Quality Evaluation of Dried Fermented Locust Bean and Soybean Condiments

Abstract

The study was carried out in order to establish the suitability of fermented soybean condiment as an alternative to fermented locust bean condiment in meal preparations. The dried fermented condiments were subjected to chemical, microbial and sensory evaluation using standard methods. Results revealed significantly (p<0.05) higher protein (54.06%), ash (6.21%), crude fat (14.15%) and pH (8.90) content in fermented soybean condiment. Higher values of 44.72 mg/100 g, 20.06 mg/100 g, 612.40 mg/100 g and 164.34 mg / 100 g were also observed in fermented soybean condiment with respect to iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium respectively. Furthermore, fermented soybean condiment revealed significantly (p<0.05) higher vitamin content of 647.62 UI/100 g, 0.047 mg/100 g and 0.030 mg/100 g for pro-vitamin A (β-Carotene), vitamins B1 and B2 respectively. Microbiologically, total plate count of 1.7×105 CFU/g and 1.4×105 CFU/g were observed for fermented soybean and locust bean condiments respectively. There was however no fungal growth observed in both condiments. Isolation and characterization of bacteria isolates revealed Bacillus subtilis as the common microorganism in both condiments. Bacillus licheniformis was predominant in locust bean condiment, while Bacillus pumilus was more in soybean condiment. With the exception of appearance, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the condiments in terms of their sensory attributes. Sensory scores for fermented soybean condiment were however higher than that of fermented African locust bean. From this study, soybean condiment may be a suitable substitute to locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) condiment, following the gradual extinction of the plant.