title: Souring and breakdown of cyanogenic glucosides during the processing of cassava into akyeke.
abstract: The population and composition of the lactic acid bacteria microbiota as well as the content of cyanogenic glucosides occurring at various stages of fermentation and subsequent processing of cassava roots into akyeke, a steamed sour cassava meal, were investigated. The number of lactic acid bacteria and percentage titratable acidity increased during 5 days of fermentation, but decreases were observed in the subsequent operations of 'washing' the dough with water followed by partial drying and steaming. In field and laboratory samples, Lactobacillus plantarum accounted for 59.3% and 52.3%, Lactobacillus brevis 23.3% and 22.8% and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris 14.5% and 15.8%, respectively, of all lactic acid bacteria isolated at various stages of fermentation and processing. A reduction of about 98% occurred in the total cyanogens (CN) content of cassava roots during processing, from 69.3 to 1.4 and 110.3 to 2.8 mg CN equivalent/kg dry weight for laboratory and field samples of akyeke, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Eric Mantey
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Obilie
authors.forename: Kwaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tano-Debrah
authors.forename: Wisdom Kofi
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Amoa-Awua
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005285:Fermentation; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006027:Glycosides / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D002365:Manihot / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; C007173:cyanogenic glycosides; D019344:Lactic Acid