FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE

P.M.B 1036 OWERRI IMO STATE

TERM PAPER

ON

MICROBIAL FERMENTATION OF INDIGENOUS LEGUMES

AND OIL SEEDS

WRITTEN BY

NAME: NJOKU ESTHER CHINENYE

DEPT: FOOD TECHNOLOGY

LEVEL: HND II (EVENING)

COURSE TITLE: INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY

COURSE CODE: FST 417

LECTURER: MRS. NNEKA AMADI -UZONNA

DATE: APRIL, 2024

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 INTRODUCTION

Microbial Fermentation

Microbial fermentation is a biochemical process that manages to extract chemical

energy from carbohydrates without the oxygen. This chemical reaction occurs in
bacteria, yeasts or even in muscles of humans. More than ten thousand years ago,
humans began to use microbial fermentation to refine and preserve food.
It is the enzymatic decomposition of the food mainly carbohydrates by the
microorganisms.. Fermentation is the primary source of producing adenosine
triphosphate in the microorganisms by the degradation of organic nutrients
anaerobically. As same as photosynthesis fermentation is a method to extract energy
from the molecules. It is generally called as oldest metabolic pathway as it is very
common in all the bacteria and the eukaryotes. Fermentation types: there are three
types of fermentation they are lactic acid fermentation, ethanol fermentation/alcohol
fermentation and acetic acid fermentation Lactic acid fermentation: Bacteria and the
microorganisms convert the starches or sugar into the lactic acid without the use of
heat in this process.

In this anaerobic chemical reaction pyruvic acid uses nicotinamide adenine

dinucleotide + hydrogen (NADH) to produce lactic acid and NAD+. Ethanol
fermentation/Alcohol fermentation: Glycolysis is the breakdown of the pyruvate
molecules (output of the metabolism of glucose (C6H12O6)) by the yeast. Wine and
beer are produced by the alcoholic fermentation Acetic Acid fermentation: The
sugars and starches from the food grains and fruits are fermented into sour tasting
substances called vinegar and their condiments. The examples of this are apple cider
vinegar.
Legumes

Legume, are fruits of plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). Most legumes are
dehiscent fruits that release their seeds by splitting open along two seams, though
some, such as peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and carobs (Ceratonia siliqua), do not
naturally open. The fruits come in a variety of sizes and shapes; many, however, are
long and narrow and bear their seeds in a single line. The largest legumes are borne
by the monkey ladder (Entada gigas) and can reach up to 2 metres (6.6 feet) in
length. At maturity, legume fruits are usually dry and papery or hard and woody; the
legumes of certain food crops, such as snow peas (variety of Pisum
sativum), edamame (Glycine max), and green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), are
harvested while still green and fleshy. Legumes furnish food for humans and

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animals and provide edible oils, fibres, and raw material for plastics. Many are
grown for their edible seeds, which are high in protein and contain many of the
essential amino acids. For important members of the legume family, see bean;
chickpea; cowpea; lentil; pea; peanut; soybean; and tamarind.

Oilseed

Oilseed crops are generally grown for the oil in their seeds and vary considerably in
oil content, quality, and composition factors that rely heavily on the crop species or
cultivar and upon the environmental conditions in which the crop is grown. The seed
meal left after the oil has been extracted can provide a high-protein product for use
in either animal or human food. In other crops, the seed meal or some other factor is
more important than the oil and the oil is a by-product. For example, soybean is
primarily grown for its high-protein meal and cotton for its fiber. Consequently, in
oil-producing crops, plant-breeding programs are aimed both at increasing oil
production and quality with the additional aim of increasing meal quality. In some
oil crops, antinutritional components are present (such as gossypol in cottonseed and
glucosinolates in rapeseed) that also need to be considered that may limit the use of
the meal

Oilseeds and their Uses

The major use of oilseed crops is the oil, which, in many cases accounts for up to
80% of the crop value. The oil-free meal provides additional value along with
various by-products such as lecithin, and a range of extracts from both meal and oil.
Vegetable oils contain 9598% triacylglycerols (or triglycerides). The remaining
fraction consists of phospholipids, mono and diacylglycerols, and unsaponifiable
components including sterols and tocopherols. The oils consist of long-chain fatty
acids from C14 to C24 in length and the proportion of these fatty acids in the oil has
a significant contribution to its nutritional value. In recent years, there has been a
trend in human diets towards reduction of saturated fats such as palmitic acid
(C16:0) and an increase in polyunsaturated (C18:2 and C18:3), and monounsaturated
(C18:1) fats. Plant breeders have successfully developed more nutritionally
favorable products from traditional oilseed crops by altering their fatty acid profiles
and other constituents.

Microbial Fermentation of Indigenous Legumes

The main microorganisms that are involved in the traditional fermentation of

legumes are fungi such as Aspergillus spp. and Rhizopus spp. and bacteria such
as Bacillus spp. and LAB. These legumes are fermented either singly or in
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combination with cereals. Fermentation of legumes improves their digestibility for
humans,104 enhances keeping quality of the product, improves flavor and
appearance of the final fermented product, and reduces cooking time. Foods that are
alkaline fermented are typically more protein rich and commonly include legumes
(such as soybeans) and seeds. For example, natto, dawadawa and kinema are all
alkaline fermented foods, made using legumes.

Nutritional components obtained from the fermentation

Legumes are a rich source of proteins essential for the growth and development of
the body. In Asiatic countries, people are more creative in making new and
innovative food formulation techniques and consuming different dishes made up
legumes. The people of rural and urban areas have been skilled with traditional
fermentation techniques of utilizing legumes to design fermentation products like
condiments, gruels, soups, beverages and porridges (Adebo et al., 2017). Several
kinds of research have been conducted on the nutritional profiling of these fermented
products and suggest the presence of both macronutrients (amino acids, vitamins,
and minerals) macronutrients (carbohydrate, crude fats, fatty acids, and proteins).
Besides the nutritional components, some of the antinutritional constituents like
trypsin inhibitors, tannins, etc. are present in these types of fermented products. The
variability factors like mode of preparation, benefits, cultural significance and
nutritional supplements of different cereal and legumes-based fermentation products

Microbial fermentation of oil seed

Lactic fermentation is noted to be a major mode of food processing used to achieve

preservation and improve shelf life of foods especially oil seed in the West African
sub-region, where they are processed to variety of foods. This practice has been
very reliable in terms of maintaining quality and safety of food especially at the
household level where many of the traditional foods are produced
(Steinkraus, 1983). Unfortunately, alkaline fermentation of legumes and oil seeds is
about hydrolysis of proteins and release of amino acids and ammonia responsible for
the pungent smell as well as characteristic flavor. This preservative influence of
condiments after fermentation appears to be limited; similar observation has been
reported during the processing of fermented African oil bean seeds. The
unfermented seeds are much more stable with longer shelf life than the fermented
products. Fermentation thus leads to flavor enhancement, complex molecules
reduction (oligosaccharides and proteins) but reduces the shelf life of the seeds and
exposes the product to post fermentation contamination (Mbajunwa et al., 1998;

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Oguntoyinbo et al., 2007). Post processing techniques proposed for condiment
production in Africa include drying and salting of final product (Achi, 2005;
Eman, 2009). However, while these methods could increase shelf life considerably,
it is characterized with inherent disadvantages such as loss of volatile compounds
and vitamins. Also, the consumption of salt in diet has been identified as having
deleterious effects on human health, responsible for cardiovascular diseases in the
West African sub-region (Brown et al., 2009; He and MacGregor, 2009; Strazzullo
et al., 2009).

Since fermentation of African oil bean seeds increases pH toward alkalinity (pH 8)
(Odunfa, 1985a; Sanni and Oguntoyinbo, 2014), the anti-microbial effect often
associated with most fermented food due to lowering of pH to acidity is lacking in
this product. It is therefore possible that some organisms that are of public health
concern could survive the fermentation process. Whether the presence of these
organisms is as a result of post-fermentation contamination or they survive the
fermentation process, their presence in the product portends great danger to the
consuming public. The risk is particularly high also because the product can be eaten
without pre-heating. The alkaline pH selects and encourages the dominance
of Bacillus species. This has been consistently reported to be due to production of
peptides, amino acids and ammonia during the hydrolysis of the cotyledons.

Importance of fermentation process in food products

Preservation
Fermentation is often associated with the idea of food preservation. This is because
the fermenting microbes influence their environment in ways that exclude many of
the organisms that cause rancidity or make people sick. For example, in acidic
ferments, lactic acid bacteria produce acids that exclude dangerous microbes, such
as Clostridium.

Digestibility and Toxin Reduction

Fermentation can facilitate healthy food consumption by improving
digestibility and performing toxin reduction. This is especially true in the case of
soybeans, as well as many other plant-based foods. Plant matter is often composed
of molecules that reduce the bioavailability of nutrients, inhibit digestive enzymes or
even inhibit overall cell function. During fermentation, microbial enzymes can break
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down many of these toxins, including cyanogenic glycosides, which can inhibit
cellular respiration. Additionally, some toxins are removed during preparation steps,
such as removing the outer hull of seed pods or through cooking.

Probiotics
The health benefits of fermented foods are thought to extend beyond making foods
easier to digest and less toxic. In particular, scientists are very interested in the
influence of the microbial constituents of the ferment as potential probiotics. There
is mixed evidence regarding the effects of fermented foods on gut health. Many of
these food-associated microbes are considered transient and have limited ability to
colonize the gut, meaning that they simply pass through the digestive tract (or
something to this effect). Yet, one study indicates that some situations of dysbiosis
can be mitigated, with the help of lactic acid bacteria from a kefir-like fermented
milk product. The authors explored the ability of microorganisms (a consortia of
Bfidobacteria, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus) from the probiotic
drink to colonize rat guts with different initial microbiomes. They observed that
individuals that did not maintain the Lactococcus lactis had a more resilient
microbiome that was characterized by a higher relative abundance of
Lachnospiraceae. This suggests that microbiomes going through flux are more likely
to be impacted by probiotics in fermented foods.

Taste
And of course, taste! Secondary metabolites, such as lactic acids, esters and free
amino acids that are produced during fermentation can significantly alter the flavor
profile of the food. For example, in sourdough cultures, the balance of lactic acid
bacteria and yeasts will determine just how sour the bread gets. A higher proportion
of lactic acid bacteria results in more sour bread. Further, by adjusting the
environmental conditions one can influence what metabolic pathways are favored,
thereby encouraging production of different acids or esters, which also contribute to
the flavor profile of the food.

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