Cereal Chem. 71:186-188   |  VIEW ARTICLE


Microbiological Studies on Corn Dough Fermentation.

K. Obiri-Danso. Copyright 1994 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Yeasts involved in the fermentation of corn grist into dough, a raw material for kenkey , a major staple for the people of southern Ghana, were isolated by dilution and pour-plate techniques from a number of dough samples prepared by local kenkey producers. The morphological characteristics and biochemical properties of the isolates were studied in pure cultures. The dough's yeast microflora consisted of mainly Saccharomyces spp and Candida spp. The isolates utilized different carbohydrates as carbon sources. Glucose, sucrose, and galactose gave the best growth for S. cerevisiae, C. tropicalis, and C. kefyr, while C. krusei's multiplication was supported only by glucose. Isolates and combinations of isolates were inoculated into fresh corn grist. Fermentation was monitored daily for 96 hr; moisture, pH, viable yeast count, temperature, and dough extension were monitored. These parameters increased significantly (alpha less than or equal to 0.05) during the initial 24 hr of fermentation; however, pH decreased significantly (alpha less than or equal to 0.05) due to yeast activity from 6.55 to 3.70-4.00 at the end of 96 hr.