THE ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF FERMENTED UJI

Modern infant formulations based on milk have been shown to cause severe diarrhoea and malnutrition during weaning, unlike the traditional weaning foods such as uji (cereal porridge). Such diseases can be attributed to the unhygienic conditions and dirty water used during preparation of infant foods. Results on microbial growth or death of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, enteropathogenic Escherichia Coli and Shigella dysenteriae during uji fermentation and storage of ready-to-eat products are described. All the pathogens declined during uji fermentation and storage, with the declining rate being higher during storage. Invitro studies on antimicrobial activities on plates by uji culture against the pathogens, suggest that the inhibition mechanism could be due to both acid production and antibiotic substances.