MICROBIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL-CHANGES DURING THE PRODUCTION OF SEKETE - A FERMENTED BEVERAGE MADE FROM MAIZE

At the early stages of sekete fermentation, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus spp., Pediococcus cerevisiae and Saccharomyces spp. wer e dominant Lactobacillus delbruecki, Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyc es spp. were isolated after 24 h fermentation. Lact. brevis and Propio nibacterium spp. dominated the fermentation of sekete after 48 h. Duri ng the fermentation process, the pH of the grains decreased from 5.1 t o 4.3 and the titratable acidity increased from 0.1% (0 h) to 0.4% (48 h). Iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and calcium increased initial ly and then decreased as fermentation progressed. Total sugars decreas ed from 0.3 to 0.1 mg/g, while the alcohol content of sekete increased from 0 to 4.0% after 48 h fermentation.