African Fermented Food as Antimicrobial Agents

Fermented foods are common in Africa and they include: pupuru, ogi, gari, bantu, sauerkraut, salami, kimch, okpiye, manshanu, uji, ugba, and bonome. They are made from different sources such as cassava, millet, maize, and soybeans. They are common in different African ethnic groups and the oldest known African fermented food/drink is the sour milk (yogurt), followed by alcoholic drinks such as wine and beer. They are consumed majorly for better flavour, taste and increased shelf life. The microbes which include yeast and lactic acid-producing bacteria are implicated in the fermentation processing of African foods. These help in the biodegradation of foods with resultant end products like alcohols and acids which give the food a distinct acidic taste, however, the acidic nature of the foods can also have a protective function, preventing the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Fermented foods provide numerous health impact to the consumers which include the expression of bioactive metabolites, antimicrobial peptides, and production of peptides protein. This chapter describes the various roles of African fermented foods with microorganisms present inside and their metabolites as antimicrobial agents.