Development and Characterisation of Functional Fermented Sorghum Beverages with Probiotic Properties in Kano State

Functional fermented beverages with confirmed probiotic properties represent a growing segment of the global functional food market, and sorghum provides a low-cost, gluten-free fermentable substrate for such beverages in northern Nigeria. This study develops and characterises a functional fermented sorghum beverage produced using selected probiotic lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from traditional Kunu zaki in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Sorghum grains were steeped, milled, and saccharified at varying malting levels before inoculation with selected Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains at defined concentrations. Fermentation was conducted at 30 and 37 degrees Celsius for 12, 24, and 48 hours. The fermented beverages were characterised for pH, titratable acidity, total solids, alcohol content, total lactic acid bacteria count, and sensory properties. Probiotic properties of the strains were evaluated in vitro, including acid tolerance at pH 2.0, bile salt tolerance at 0.3 percent concentration, and antimicrobial activity against pathogenic indicators. Stability of viable probiotic counts under refrigerated storage at 4 degrees Celsius was assessed over 28 days. Results showed that Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from traditional kunu exhibited superior in vitro probiotic properties. The beverage produced at 37 degrees Celsius for 24 hours had the highest viable count of 8.9 log CFU per ml after 21 days of refrigerated storage. Sensory acceptability was rated highly by 40 panellists. The study contributes to the functional food engineering literature for northern Nigeria. Keywords: probiotic, sorghum, fermented beverage, Lactobacillus, Kano State