Department of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria
Olayinka, E.M., Department of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria; Omobayonle, F., Department of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria
Iru is a traditional fermented African Locust bean condiment that serves as flavoring in soups or as a low-cost protein supplement. Ten traditional processing sites were studied in order to identify Critical Control Points (CCPs) during processing and to apply simple control measures in an optimized process with a view to improving the safety of the condiment. It was observed that processing of locust beans to iru is carried out under largely unhygienic conditions and CCPs identified were controlled by cooking with a pressure pot, de-hulling with hands or mortar and using well-defined cultures of known organisms as starters for the fermentation. It was observed that these simple control measures significantly (p = 0.05) reduced load of contaminating microorganisms and improved the nutritional composition of the condiment. A mixed culture of Bacillus sp. and possibly lactic acid bacteria is proposed. © 2010 Academic Journals Inc.
