Technological variations, microbial diversity and quality characteristics of maize ogi used for akpan production in Benin

Fermented maize starch, called ogi in Benin, is used for preparing akpan, a traditional yoghurt-like food that contributes to the food and nutrition security of its consumers. Current ogi processing technologies used by two socio-cultural groups of Benin, namely the Fon and the Goun, and aspects of the quality of the fermented starches were studied to assess the current state-of-the-art, explore changes in key product characteristics over time and identify priorities for follow-up research to increase product quality and shelf life. A survey on processing technologies was conducted in five municipalities in south Benin and samples of maize starch were collected, which were analysed after the fermentation required to obtain ogi. Four processing technologies were identified, two from the Goun (G1, G2) and two from the Fon (F1, F2). The main difference between the four processing technologies was the steeping procedure used for the maize grains. The pH of the ogi samples ranged between 3.1 and 4.2, with the highest values for G1 samples, which also contained relatively higher concentrations of sucrose (0.05–0.3 g/L) than F1 samples (0.02–0.08 g/L), and lower citrate and lactate concentrations (0.2–0.3 and 5.6–16.9 g/L, respectively) than F2 samples (0.4–0.5 and 14–27.7 g/L, respectively). Fon samples collected in Abomey were particularly rich in volatile organic compounds and free essential amino acids. Members of the genera Lactobacillus (8.6–69.3%), Limosilactobacillus (5.4–79.1%), Streptococcus (0.6–59.3%) and Weissella (2.6–51.2%) dominated the bacterial microbiota of ogi with a significant abundance of Lactobacillus spp. in Goun samples. Sordariomycetes (10.6–81.9%) and Saccharomycetes (6.2–81.4%) dominated the fungal microbiota. The yeast community of ogi samples mainly consisted of the genera Diutina, Pichia, Kluyveromyces, Lachancea and unclassified members of the Dipodascaceae family. Hierarchical clustering of metabolic data showed similarities between samples from different technologies at a default threshold of 0.05. No obvious trend in the composition of the samples’ microbial communities reflected the clusters observed for the metabolic characteristics. The results indicate that beyond the general impact of the use of Fon or Goun technologies on fermented maize starch, the individual contribution of processing practices warrants study, under controlled conditions, to determine the drivers of difference or similarity between maize ogi samples to further contribute to improving product quality and shelf life.