Current Status of Alkaline Fermented Foods and Seasoning Agents of Africa

Abstract

Fermented foods and seasoning agents play central roles in the food and nutrition security of nations across the world, but particularly so in Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. As several people across the world gravitate back to "eating natural," there is a new emphasis on these fermented foods and seasoning agents which are also critical cultural foods in countries and societies where they are important. The result is the growth in demand for these products beyond what the traditional kitchen technologies is able to cope with. In Africa, many of the seasoning agents are products of alkaline fermentation of legume seeds, pulses and in some cases animal proteins and sea foods. There is an upswing in the popularity of these seasoning agents and around them, new cottage industries are growing, as against the kitchen technology that sustained them through the ages. This chapter will explore the state of biotechnological developments around these foods and seasoning agents and point the way to good manufacturing practice and industrial development and the need to grow this value chain that has helped to sustain societies through ages.

Additive-induced pH determines bacterial community composition and metabolome in traditional mustard seed fermented products

“…Examples of alkaline fermented foods produced from plant seeds are Dawadawa/Soumbala (African locust bean), Dawadawa-type product (Bambara groundnut; Vigna subterranea), Ogiri Owoh (Melon, Citrullus vulgaris L. and Cottonseed, Gossypium hirsutum L.), Owoh (African yam bean, Sphenostylis stenocarpa), Ogiri (Castor oil bean, Ricinus communis), Bikalga (Roselle; Hibiscus sabdariffa), Ugba (African oil bean seeds, Pentaclethra macrophylla), Aisa (rain tree or saman tree, Albizia saman), Okpehe/kpaye/okpiye (African mesquite, Prosopis africana), etc. (Nurudeen and Chimezie Okorie, 2019) (Ugwuanyi and Okpara, 2020). In this present study, Bacillus was found to dominate the microbiota of Kahudi.…”

Antihypertensive effects of condiments prepared from fermented legumes: A review

“…Generally, Bacillus spp. are the principal microorganisms that drive the fermentation of African locust beans (Olasupo and Okorie, 2019;Ugwuanyi and Okpara, 2020). Studies have revealed that the hypotensive effects of African locust bean are mainly contributed by phenolic and flavonoid compounds.…”

Impact of Stabilization Technology on the Extraction Yield and Functionality of Macroconstituents from Biomass: A Systematic Review

“…A very old preservation method is fermentation or ensilaging based on the use of naturally present or added lactic acid bacteria that can convert carbohydrates into lactic acid and other organic acids, resulting in a pH reduction . Next to acidic fermentations, alkaline fermentation by Bacillus or fungi can occur . For some Bacillus strains, alkaline fermentation led to a loss of protein functionality as a result of protein denaturation .…”