Proximate, Microbial and Sensory Characteristics of Cowpea Milk Fermented with Probiotic Starter Cultures

Abstract

Fermentation of cowpea milk was carried out using three mixed starter cultures containing (i) Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp, and Streptococcus thermophilus (ABT) (ii) Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (DT) or (iii) Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Streptococcus thermophilus (GT). Proximate composition of raw and fermented cowpea milk was determined using the AOAC methods. Lactic acid bacteria survival and sensory attributes of the fermented cowpea milk was also determined. Crude fat decreased significantly (P<0.05) after fermentation except for GT culture which led to 33.2% increase. Crude fiber was not detected in all the samples. Fermentation with GT also led to increase in protein content, although this was not significant. A decrease was observed for carbohydrate content, after fermentation, with DT culture leading to the highest decrease of 7.1%. There was a general increase in microbial growth during the first two weeks of storage (refrigeration at 4˚C). Thereafter the number reduced to Log10 4.11 cfu/ml on the 28th day of storage. No significant differences were observed for sensory attributes of taste, texture and overall acceptability. However, aroma and appearance had significant differences among the samples (P<0.05). The study demonstrated that nutritional quality of cowpea milk can be achieved through fermentation. Also, cowpea milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria produce a yoghurt-like product that can be sweetened to taste and be acceptable to consumers. The study therefore recommends that more work should be done to improve the sensory acceptability of the products and that their potential health benefits should be determined through in vivo studies.