Toxicity of Prepared Fermented Soybean Condiments from Indigenious Fermenters

Several studies have shown that most condiments consumed in Nigeria today are fortified with chemicals that alter the nature, and negatively affect organs and cells. Several condiments have been developed from fermented foods in order to control this ugly situation and to produce a non-toxic condiment with improve health qualities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of the fermented soybean condiments produced using indigenous fermenters. Soybean (Glycine max) sample was fermented with indigenous microorganisms isolated from 7 days old fermented soybean sample; this was oven-dried, pulverized and packaged in a cleaned sterile screw capped container. The toxicity was evaluated using in vivo technique. Lactobacillus plantarum strain ZS 2058 (L), Bacillus subtilis strain 168 (B) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain YJM555 (Y) were the indigenous microbes used singly and in consortium for the production of light to dark brown condiments with water activity ranging from 0.27 – 0.37 for the fermented soybean in the plate and 0.22 - 0.36 for the fermented soybean wrapped with Thaumatococcus danielli leaves (called Uma in Igbo and Ewe eran in Yoruba). No death was recorded from the experimental rats.The experimented rats showed significant (P<0.05) increased in body weight, no evidence of severe deformities in the organs and cells, slight or no increased in organ weights and these were statistically non-significant (P>0.05). Therefore condiments produced from fermentation of soybean using indigenous B, L, Y, BL and BLY are recommended safe and non-toxic and those fermented in plastic plates using BLY were most efficient, preferable and acceptable.