Fermentation of pearl millet flour with yeasts and lactobacilli: in vitro digestibility and utilisation of fermented flour for weaning mixtures.

Single as well as mixed culture fermentation by yeasts (S. diastaticus; S. cerevistiae) and lactobacilli (L. brevis; L. fermentum) at 30 degrees C for 72 h improved the starch and protein digestibility (in vitro) of pearl millet flour significantly. The flour fermented by Saccharomyces diastaticus, a starch hydrolysing yeast, had the highest starch digestibility whereas fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae enhanced the in vitro protein digestibility of the flour significantly. Weaning mixtures prepared from the fermented flour were also found to be organoleptically acceptable.