Physico-chemical and microbiological characterization of corn and rice ‘calugi’ produced by Brazilian Amerindian people

• Published in: Food research international 2012-11, Vol.49 (1), p.524-532
• Main Authors: Miguel, Maria Gabriela da Cruz Pedrozo, Santos, Marianna Rabelo Rios Martins, Duarte, Whasley Ferreira, de Almeida, Euziclei Gonzaga, Schwan, Rosane Freitas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acetaldehyde; acetic acid bacteria; American Indians; Bacillus cereus; Bacteria; Biological and medical sciences; Calugi; Candida; Cereal and baking product industries; Corn; Enterobacter cloacae; ethyl acetate; fermentation; Fermented foods; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; furfuryl alcohol; glycerol; high performance liquid chromatography; lactic acid; lactic acid bacteria; Lactobacillus plantarum; maltose; microbiological quality; pelargonic acid; Pichia fermentans; plate count; Rice; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Streptococcus parasanguinis; Streptococcus salivarius; volatile compounds; Weissella confusa; Yeasts
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2012.08.012

‘Calugi’ is a fermented porridge that is produced from corn and rice by Javaé Amerindians. Samples of this porridge were chemically and microbiologically characterized. The microbial population was composed of yeasts, aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and some enterobacteria. The population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and yeasts increased slightly during ‘calugi’ fermentation. During the initial fermentation period (12 and 24h), counts of the bacterial population (LAB, AMB and enterobacteria) and yeast increased. After 48h of fermentation, the population of mesophilic bacteria was 5.06logCFU/mL; lactic acid bacteria (LAB), 4.69logCFU/mL; yeast, 4.37logCFU/mL; enterobacteria, 3.29logCFU/mL and acid acetic bacteria (AAB), 3.14logCFU/mL. During the fermentation process, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus parasanguis, Weissella confusa, Enterobacter cloacae, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus sp. and the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia fermentans and Candida sp. were detected by PCR-DGGE. The LAB were dominant during the process and were likely most responsible for the reduction in pH value, which permitted yeast growth. Carbohydrates (70.48g/L — maltose), alcohols (1.70g/L — glycerol) and acids (4.56g/L — acid lactic) were identified by HPLC. Fifteen volatile compounds were identified and quantified by GC-FID. From the fermentation, acetaldehyde, 1-1-diethoxyethane, isobutyl acetate, ethyl acetate, furfuryl alcohol and nonanoic acid were identified, with maximum concentrations of 457.02μg/L, 73.96μg/L, 54.03μg/L, 24.82μg/L, 755.82μg/L, 61.85μg/L, respectively. ► Calugi is a fermented porridge from corn and rice. ► Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces were the dominant microorganisms. ► Metabolite identification facilitates a better understanding of population dynamics.