The study was designed to evaluate the mono and co-cultural fermentation on the nutritional and antioxidant profile of kunu-a fermented millet based food. Isolation of microorganisms from the kunu samples were carried by serial dilution and pour plate techniques. The pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) of the kunu were monitored for 48 hours. The proximate analysis and the antioxidant properties of the kunu were also determined. The mono and co-cultural fermentation of the microbial isolates were evaluated using standard inoculation methods. The microorganisms isolated from the kunu samples include Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lb. fermentum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The inoculants used were Lb plantarum, Lb. fermentum, S. cerevisiae and B. subtilis. The pH of the samples ranged from 3.40-7.40 while the titratable acidity of the samples ranged from 0.13-0.80. The protein (4.01%), ash (2.54%), fibre (6.98%) and moisture contents (85.01%) of kunu from mono and co-cultural fermentation increased significantly while fat (1.14%) and carbohydrate (6.70%) decreased when compared with the naturally fermented kunu. The total phenolic (3.34 mg/g) and flavonoid (1.40 mg/g) contents of kunu from mono and co-cultural fermentation increased when compare to naturally fermented kunu. Therefore, the improvement in the nutritional content of the fermented kunu sample with synergistic action of the microorganisms suggests that it can be good source of protein and probiotics.

Keywords: Kunu, fermentation, millet, antioxidant, proximate