ABSTRACT

Ogi, which is a common food for weaning babies, is usually low in protein mostly when produced from Maize alone. This research was carried out to determine the possibility of improving the nutritional value mostly protein, Carbohydrate and Ash content of pap using Soybeans. The maize was steeped along with different percentages of parboiled Soy Bean (5- 50%), and allowed to ferment together. The protein determination using Kjeldalh method (Proximate Analysis) showed that the Ogi sample from White Maize without Soybean (Control) has the lowest protein content (14.65±0.1%) while the Ready—to-eat Ogi from Yellow Maize with 50% Boiled Soybean has the highest protein content (53.31±0.1%). However, processing maize along with up to 50% soybean will tremendously improve nutritional value of pap given to babies as well as adults, as the pap will not need the addition of milk (which is more expensive than soybean) after preparation. Microbiologically, this study characterized the Microorganism found in 0-72h Maize + Soy Bean fermentation medium during Ogi production (a cereal based porridge). The samples were fermented using sterile water for 0-72 hours. About 1 ml of the fermentation water was aseptically collected. Standard microbiological characterization of the isolates was carried out. Results revealed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Bacillus spp, and Lactobacillus spp were the main microbes found in the fermentation medium within 72 hours of fermentation. Other microbes found in the medium included Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp, Pseudomonas spp, Micrococcus spp (bacteria), Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp, Rhizopus spp and, Mucor spp, (Fungi). However, it was also found that 40.8% of the bacterial isolates were resistant to the Antibiotics tested against them using the foreign sensitivity disc, while 5 0.2% were susceptible to most of the Antibiotics.