Abstract
The fermentation of drought-resilient cereals and legumes such as sorghum, millet, maize, Bambara groundnut (BGN), and cowpea plays a crucial role in enhancing their nutritional quality, safety, and sensory attributes in traditional African diets. This study assessed the diversity and fermentation potential of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from spontaneously fermented raw and malted flours of selected drought-resilient cereals and legumes. Traditional spontaneous fermentation sourdough was performed, followed by microbiological enumeration, phenotypic characterization, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. LAB counts ranged from 3.41 ± 0.1 to 7.78 ± 0.2 log10 CFU/g in the spontaneously fermented sourdoughs. Phenotypic analysis revealed the predominance of Gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci and rods. Genotypic identification confirmed the presence of LAB belonging to the Pediococcus and Weissella genera, with Pediococcus pentosaceus and Weissella cibaria as the predominant species, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis grouped 35 LAB isolates into well-supported clades with close similarity to reference strains. Thirteen (13) selected strains were chosen as starter culture for the controlled fermentation of sorghum and Bambara groundnut. The predominant Pediococcus pentosaceus strains (MFOG, SAFOG1 and BFOG) achieved high total titratable acidity (TTA) and microbial growth in sorghum. In contrast, Weissella cibaria BMFOG1 and Pediococcus pentosaceus SAMFOG3 showed similar results in Bambara groundnut. The findings highlight the rich diversity of indigenous LAB associated with fermented African cereals and legumes and their potential application in improving fermentation consistency and product quality.