EFFECT OF FERMENTATION CONTAINERS ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FERMENTED SESAME ( Sesamum indicum L) SEEDS

The importance of utilizing oilseeds as complementary nutrient sources for human consumption has received considerable attention in recent years. There exists wide varieties of oil crops including sesame seed ( Sesamum indicum L.), which are reported in literature to be rich in oil and nutrients; however, the presence of anti nutritional factors limits its uses. Processing grain using fermentation results in enhanced nutrition, stabilization of original raw materials, and detoxification of anti nutritional factors. There was lack of adequate traditional fermentation containers hence the need for use of some modern containers. This work, therefore, studied the effects of using banana leaf and plastic (high density polyethylene) bowl as containers for fermentation on the nutrients and anti nutritional factors of sesame seed. Samples were fermented separately using banana leaf and plastic bowl for seven days at temperature of 35 ± 2°C. Samples were drawn at intervals during fermentation to determine proximate composition, elemental concentrations and anti-nutritional factors concentrations using standard procedures. The pH decreased in the first 5 days and then increased as fermentation progressed coupled with a consistent rise in titratable acidity. Proximate analysis showed an increase in ash and crude fat contents with corresponding decrease in the carbohydrate and protein contents during fermentation. Protein ranged between 15.25% and 15.37% in banana leaf and plastic bowl respectively, compared to raw seed (26.20%). Fat increased from 51.02% in raw sesame to 60.20% and 59.33% in banana leaf and plastic bowl, respectively. However, fermented samples obtained from the plastic bowl had higher vitamin (thiamine and riboflavin) and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc and manganese) in comparison to samples fermented in banana leaf. Fermentation in banana leaf and plastic bowl significantly reduced oxalate content of raw sesame by 35.40% and 29.12% respectively. In addition, phytate content was significantly reduced by 36.37% and 34.43% respectively. The present study showed that fermentation container had significant effect on nutritional composition during the fermentation of sesame seed.