Total folate in West African cereal-based fermented foods: bioaccessibility and influence of processing

Abstract Cereal-based fermented foods (CBFF) are frequently consumed by young children in West-Africa. Seven CBFF types (gelatinized doughs, porridges, dumplings, and fritters, made from corn, sorghum or pearl millet) were produced according to the commonly used methods in traditional production units in Burkina Faso. Their total folate content, analyzed using a microbiological method, was between 1.8 and 31.3 µg/100 g fresh weight. Folate degradation occurred at several steps during the cereal grain processing into CBFF, for instance during debranning (-51%), soaking (-20% to -49%) and wet-milling (-39% to -59%). Conversely, fermentation increased the folate content of some CBFF (+9 to +27%). Folate bioaccessibility, assessed using a static in vitro digestion model, ranged from 23% to 81%. The bioaccessible folate content was influenced by the total folate content, the food matrix structure, and folate stability. CBFF contribution to the reference folate intake for young children was at most 23%. This work generated new information on the influence of traditional processing on the vitamin B9 content of CBFF, and the first data on folate bioaccessibility in West African CBFF.