ABSTRACT

Kunun zaki is a fermented non-alcoholic cereal beverage. It is a popular refreshing drink in northern Nigeria. The aim of this study is to determine the starter culture potentials of yeasts associated with the traditional fermentation of millet for kunun zaki production. The kunu- zaki were purchased from two different local house producers of kunu zaki in Umuahia, Abia State and was transported to the laboratory for microbiological analysis. The mixture was serially diluted in a distilled  water  and from the 10 fold dilutions, colony, colony forming units (Cfu) were determined using pour plate method. Plate counts were carried out using the following media, temperature and incubation periods, De Mann Rogosa- Sharpe (MRS) agar, 370C, 48hour  for LAB, Malt extract agar (MEA) supplemented with streptomycin (370C) 72hours for yeasts and nutrient agar (NA) 370C, 24-48h for total viable counts, incubation for LAB  was done under anaerobic conditions. After incubation and several biochemical and physiological test was carried out,  ten Lactobacillus species were revealed which include Lactabacillus fermentum, Lactabacillus plantarum, Lactabacillus salivarius, Lactabacillus amylolyticus, Lactabacillu sreuten, Lactabacillus paraplantarumi, Lactabacillus ikii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei. The pH and microbial count of Kunu Zaki. pH level of the kunu zaki ranged from 6.3 to 2.69, the total bacteria count of the kunu zaki ranged from 7.229± 0.79 to 5.532±0.54, the coliform count showed ranged from 4.411±20.00 to 4±00, LAB ranged from 9.025±0.62 to 6.301±0.00 while the Yeast showed a range of 7.104±0.00 to 6.031±0.25. the Antibiotic resistance pattern of lactic acid bacteria isolated from kunu zaki this result it showed that the isolates where resistant to Chloramphenicol, Spafloacine, Amoxacillin, Gentamicin, Travid, Streptomycin, Augumentin and Erythromycin. The presence of coliform bacteria and Yeast in Kunun-zaki drinks as determined in this research will be of public health concern because teaming populace, especially students, relies on these drinks as cheaper alternative to the bottled soft drinks. Preservation method must therefore be applied during sales and distribution to make the product wholesome for consumption. The information obtained from this work should form baseline data on which preservation procedure should be adopted in order to retain the quality of this product.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgements iv

Table of Contents v

Lists of Tables vii

Abstract viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Aim 4

1.2 Objectives 4

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature Review 5

2.1 Production of Kunun-Zaki Using Starter Culture 6

2.2 Quality Characteristics of Kunun Zaki Sold Within Bida Metropolis 7

2.3 Processing And Evaluation of Instant Kunun Zaki from Millet-Cowpea Malt And Millet-Soybean Malt

2.2 Historical Perspective of Fermentation  12

2.3 Starter Cultures 13

2.3.1 Bacteria 14

2.4 Functions of Starter Cultures  14

2.5 Characterization and Identification of Microorganisms In Fermented Foods  16

2.5.1 Phenotypic methods 16

2.5.2 Genotypic methods 17

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Materials and Methods  19

3.1 Sample Collection  19

3.2 Media Used 19

3.3 Sterilization 19

3.4 Determination of pH 20

3.5  Microbiological Analysis 20

3.5.1 Enumeration of Total Bacteria  20

3. 5.2 Enumeration of Total Coliform  20

3.5.3 Enumeration of Yeasts  21

3.5.4 Isolation of Lactic Acid Bacteria  21

3.5.5 Isolation of Lactic Acid Bacteria 21

3.5.6 Characterization of Lactic acid Bacteria 21

3.5.6.1 Morphological Characterization  22

3.5.6.2 Biochemical Characterization 22

3.5.6.3 Physiological Characterization 23

3.5.7 Identification of Lactic acid bacteria  24

3.6 Haemolysis Test  25

3.6.1 Rate of Acid Production 25

3.6.2  Antibiotic Resistance Pattern 25

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0  Results 27

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0       Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation 33

5.1 Discussion 33

5.2 Conclusion 34

5.3 Recommendation 35

References