Diversity of yeasts involved in the fermentation of tchoukoutou, an opaque sorghum beer from Benin

Abstract

Opaque sorghum beers are traditional alcoholic beverages in several African countries. Known as tchoukoutou in Benin, the beer is often obtained from an uncontrolled fermentation. It is consumed in an actively fermenting state and has a sour taste. The present study characterized and identified the yeasts involved in the fermentation process of this type of beer using the phenotypical approach. Of 12 beers from 4 different locations, the mean values of the pH, titratable acidity, dry matter content and refractive index were respectively 3.67, 0.70 (% as lactic acid) 18.08% and 7.00. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were the predominant microorganisms involved in the fermentation of tchoukoutou. Their counts were respectively 9.1 log cfu/ml and 9.1 logcfu/g. Enterobacteriaceae were not detectable in the beer. Based on the phenotypic characters and the assimilation profiles of 40 isolated yeasts, four genera with seven species of yeasts were identified. The yeast species predominant in the Benin opaque sorghum beer tchoukoutou was Saccharomyces cerevisae.

Bacterial and Fungal Dynamics During the Fermentation Process of Sesotho, a Traditional Beer of Southern Africa

“…Therefore, yeasts may contribute to the final taste and flavor of Sesotho and not just to alcohol production. In addition, yeasts are known to stimulate lactic acid production by LAB (Kayodé et al, 2011;Oro, 2013). These findings suggest that yeasts in addition to the LAB, play an important role during the production of Sesotho.…”

Occurrence and Importance of Yeasts in Indigenous Fermented Food and Beverages Produced in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Generally, C. albicans is only found in few indigenous sub-Saharan African fermented foods, occurring in low numbers in the fermented milk products amabere amaruranu and sethemi (Kebede et al, 2007; Nyambane et al, 2014) as well as in the sorghum beer tchoukoutou (Kayode et al, 2011). C. glabrata has been reported in some indigenous sub-Saharan African fermented food and beverages, including gari, lafun, mawè, tchoukoutou, and togwa (Tables 1–3).…”

Étude de quelques caractéristiques physico-chimiques de « Tchoukoutou », un type de bières locales produit au Togo et évaluation de la performance de quatre méthodes de détermination du degré alcoolique

“…A pH < 4, la croissance des agents pathogènes, dans les produits alimentaires, est inhibée (Motarjemi and Nout, 1996). De ce fait, les « Tchoukoutou » de Lomé seraient relativement sûrs d'un point de vue microbiologique (Kayodé et al, 2011).…”

“…Les conditions dans lesquelles les procédés sont réalisés ne garantissent pas souvent la sécurité sanitaire du produit fini (Osseyi et al, 2011). Au Bénin, le sorgho rouge (Sorghum bicolor) est généralement apprécié et utilisé par les productrices (Kayodé et al, 2011). Au Togo, les « Tchoukoutou » sont des bières locales qui se fabriquent traditionnellement à base du sorgho ou du mil.…”

“…Cette production se fait pratiquement dans toutes les régions, mais principalement dans les régions de la Kara et des Savanes. Ces bières sont aussi retrouvées dans différents pays d'Afrique sous différents noms tels que : « Dolo » au Burkina-Faso, au Mali et au Sénégal ; « Chibuki » au Zimbabwe ; « Tchapalo » en Côte d'Ivoire ; « Tchoukoutou » au Benin ; « Pito » au Ghana et « Burukutu » ou « Otika » au Nigeria (Odunfa and Oyewole, 1998 ;Glover, 2005 ;Kayodé et al, 2005 ;Kayodé et al, 2011 ;Lyumugabe et al, 2012).…”