Production of Masa Using Maize-Sorghum Blends

The study was carried out on masa production from fermented maize-sorghum blends. Three masa products were prepared and designated as sample A (100 % maize), sample B (50 % blend) and sample C (25 %). They were, steeped for 6 hours, fermented for 24 hours and analysed for microbiological changes, pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), and proximate composition. Bacterial species isolated from the blends were Lactobacillus fermentum, L. plantarum, Micrococcus luteus, Corynebacterium spp, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Staphylococcus aureus. Fungal species isolated were Aspergillus niger, Fusarium spp, Penicillium spp, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis, Rhizopus stolonifer and Mucor mucedo. Lactobacillus plantarum and S. cerevisiae were the most occurred microorganisms in all the samples. The highest fungal and bacterial counts were found in sample B while their respective lowest counts were from samples A and C. Temperature also increased with the highest and lowest increases from samples B and A respectively. Total titratable acidities increased in all the samples to 0.33 %, 0.30 % and 0.28 % in samples B, A and C respectively. Reverse trend was observed in the pH of the samples. Crude protein and crude fat contents was highest in sample B while crude fibre and carbohydrate contents decreased in all the fermented samples. The sample B (50 % blend) were observed to be a good alternative for masa production based on its protein contents and organoleptic attributes.