Effect of Fermented Rice Dough on the Organoleptic Quality and Shelflife of Rice ‘’Masa’’

Abstract

The study involved the isolation and identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) from fermented rice dough and the use of the fermented rice dough for the production of ‘masa’. The study was aimed at determining the effect of the fermented rice dough on the sensory quality and shelf life of ‘masa’. The result obtained showed that the fermented rice dough had a mean lactic acid bacteria count of 7.9x10⁶ cfu/g after five days of fermentation. The mean fungal and aerobic plate counts were 4.2x10⁵ cfu/g and 2.9x10⁵ cfu/g, respectively. Five species of lactic acid bacteria were isolated and identified as Lactobacillus sanfranciscens, Lactobacillus pontis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus fermentii, and Lactobacillus brevis. ‘Masa’ made with 15% fermented rice dough was most effective in inhibiting fungal spoilage, having the longest minimum mould-free shelf life (MMFSL) of 8 days, but it was the least accepted in terms of organoleptic quality. The control ‘masa’ without fermented dough and the commercial ‘masa’ were the most accepted but had the least MMFSL of 4 days. However, ‘masa’ made with 5% fermented dough had an appreciable level of acceptance and an average MMFSL of 6 days. The findings of this work show that the addition of fermented rice dough can improve the shelf life and organoleptic quality of ‘masa’ produced from rice.