Process and Product Characterization of Aliha, A Maize-Based Ghanaian Indigenous Fermented Beverage
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Food Quality
Abstract
Aliha is a maize-based traditional fermented beverage prepared and consumed in Ghana, predominantly in the Volta Region and
other parts of Ghana. ,e study sought to characterize the production processes, the nutritional values, and microbial composition
of aliha. A total of 126 aliha producers in the Volta, Greater Accra, and Ashanti Regions were sampled using snowballing
to identify and to recruit the producers for the study, using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. ,e physicochemical and
microbial composition were carried out using standard methods. Four different production techniques were identified across the
production sites. ,e variations identified during the production existed across the production chain. ,e main ingredients used
for aliha production are corn, caramel, sugar, and water. However, aliha produced by the ‘original’ method (DN2) presented the
best nutritional values (proteins, energy, and calcium), followed by backslopping techniques, AG1 (total carbohydrates and ash),
and AG2 (fats and oils and phosphorus). Fungi and Enterobacteriaceae dominated the initial fermentation stages (24 h) with low
acid values. However, as the fermentation time increased from 24 h to 72 h, the acid contents of the fermenting beverage increased
sharply leading to a drastic reduction of fungi and Enterobacteriaceae contents with increasing records of lactic acid bacterial
counts. Even though DN2 presented the best nutritional values, it was highly contaminated. Hence, the producers must be
encouraged to use backslopping techniques for safety and to shorten the duration of production.
Description
Research Article