fermentation

What Is

THOSAI ??

 Fermented crepe or pancake

Made from rice and urad dhal Usually taken during breakfast Healthy food : no sugar or trans fat Prepared by fermentation process

Served with chutney or dhal curry Contains carbohydrate, protein and vitamins

Rice, ural dhal and fenugreek is soaked in water for about 6 hours
The soaked mixture will be grind with adequate water to produce a smooth and fluffy paste Salt can be added to make it tastier The batter is set aside for approximately 12 hours to ferment

Thosai is a products of natural lactic acid fermentation Natural microflora of the ingredient act as the starter Bacteria & yeasts are contributed by rice & urad dhal

Prevalence of bacteria & yeasts affected by seasonal variations

Starch digesting enzyme > amylase contribute in initial stage of fermentation Fermentation improves flavor, texture & enhance bioavailability of nutrients

Predominant bacteria responsible for souring and leavening of Thosai batter Bacteria always dominate the overall microbial load
From Rice :

Streptococcus faecalis

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Leuconostoc mesenteroides

Lactobacillus fermentum

Yeasts if present, belonged to :

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Debaryomyces hansenii

Trichosporon beigelli.

It produce flavor, enzymes and help in saccharification of starch

During soaking, Leuconostoc and Streptococcus develops and continue multiplying

Each eventually reaches more than 1 109 cells per gram after 11 to 13 hours Heterofermentative Leuconostoc mesenteroides produces CO2 in addition to lactic acid
Streptococcus faecalis responsible for acid production

After 23 hours, if batter is further incubated : Lactobacilli and streptococci decrease in numbers but Pediococcus cerevisiae develops

Biochemical changes : After 15 - 20 hours , 1: 2 ratio of Black Gram : Rice

Increase in microbial load after fermentation at 30C Increase in batter volume about 113 %
Increase in total acidity to 2.2 % Increase in total nitrogen and soluble proteins

Increase in vitamin B1 & B2 content lead to improved nutritional quality

Increased activity of amylases but gradually decline with the progress Decrease in pH to less than 4.5 Glucose ( reducing sugar ), decrease steadily from 3.3 ml/g to 0.8 ml/g which reflects utilization for acid and gas production..

Fermented batter of Thosai shows 80% destruction of aflatoxin This may be due to the microorganisms involved in fermenting the batter Lactic acid causes degradation of aflatoxin B1 to B2a Fermentation process breakdown the bonding between protein and aflatoxin B1 molecule. Further destruction may be due to critical moisture and temperature of heat processing

Fermenting finger millet with horse gram increases soluble proteins concentration in Thosai. A 4:1 ratio of finger millet : horse gram increases essential amino acid concentration

This formulation produces a high protein food that could overcome malnutrition problem
Zinc & iron concentration can be increased by 50 % & 127 % respectively

Do not use air tight lid when batter is fermenting The fermentation can be retarded by Yogurt, Baking yeast, Baking soda or Baking powder. The best ambient temperature for fermentation is 30C to 32.2C If the temperature is below 30C, it will take longer to achieve acceptable level of fermentation.
If the temperature is higher than 32.2C, the batter may become sour

Chlorinated tap water can inhibit fermentation.

Thosai is fried on pan with little oil while Idli is steamed in mould with water

Thosai batter is thinner and finely grinded than Idli batter

Thosai is crusty and crisp while Idli are soft and fluffy There is less Amylopectin in Thosai than Idli