The significance of yeasts and moulds occurring in maize dough fermentation for 'kenkey' production

Abstract

Yeasts and moulds associated with the fermentation of maize dough during the processing of the West African traditional food 'kenkey' were investigated> A mixed flora comprising Candida, Saccharomyces, Trichosporum, Klyveromyces and Debaryomyces species were isolated from raw maize, during steeping and early phases of fermentation. After 24-48h of fermentation, Candida Krusei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae dominated reaching counts exceeding 10⁶ cfu/g. This succession of yeast populations and the significant multiplication of C. krusei and Sacch. cerevisiae were observed in all cases for both the fermentations and the production sites investigated. Penicillium, Aspergillum and Fusarium species, including potential mycotoxin producers were isolated from raw maize. Initial high counts of 10⁵ cfu/g for moulds were reduced to less than 10² cfu/g within 24h of fermentation. High levels of aflatoxins were observed in raw maize and they were not affected during the fermentations