Assessment of the technological, physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the fermented dough used to produce <i>O’moabu</i> in the Eastern region of Burkina Faso

O'moabu is a traditional dough made from fermented cereal dough by the Gourmachema tribe in the East Region of Burkina Faso. The technological, physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of this food, have been poorly documented. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of the fermented dough used in the production of O'moabu. Data on production technology were collected through a survey. Physicochemical, microbiological and biochemical analyses were conducted using standard methods. The assessment enabled the generation of a typical production diagram for O'moabu. Concerning physicochemical characteristics, pH ranged from 5.57 ± 0.02 to 6.08 ± 0.02, while titratable acidity varied between 0.41 ± 0.01 and 1.04 ± 0.01 g lactic acid/100 g. Regarding microbiological characteristics, total aerobic mesophilic flora ranged from 1.1x105 ± 27 to 4.6x107 ± 10 CFU/g, yeasts from 5x102 ± 37 to 9.5x104 ± 33 CFU/ g and lactic acid bacteria from 1x104 ± 25 to 6.7x105 ± 27 CFU/g. Morphological and biochemical tests showed that the yeast isolates belonged to the genera Saccharomyces sp. (50%), Candida sp. (18.75%), Torulaspora sp. (25%) and Kluyeverommyces sp. (6.25%). The lactic acid bacteria belonged to the genera Lactobacillus sp. (37.5%), Streptococcus sp. (12.5%), Leuconostoc sp. (25%) and others genera (25%). These yeasts and lactic acid bacteria work in symbiosis to ferment O'moabu dough.