Abstract

The time used for fermentation should be limited by bakers, because if fermentation takes long time, the major nutrients in food, especially cereals can be reduced. The aim of this study is to assess the amount of carbohydrate nutrients transformed by yeast cells (Sacharomyces cerevisiae) through the fermentation of maize flour dough. Lane-Eynon and iodine-thiosulfate titration methods were used to quantify the concentration of both simple sugar and starch in the samples. Twelve samples were used for the analysis; 3 were used before the fermentation and another 3 were used after the fermentation at 17, 20 and 23 h. The amounts of starch consumed by yeast cells from the samples after fermentation time (17, 20 and 23 h) were 23.97, 49.13 and 68.45%, respectively. No simple sugar was detected after 17 h of fermentation of the samples. The results revealed that a significant amount of starch was transformed. Therefore, fermentation time should not be extended to prevent loss.

Key words: Maize flour, fermentation, reducing sugar, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, starch, titration.