Amylolytic lactic acid bacteria (ALAB) can potentially replace malt in reducing the viscosity of starchy porridges. However, the drawback of using ALAB is their low and delayed amylolytic activity. This necessitates searching for efficient ALAB and strategies to improve their amylolytic activity. Two ALAB, Lactobacillus plantarum MNC 21 and Lactococcus lactis MNC 24, isolated from Obushera, were used to ferment starches in MRS broth: sorghum, millet, sweet potato, and commercial soluble starch. The amylolytic activity of MNC 21 was comparable to that of the ALAB collection strain Lb. plantarum A6, while that of MNC 24 was extremely low. MNC 21, MNC 24, and their coculture were compared to A6 and sorghum malt for ability to ferment and reduce the viscosity of sorghum porridge (11.6% dry matter). ALAB and the coculture lowered the pH from 6.2 to <4. A mylolytic lactic acid bacteria (ALAB) produce amylases which facilitate hydrolysis and fermentation of starch to lactic acid in a one-step process (30). ALAB can thus be utilized in commercial production of lactic acid from starchy materials and in reducing the viscosity of starchy complementary foods (13,24,33). These potential applications explain the diversity of ALAB isolated so far, which includes members of the genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus (13,29,30). Lactobacillus plantarum A6 (LMG 18053), isolated from cassava, has been widely studied and evaluated for producing energy-dense starch-based complementary foods (9,24,33).Porridges from starchy cereals (maize, sorghum, or millet) are commonly used as complementary foods in Africa. Extensive swelling of starch granules during heating limits the flour content of these porridges to about 50 to 100 g flour liter Ϫ1 (31). These porridges have viscosities (1,000 to 3,000 cP) suitable for infant feeding but are low in energy and nutrient density (31). Energy and nutrient density can be improved by increasing the flour content to a minimum of 200 g kg Ϫ1 or by fortification with legumes (26,31,33). However, large amounts of starch make the porridges too thick and unsuitable for infant feeding (26).Starch hydrolysis by extrusion cooking, commercial amylases, cereal malts, or ALAB fermentations can reduce the viscosity of porridges (16,28,33). However, methods that are efficient, relatively cheap, and adaptable to traditional processes are preferable. Cereal malts reduce viscosity fast, are cheap, and can initiate lactic acid fermentation, thus contributing to product safety (36). However, their production increases the processing time (3 to 5 days), and malts may possess low and variable amylolytic activity (28, 34). Spoilage and pathogenic microflora in cereals malts can also pose quality and safety risks in case of slow fermentation (3). Fastacidifying and strong ALAB have thus been proposed to be potential substitutes for cereal malts (24,33,34).Large amounts of glucose, maltose, or sucrose repress amylase synthesis by ALAB and can thus prevent or limit th...