Effect of Fermentation on Chemical Composition of Cassava Peels

Adeleke BS; Akinyele BJ; Olaniyi OO; Agboola YA

Abstract

Effect of Fermentation on Chemical Composition of Cassava Peels

The bioconversion of some agro-wastes resulting from microbial activities in biotechnological relatedness has greatly enhanced the nutritional composition and reduction in its anti-nutritional content for useful end-products formation. In this present study, cassava peels were fermented for 96 h at room temperature 28 ± 2oC. Seven species of bacterial (Lactobacillus plantarum, Bacillus subtilis, B. megatarum, L. fermentum, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. delbrueckii) and five species of fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium citricum, A. flavus, Rhizopus racemosus) were identified. The pulverized samples were pretreated with lactic acid before pasteurization, and then inoculated with a loopful bacterial isolate prior fermentation. The proximate composition and total cyanide content of the fermented cassava peels were determined. The result of the proximate analysis revealed that there was an increase in the protein content of the natural and pretreated fermented cassava peels from 4.80 to 6.59 and 6.24 to 10.46. There was no considerable difference in the ash content while there was a decrease in fibre content from 16.91 to 11.20 and 13.34 to 10.21. Anti-nutrient such as cyanide decreased in the natural and pretreated fermented sample from 10.0 to 5.59 and 0.02 to 0.01. However, the improvement in the nutritional component and reduction in cyanide content of cassava peels occurred with increase in fermentation time.