EXPERIENCES WITH THE USE OF A STARTER CULTURE IN THE FERMENTATION OF MAIZE FOR KENKEY PRODUCTION IN GHANA

Controlled fermentation of maize was carried out using six strains of Lactobacillus fermentum and one strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevis iae, isolated from traditionally fermented maize dough as starter cult ures for inoculum enrichment. The fermentations were monitored by pH, acidity, microbiological analysis and taste panel evaluation of two pr oducts, kenkey and koko, prepared from the fermented doughs. The strai ns of L. fermentum used as starter culture dominated the microflora du ring fermentation and in most inoculated doughs the required pH was at tained by 24 h instead of 48 h of dough fermentation. Higher contents of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were observed in inoculated doughs at the initial stages of fermentation but the spontaneously fermented doughs attained similar lactic acid bacteria and yeasts counts by 24 h of dough fermentation, The organoleptic quality of kenkey and koko pr epared from doughs fermented with starter culture for 48 h was not sig nificantly different from the traditional products. Kenkey prepared fr om doughs fermented for 24 h with starter culture were found to be una cceptable by the taste panel although similarly produced koko was acce ptable.