Nutritional properties of provitamin A-biofortified maize amahewu prepared using different inocula

Abstract

Amahewu is a traditional fermented beverage made from white maize that is widely consumed in South Africa. In this study, amahewu was prepared from provitamin A-biofortified maize (PBM) and different inocula and the nutritional properties of the beverage were assessed using standard methods. The amahewu samples were prepared by fermenting maize porridge using lactobacillus starter culture (LSC), wheat bran (WB) and malted provitamin A maize (MM) together with either MM or WB. The inoculum types did not substantially influence the overall composition of amahewu. Carbohydrate (82%) followed by protein (12%) were the major nutrients in all samples. However, inoculating amahewu beverage with LSC substantially reduced the fermentation time. Iron, zinc, and lysine contents increased slightly after fermentation, especially in the sample with added LSC. Protein digestibilities of amahewu samples also increased slightly after fermentation. The β-carotene contents (approx. 1.8 μg/g) were very similar across amahewu samples and these were substantially retained after fermentation. Hence, PBM may be a better alternative to white maize for the preparation of amahewu beverage with improved nutritional quality.