Abstract

Negative health problems raise from changes in food consumption patterns in society today leading to the emergence of diseases, which affect the digestive tract. This study was designed to determine the phytochemical, mineral, proximate and probiotic properties of some fermented foods. The fermented foods were produced by standard methods and the phytochemical, proximate and mineral compositions of the fermented foods were analysed using methods described by Association of Official Analytical Chemistry (AOAC). Sample (fermented foods) were cultured on de Man Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar and the isolated Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) were screened for probiotic properties, including salt tolerance, protease activity, acid tolerance, adhesion and antimicrobial activity. The results revealed that the fermented foods contained different essential nutrients (carbohydrate, proteins), mineral (calcium, magnesium) and a variety of phytonutrients (flavonoids, saponins). The isolated LAB inhibits some pathogenic bacteria to varying degrees and had a survival rate to bile salt concentration ranged from 85 to 99% and 52% to 90%. The phylogenetic analysis and the 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the LAB isolated belongs to the genera Lactobacillus and Weissella and were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum (two isolates) and Weissella paramesenteroides. The presence of phytochemicals (flavonoids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, and phenolic acid) in the fermented foods makes it medicinal and can be used for the management of oxidative stress and the treatment of various diseases. These strains exhibited potential as probiotic producer and are promising candidates for application in pharmaceutical and food industry in the production of nutraceuticals and functional foods.

Key words: Probiotics; phytochemical; proximate; antioxidant; antimicrobial