Development and production of starter culture for fermented sweet potato and products
The present study developed microorganisms for starter culture purpose from fermented sweet potato and used the developed starters in the fermentation of sweet potato for consistent quality product with improved hygiene. Comparative studies on the use of different starters for the fermentation of sweet potato for 48hrs was investigated. The microbial count of the starter cultures increased as fermentation period increased from 6.06 - 9.14 cfu/ml, the pH reduced from 5.49 - 3.28 while the Total Titrable Acid increased from 0.001- 00.04The mineral analysis showed that most of the mineral content in the sample increased after fermentation ( Calcium (Ca) 2043.9 – 2177.5ppm and Manganese (Mn) 6.29- 26.32 ppm). The functional properties of the fermented sweet potato flour produced showed moisture content of 10.42%, water absorption capacity of 276.7% and swelling capacity of 86.67%. Amongst the various starters used, the use of the mixed cultures (combination of lactic acid bacteria L201 and yeast 601A) in the fermentation of sweet potato for 48hrs had the best attributes in terms of texture, flavour and rate of fermentation. The fermented sweet potato flour produced with mixed culture also had the best consistency when prepared as a meal(bolus).