Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences

Abstract

MICROBIOLOGICAL AND NUTRIENT STUDIES OF FERMENTED COOKED LIMA BEAN (Phaseolus lunatus) SEEDS

Adegbehingbe Kehinde Tope

Dehulled and ground white cultivar of cooked, pressure-cooked and uncooked Lima bean seeds was fermented in calabashes for nine days. Microorganisms isolated from the samples include the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, B. megatagium, B. polymyxa B. pumulis, B. licheniformis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. fermentum, L plantarum, L. acidophilus, L. brevis, Leuconostoc, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and S. saprophyticus and the fungi isolates include Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger, Geotrichum candidum, Penicillium italicum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The most frequently isolated microorganisms from all the samples included B. subtilis, B. pumulis, B.megatagium, L. plantarum, A. fumigatus and S. cerevisiae. The highest bacterial and fungal counts were found in cooked sample at 96 and 144 hours of fermentation respectively. Temperature increased initially with the highest and lowest in cooked sample (31.9ºC) and uncooked sample (29.5ºC) at 96 and 144 hours respectively. The pH values increased up to 96 h with the highest and lowest values also in cooked samples (7.3) and uncooked sample (6.91) at 96th and 168th hours while total titratable acidity decreased at the same hours of fermentation respectively. Moisture, fat and ash contents increased while crude fibre and carbohydrate contents decreased throughout the processing period mostly in heat treated samples. Protein content increased up to 120 hours of fermentation with the highest and lowest contents from cooked sample (27.4%) and uncooked samples (21.3%) respectively. Fermented cooked sample was rated best in all the organoleptic parameters tested.

Published Date: 2013-03-22;