Microflora and chemical composition of Momoni, a Ghanaian fermented fish condiment

A total of 67 microbial strains were isolated from momoni, a Ghanaian fermented fish condiment obtained from retail outlets. The strains belonged to nine genera of micro-organisms namely Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, Pediococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Debaryomyces, Hansenula and Aspergillus with Bacillus having a predominant occurrence of 37.7%. Average values of 5.8 x 10(7) - 4.1 x 10(8) cfu/g were obtained for the microbial count. The chemical constituents of fermented fish condiment were a moisture content of 50%, protein values of 16.8-21.9%, a timetable acidity of 2%, and a pH of above 6.0. The predominant amino acid of the momoni samples was glutamic acid (12.4-14.5%). The high pH and the low level of lactic acid bacteria (10(3) cfu/g) and the high salt content of momoni (294-310/kg) suggest that the fermentation process of the fish condiment is mediated by the endogenous enzymes of the fish rather than the associated micro-organisms. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.