Isolation of probiotics and nutritional evaluation of fermented lactose-free foods as a potential treatment for diarrhoea

Probiotics are live bacteria that can be found in fermented local foods and confer health benefits on the host when administered in adequate amounts. However, there is little awareness of local fermented, lactose-free foods as good and cheap sources of probiotics that could be employed in the dietary management of diarrhoea instead of the expensive antibiotic drugs. The local food materials were fermented and prepared into their respective meals using traditional methods. The probiotic population, nutrient quality, and energy value of the fermented foods, and the prepared meals were investigated. Probiotics were isolated and enumerated from the meals using standard pour- plating techniques, while the proximate composition of the samples was evaluated using standard methods. The used food samples include; Sorghum ‘ogí’ (SP), Soya flour, ‘Garri’, and formulated meals from Sorghum ‘ogí’ (SP) and Soya four as 90% ‘ogí’+10% soya (TS), 80% ‘ogí’+20% soya (PS), and 70% ‘ogí’+30% soya (ST). The probiotic (LAB) population identified in the meals includes Bifidobacterium lactis at concentration ranges of (3.41x102– 7.77x106 CFU/g), Lactobacillus acidophilus (1.48x103–3.69x106 CFU/g) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (1.01x102–7.39x104 CFU/g). Bifidobacterium lactis had the highest population (7.77×10⁶ CFU/g) in PS, while Lactobacillus acidophilus (3.69×10⁶ CFU/g) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (7.39×10⁴ CFU/g) were highest in ST. However, only the PS meal met the RDA standards for both Bifidobacterium lactis (≥106 CFU/g) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (103 CFU/g) implying a good source of probiotics, and exhibited good nutrient quality; (69.48%) moisture, (7.10%) protein, (3.34%) ash, (6.70%) crude fat, (2.76%) fibre and (10.60%) carbohydrates. Thus, the formulated PS meal with an adequate concentration of probiotics of acclaimed health benefits possesses the potential for a therapeutic diet that could help in ameliorating the effect of gastrointestinal disorder and diarrhoea. Also, the good nutrient quality and energy value of the meal indicates its capability for faster recuperation after a health disorder like diarrhoea.