MICROBIAL COUNTS AND IDENTIFICATION OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH READY TO DRINK ZOOM-KOOM COLLECTED FROM SELLING PLACES IN OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO

Zoom-koom is a very popular millet based beverage which has social and economic importance in Burkina Faso. The aim of this study was to investigate physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics, especially genotypic diversity of the predominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) associated to commercial zoom-koom collected in the twelve districts of the city of Ouagadougou. Physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics were determined using standard methods. Identification of microorganisms included phenotyping, Rep-PCR typing and sequencing of 16S rRNA. The pH of the ready to drink zoom-koom samples varied from 3.2 to 4.4 while the acidity varied from 0.69 to 4.1 g of lactic acid/100 mL. Regarding the type of grains used to produce zoom-koom, 65% of the producers used unshelled millet grains, 23% used shelled grains, and 12% used both types of grains. LAB, enterobacteria and yeasts and molds counts ranged between 4.2 x 105 to 7.6 x 108 CFU/mL, 1 x 101 to 7.1 x 105 CFU/mL and 1.7 x 103 to 2.1 x 106 CFU/mL, respectively. Results showed that most of the commercial zoom-koom collected in front of schools and health centers of the twelve districts do not respect microbiological criteria of quality for enterobacteria and yeasts and molds. At the species level, Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum dominated (41.66%) zoom-koom vended nearby schools and health centers, followed by Pediococcus pentosaceus (37.5%) and Lactobacillus fermentum (20.83%).