+44-7897-074717M.A Oyarekua
An investigation was carried out to study the biochemical and microbiological changes that occur during fermentation of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) flour. Standard methods were employed for most of the analyses. The pH decreased from 6.8 at 0h to 4.2 at 72 hours of fermentation but increased to 6.5 at 96 hours. Three genera of Bacillus, Staphylococcus and the yeast Saccharomyces were found to be associated with the fermentation of pigeon pea. The nutritive quality of the fermented pigeon pea in terms of crude protein 19.43g/100g, crude fiber 3.6g/100g, and crude fat 1.4 g/100g was found to be superior to those that were not fermented which were 20.65g/100g, 5.2g/100g and 1.62g/100g respectively. Water Absorption Capacity (WAC) was in the range of 3.20g/ml to 5.0g/ml. The highest WAC was recorded for unfermented sample. However, the carbohydrate content was lower in fermented pigeon pea than the unfermented sample. In terms of organoleptic properties of the product ‘moinmoin’ from the fermented pigeon pea this was more preferred by a 15-man panel using parameters such as color, taste, texture and aroma than “moinmoin” from unfermented pigeon pea.
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