a food-processing technique for the value addition of cereals and the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 mission is discussed.