Influence of processing conditions on the nutritive value of Ogi-baba, a Nigerian fermented sorghum gruel.

The effect of germination, cowpea fortification and fermentation on the chemical and amino acid composition of ogi-baba, a Nigerian fermented sorghum gruel was investigated. The lowest protein value of 1.4% was obtained in the traditionally prepared sample, while samples prepared from germinated, fortified sorghum had 13%. The ash ranged from 0.9% to above 2%, while the fat was in the range of 1.2% to 2.8%. Generally, fortification, in addition to germination, improved the chemical composition of ogi-baba relative to the control sample. There was improvement in the amino acid profile of all the ogi-baba samples compared to the unprocessed sorghum grains. Lysine, a limiting amino acid in sorghum, increased more than 50% in ogi-baba. However, samples prepared using germinated sorghum without the addition of cowpeas had a lower lysine content.