AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROBIOTIC BACTERIA IN THE COMMONLY FERMENTED MAIZE, OIL BEAN, AND CASTOR OIL IN NIGERIA

Active probiotic organisms are essential bacteria considered live microorganisms obtained from fermented foods. There is increasing evidence that probiotics are necessaryfor human health. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the active probiotic microorganisms in Nigeria's commonly fermented food samples. Maize, castor oil,and African oil beans were the primary fermentable food samples used in the study. The result revealed the presence of active probiotic organisms such as Pedioccocus, Micrococcus,Lactobacillus, and Bacillus species. The study concluded that these organisms are responsible for the fermentation of carbohydrates and protein-rich seeds.

Active probiotic organisms are essential microorganismsgenerally regarded as live microbes found in fermented foods, which enhance the digestive tract and promote the immune system. Probiotics also influence carbohydrate and protein fermentation, enriching microbiota with high saccharolytic activity and low proteolytic activity.Probiotics have attracted huge research attention in the recent decade ( .The fermentation process describes the microbial breakdown of carbohydrates and other substances to release alcohol, carbon dioxide, and energy. The fermentation processes play an essential role in food technology industries. In the traditional fermentation process, natural microorganisms are employed to prepare and preserve different types of food. The methods add to the nutritional value of foods and enhance flavor and other desirable qualities associated with digestibility and edibility. Fermented foods reflect foods that have been subjected to the action of microorganisms or enzymes to achieve desirable biochemical changes cause significant modification to the food (Singh et al., 2012).
The frequently fermented food in Nigeria includes cereals (Maize), beverages (palm wine), legumes (oil bean, castor oil seed), and tubers (cassava). This investigation is aimed to isolate and characterize the active probiotic organisms existing in fermented maize (Zea mays), oil bean (Ricinus communis), and African oil bean (Pentadethra macrophylla Benth).

Materials and Method: -
Glassware and other materials were sterilized correctly and dried. The traditional fermented maize, oil bean, and castor oil seed were collected from different sources and subjected to laboratory analysis.According to Da Silva et al. (2013), all media were prepared according to the standard procedures.Furthermore,each fermented food sample's grams were mashed with laboratory pestle and mortar and mixed with purified water as a diluent in a sterile sample bottle. Nevertheless, characterization and identification of isolates, Gram staining of the isolates, biochemical test for identification of bacteria, catalase test, citrate test,indole test, motility test, methyl red test, plaiting, and sugar fermentation were appropriately employed. Zea mays 4.0x10 5 1.12x10 6 3 Pentadethra macrophylla benth 1.6x10 5 1.04x10 6 4 Pentadethra macrophylla benth 1.8x10 6 2.2x10 6 5 Ricinus communis 1.4x10 6 2.68x10 6 6 Ricinus communis 1.08x10 6 2.40x10 6  C r e a m , s m o o t h , s m a l l , f a t , e n t i r e , t r a n s p a r e n t . Cream, rough, circular, big, flat, unbonate, transparent, spindle, moderate small punctiform. Cream, smooth, circular, moderate, flat, entire, small punctiform. Cream, rough circular, moderate, raised, lobate, transparent irregular small punctiform. Cream, smooth, circular, small, flat ent ire transparent irregular small . Cre a m, s moot h, circ ula r, s ma ll, fla t, e nti re tra nspare nt s pi ndle punctiform .

Discussion:-
The present study intends to isolate and characterize the probiotic bacteria in some fermented food samples. The research shows the microorganisms isolated from the fermented samples asthe bacteria grow on the de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agarand nutrient agar. The viable colony count of bacteria isolated from the fermented foods, maize, castor oil,and oil beanare shown in table 1. Indeed, the finding agrees with the standard plate count of colony range of 30-300cfu on a petri-dish. The bacteria isolated from maize ranges from 1.6x10 5 to 2.28x10 6 , oil bean from 1.6x10 5 to 2.2x10 6 ,castor oil goes from 1.4x10 6 to 2.68x10 6 . The bacteriological characteristics of the bacteria colonies were acknowledged through visual counting from the plates comprising the aliquot dilute samples of each fermented food sample, as shown in Table 2. Table 3 shows the probiotic organisms isolated and characterized from maize, castor oil, and oil beanthrough the biochemical test. The active probiotic organisms isolated were Pedioccocus, Micrococcus,Lactobacillus, and Bacillus species. These organisms are accountable for fermentation and can utilize constituents of the fermented foods.
Theresult is aligned with Aworh (2008), who reported that fermentation improves the texture and flavor of foods imparting a pleasantly sour taste. It also enhances the value of food materials giving it higher quality, detoxification, andbetter preservation. The Lactobacillus produces acid, which further inhibits the growth of non-desirable organisms. ThePedioccocus are home fermenters that produce lactic acid. This agrees with the observation of Oguekeet al. (2005), which reported that microorganisms isolated from fermented maize, soil bean, and castor oil seed usually contain proteolytic, lipolytic, andamylolytic ability to breakdown protein, carbohydrates, and lipids. The Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Micrococcus, andPedioccocusisolated from the three fermented foods are gram-positive and produce lactic acid and acetic acid, identifying them as probiotics.

Conclusion:-
Lactic acid bacteria are among the most severe microorganisms used in food fermentation. Probiotics are not pathogenic organisms in foods that can positively influence the host's health and modulate the gastrointestinal tract. The study finding revealed that the following organisms were isolated from the fermented foods: Maize: Lactobacillus and Pedioccocus species, Oil bean: Bacillus and Micrococcus species, castor oil: Lactobacillus and Bacillus species. Lactobacillus and Bacillus species are found to be expected. It fermented the foods very well and gave them the desired texture, flavor, and taste. Therefore, it could be concluded that these organisms are responsible for the fermentation of carbohydrates and protein-rich seeds to give them desired fermented products (Maize, Oil bean, and Castor oil). However, certain microorganisms were detected and isolated from the sample. Perhaps, the presence of these microorganisms could be attributed to the poor hygienic condition. Therefore, the study recommends observing proper sanitary conditions while preparing food fermentation. Also, foods that contain active probiotics are recommended to enhance immune system responses, prevent infection and reduce inflammation.
R . c o m m u n i s 2 C r e a m , s m o o t h , c i r c u l a r , s m a l l , R a i s e d , e n t i r e , t r a n s p a r e n t .