AMINO ACID PROFILE OF OGI PRODUCED USING LYSINE PRODUCING LACTIC ACID BACTERIA AND YEAST UTILIZED AS STARTERS

Ogi is a very common food among Nigerians consumed by infants from the age of 4 months, children, adults, lactating mothers and convalescents. Amino acids are an important part of diets for humans and animals. A lot of the basic amino acids needed in the system cannot be produced by the body and this is why they are considered
essential. The main aim of this study is to isolate, characterize and screen for the production of lysine producing lactic acid bacteria and yeast from ogi and amino acid profiling of ogi produced using lysine producing lactic acid bacteria and yeast. In this study, red sorghum grain (Sorghum bicolor) was collected from Alapere/ Ketu market in Lagos state, Nigeria and transported to the laboratory for the preparation of Ogi. Ten lactic acid bacteria and ten yeasts were isolated from laboratory prepared sorghum Ogi on Malt Extract agar and De Man rogosa sharpe
agar and identified on the basis of morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. A total of ten LAB and ten yeast isolates were screened for lysine production on the solid agar medium seeded with lysine auxotroph Escherichia coli. Five LAB and five yeasts showed halo growth of the E. coli auxotroph on the surface of the medium after incubation, indicating lysine production by the yeast isolates. The lysine produced by the yeast isolates was quantified. The highest lysine producing LAB and yeast Lactobacillus planterum and Saccharomyces specie were used as starter culture for the production of Ogi, a fermented sorghum gruel. The amino acid profile of the ogi which was produced was analyzed. Each sample had glutamic acid as their most abundant amino acid while the least abundant amino acid was between cysteine and methionine. In conclusion, this study shows that the presence of lysine producing lactic acid bacteria and yeast increases the yield of essential amino acids in Ogi produced from sorghum