Evaluation of the Technological Properties of Dried Attieke Ferments

Drying traditional attieke ferments would be a promising solution to improve their preservation and long-term availability. In this context, the three traditional types of ferments (braised, raw, and boiled) were dried at 37°C. The aim of this study was to determine the ideal inoculation dose for each type of dried ferment used in attieke production. To achieve this, fermentations were carried out with different inoculants (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The results showed that the best yields in terms of technological properties were obtained with dough inoculated with 10% traditional ferment and that inoculated with 15% dried ferment. Whatever the type of ferment used, the fermentative properties of dough inoculated with 15% dried ferment were better than those inoculated with 10% similar traditional ferment. After 24 h of fermentation, the dough inoculated at 15% with the dried raw ferment showed the highest acidity, reaching 1.01% ± 0.07%. Cassava doughs inoculated with 15% braised and dried boiled ferments showed acidities of 1% ± 0.1% and 0.75% ± 0.03%, respectively. Enzyme production peaks at 18 h of fermentation. Thus, dough inoculated with 15% dried braised ferment exhibited high α-amylolytic (94.95 ± 3.9 U/mL) and β-glucosidasic (65 ± 3.1 U/mL) activity. Dough inoculated with 15% boiled ferment showed a high level of pectinolytic activity (28.18 ± 0.9 U/mL). The technological properties of dried ferments were maximized for a 15% inoculation dose, after 18 h of fermentation at 35°C. These ferments could be selected for consistent quality attieke production in Côte d'Ivoire.